Water Lilies

As the rose to the flower garden, so is the Water Lily to our lakes and ponds. In the summer stillness of some reed fringed backwater, the crowning note of beauty will be found in a fleet of Lilies moored by hidden cables. Who can forget the sight of the creamy cups sparkling with the morning dew, as the sun scatters the dawn mists from the surface of some placid lake? Or in the blue mystery of night, when the folded flowers shine like silver lamps to guide our boats through the shadows.

If water gardens existed for the sake of this one flower, they would be worth all the love and labor in our power to give.

And yet Water Lilies are much neglected. For them it is worth clearing and cleaning the hundreds of weed grown ponds. Small tanks and tubs might be prepared, the possession of even a few square feet of water surface should be an excuse for growing plants of the hardy kinds.

Perhaps the fallacy that Water Lilies, as a family, are extremely delicate, is difficult to disprove. The fact that they flower freely in lakes and ponds, which in winter are thickly covered with ice, should in itself be sufficient to dispel any such prejudice. Certain varieties require warm and sheltered quarters, but even in exposed situations the available list is by no means small.

In spite of the beauty of flower and leaf as displayed, Water Lilies owe much of their charm to suitable surroundings and graceful grouping.

On natural pieces of water they should always be planted close in-shore, so that they may be appreciated without trouble from the bank. A sheltered bay, surrounded by flowering reeds and with wooded margins, would be an ideal spot for a few good patches. Sunshine is essential, but in an exposed position they rarely look their best. Absolute tranquillity seems necessary in order to realise their full charm, on the mirrored surface of a sunlit pool, each bloom stands out clear cut and delicate.

There is something in the sculptured form of this flower that particularly fits it for association with water gardens of a formal type. In large places the possession of a small Lily Court, with sunk tank and enclosing walls of masonry, will provide a picture of supreme beauty.

An advantage of tanks over ponds and streams, consists in the ease with which the plants may be looked after. Not only can growth be curtailed and overcrowding checked, but the roots may be furnished with just enough soil as is conducive to healthy development and free flowering. In many cases the mud in ponds and lakes is poor, improvement in this direction being difficult, if not impossible. As a consequence, the crop of bloom decreases annually, whilst leaf growth is correspondingly coarse and rampant.

As a rule the more vigorous growers should be reserved for ponds and open water, as the Lily petioles should be allowed to attain their full length, and the plants are impatient of too much restraint. The smaller kinds will thrive in tanks and tubs, with a depth of two to three feet of water. In case of frost, it is advisable that the crowns shall be at least twelve inches below the surface during the winter.

The best time for planting is April or May, at which time the tubers can be obtained from nurseries and specialists. For planting in the open, it is sufficient to tie the roots to a fair-sized stone or piece of iron piping, lowering them into suitable quarters near the pond side. If the mud bottom is of only slight depth, or clay puddling has been resorted to, the roots should be supplied with some strong loam in which to strike. An easy way is to pack them in soil in old baskets, lowering them into position, by the time the baskets have rotted, the roots will have fastened themselves securely into the mud.

In artificial tanks and tubs the bottom can be covered with a foot of good loamy soil mixed with manure before the water is admitted. Planting under such conditions is easy and certain. A thorough cleaning of the sides and brickwork should always precede Lily planting, as old neglected tanks are generally foul and dirty.