The short answer
How to plant water lilies in a pot: set the rhizome at a 45-degree angle in heavy clay soil, eye uncovered, top with gravel and sink it in stages to 18 to 24 inches. In an earth-bottom pond, press the rhizome into the mud the same way and anchor it with a stone. Plant from late spring to late summer.
Hardy water lilies establish well when three things go right: soil heavy enough to stay put, a growing tip left above the soil, and a pot lowered in stages so young leaves can reach the light. This guide walks through potting a lily step by step, with the water depth for each stage of growth. It also covers planting hardy lilies straight into the mud of an earth-bottom farm pond, wildlife pond or restoration site, where there is no liner to protect and no pot to lift later. If you are stocking a large pond, you will find how much of the surface to plan for, so the pads shade fish and give frogs a place to rest without covering the whole pond. Our Water Lilies are Nymphaea odorata, a hardy lily, so everything here is written for hardy plants that come back with new pads and flowers each spring. Blue Flag Iris and Blue Lobelia, both at home in wet soil, frame the banks.
Plants for a water lily pond
1. Pick the time and a sunny spot
Plant from late spring to late summer. Choose open water that gets six or more hours of direct sun a day, since lilies need plenty of light to bloom. Keep them away from waterfalls, fountains and splashing water, which hardy lilies dislike. In a farm or wildlife pond, calm and sheltered shallows suit them best, out of the way of strong inflows.
Tip: Mark each planting spot with a stake so you can find it again next spring.
2. Fill a wide pot with heavy soil
Use a plastic pot or aquatic basket that will not break down underwater, wide rather than deep, so the rhizome has room to run. Fill it with heavy clay or silt-loam garden soil, leaving two to three inches of space at the top. Skip bagged potting mix: it is light, it floats out of the pot and it clouds the water. Push two to four aquatic fertilizer tablets into the soil.
Tip: Wet the soil first so it packs down firmly around the rhizome.
3. Set the rhizome with its eye exposed
Lay the rhizome at roughly a 45-degree angle against one side of the pot, with the cut end toward the wall and the growing tip, or eye, pointing up toward the open middle. Firm soil around the roots but leave the eye uncovered, because a buried crown can rot. Then spread a layer of pea gravel over the soil to hold it in place and stop it washing into the water.
4. Sink the pot in stages
Water the pot thoroughly before it goes in, so trapped air does not lift soil out. Start it on bricks or a shelf so the crown sits 6 to 10 inches below the surface and the young leaves can float. As new pads appear, lower it in stages until hardy lilies rest 18 to 24 inches deep. Our Water Lilies grow well anywhere from 1 to 4 feet deep once established.
5. Plan coverage for a large pond
Aim to cover no more than about half of the pond's surface with leaves. That leaves open water for light while the pads shade fish and give frogs a resting place. Each pad spans 4 to 12 inches, and hardy rhizomes spread over the seasons, so spread plants across the sunny shallows rather than in one cluster, and add more later if open water remains.
Planting straight into a pond bottom
Yes, you can plant hardy water lilies directly into a farm, wildlife or restoration pond if it has a natural bottom of clay or silty mud. Skip it in lined ponds, where the liner holds no soil and can be damaged, and over bare rock, gravel or sand. Because a lily planted in the mud cannot be lowered later, start it where the crown sits under 6 to 10 inches of water, in a sunny, calm spot. Press the rhizome into the mud at the same angle you would use in a pot, eye just showing, and anchor it with a stone. In a pond that drops off quickly, wrap the rhizome and a ball of heavy soil in burlap, tie it and set it on a ledge at that depth; the roots grow through into the mud. Hardy lilies then spread outward into water up to about 4 feet deep. Around the banks, Water Willow forms dense shoreline mats and Marsh Hibiscus adds dinner-plate flowers to wet edges.
Care and keeping
Hardy lilies need little care once they settle. Pinch off yellowing leaves and spent flowers, and push fresh fertilizer tablets into the soil as the plants grow. Most water lilies should be divided every four to five years so crowded rhizomes keep flowering. Lift potted lilies in spring, cut the rhizome into pieces, each with an eye, and replant.
Frequently asked questions
What time of year to plant water lilies?
Plant hardy water lilies from late spring to late summer. That gives the rhizome time to root in and send up pads before winter. Utah State University Extension notes hardy lilies bloom from mid-May until the first freeze there, so planting early in the window brings flowers sooner.
Can water lilies grow in water only?
Not for long. Hardy water lilies root into soil, and their thick rhizomes anchor in the sediment and store food for the next season. Without soil the roots have nothing to hold or feed from, and the plant weakens. Give them a pot of heavy clay or silt-loam, or the natural mud bottom of an earth pond.
Do water lilies multiply on their own?
Yes. Hardy water lilies spread by their rhizomes, which branch and send up new crowns over time. In an earth-bottom pond they can slowly colonize the sunny shallows, which is why it pays to plan for no more than half the surface in leaves. In pots, divide them every four to five years to keep them flowering.
Water lily depth by growth stage
| Stage | Water over the crown | How to get there |
|---|---|---|
| Newly potted | 6 to 10 inches | Stand the pot on bricks or a shelf so young leaves float |
| New pads on the surface | Deeper in stages | Lower the pot each time fresh pads reach the surface |
| Established hardy lily | 18 to 24 inches | Rest the pot on the bottom; our Water Lilies grow in 1 to 4 feet |
| Planted straight into mud | 6 to 10 inches to start | Plant in the shallows and let rhizomes spread outward to about 4 feet |
Water over the crown
- Newly potted
- 6 to 10 inches
- New pads on the surface
- Deeper in stages
- Established hardy lily
- 18 to 24 inches
- Planted straight into mud
- 6 to 10 inches to start
How to get there
- Newly potted
- Stand the pot on bricks or a shelf so young leaves float
- New pads on the surface
- Lower the pot each time fresh pads reach the surface
- Established hardy lily
- Rest the pot on the bottom; our Water Lilies grow in 1 to 4 feet
- Planted straight into mud
- Plant in the shallows and let rhizomes spread outward to about 4 feet