Yellow Water Lily | Nymphaea 'Colonel A.J. Welch'
A splash of yellow for sunny ponds
Grown by Caroline
Enfield
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The highlights
- Zone 3 - Deep Water
- Thrives in full sun
- Flowers all summer from June to September
- A vigorous waterlily ideal for large ponds.
Description
- Canary yellow flowers approx 10cm across with prominent golden stamens. Over time, it can grow up to 3 metres and is classed as viviparous as it occasionally grows new plants from its leaf stems
- Long summer flowering period from June to September
- A hardy native plant, this is probably the most vigorous of the hardy water lilies
- The perfect size for medium to large ponds and lakes
- Floating plants provide shade and shelter for fish as well as protecting them from predators like herons. Also reduces the growth of algae
- Grow in full sun and still water, away from fountains and splashing water
What to expect
What to expect
Supplied as
Eventual height
Eventual spread
Flower colour
Habit
Hardiness
Spacing
How to grow
How to grow
Good pest and disease resistance
The most common pests are Water Lily Aphids, the Water Lily Beetle and the China Mark Moth. Water lily aphids are sap-suckers - you may see them on the underside and top of the pads and top of the stems. They can cause yellowing and curling of leaves and destruction of buds and flowers. Control them by hosing down the leaves and stems and squashing and rubbing off with fingers. They can also be drowned by dropping the lily down so leaves are submerged for a day or two. Water lily beetles are small brown beetles whose larvae strip the leaf surface, creating holes and causing the leaves to shrivel and die. Adult beetles also feed on the flowers. They hibernate over winter in poolside plants so cutting these down in autumn will help. Leaves should be hosed down regularly to remove larvae, and adult beetles and larvae can be removed by hand. The China Mark Moth cuts oval shapes from the leaf margins, which can cause extensive damage. Check the underside of leaves and squash the protective cases and brush off. Alternatively remove the affected leaves and burn. Diseases: Water lily Crown Rot causes yellowing leaves which sometimes become mottled. The leaf stems then become soft, slimy and blackened and later break away from the crown. The crown itself will be soft and gelatinous with black tissue inside and will have a bad smell. You should remove and destroy the infected plant before it spreads. Water lily leaf spot causes red or grey-brown spots on the leaves and eventually rot. It looks bad but isn’t too harmful so just remove any affected leaves as soon as they appear. MORE
Full sun
Position in a pond where the plants will receive at least 6-8 hours of sunlight daily in spring/summer.
Wet, poorly drained soil
Plant in a pond with poorly drained soil. Clay or loam is best.
Feeding may be needed
No feeding is needed if you plant your nymphaea straight into a mature pond with a good layer of sediment, but in newer ponds it's a good idea to feed in the spring, using a slow release tablet fertiliser to make sure that excess nutrients do not leak into the pond and encourage algae. ?v=1613301086
Planting calendar
Planting calendar
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Enfield
Meet Caroline
A deep dive into sustainable gardening
Nestled amongst wildlife meadows and resident ducks, Caroline’s award winning pond plant nursery in Enfield has been making a splash since 1965, when they invented the (recycled, obvs) aquatic basket. Sixty years and multiple RHS gold medals later, they’re still surprising us with new varieties every year!
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