Breeding nymphs. Water lily nymphea (water lily) - planting, care, reproduction, wintering nymphaeum

These lovely plants bloom in my garden all summer and early autumn. The pond is small, only 12 m2, but very decorative, especially when pink, white, red flowers bloom there nymphs. As if fabulous, they swim, reflected in the mirror of water, and can successfully compete with the best garden flowers, including roses, because it is not for nothing that nymphs are called water roses.

Origin of the nymph

Even in ancient Egypt and Greece, along with the lotus, the water lily culture was especially popular. Then the name of the mythological inhabitants of the waters, the nymphs, was given to her. Among our people, they called it a water lily, a mermaid flower, an overpowered grass, finding in it a mysterious beauty, supernatural power. The incense with its petals was taken with them on the road and worn on the chest: it was believed that it would protect from troubles.

The genus of nymphs is quite widespread. In the northern hemisphere, these plants are found from the equator to Scandinavia and Canada. In the Himalayas, water lilies rise up to 3500 m above sea level.
About 50 species are known to grow in vivo, and at least 100 cultivated, bred by gardeners. On the territory of the USSR, 3 types of nymphs grow: pure white, white and small. The latter is distributed up to and including the forest-tundra.
There are nymphs with flowers of white, pink, golden, red, blue, brown, sky blue and other shades, the diameter of the flowers is up to 26 cm.

Nymphaeum live in shallow lakes, ponds and quiet river backwaters. These are perennial plants with a thick creeping rhizome, numerous rope-like roots.
"Just look at our native water rose - our white water lily .., well, which of the other flowers of the flora of the Moscow Region can compare with it, especially when it so proudly, so regally rests on the water surface among its lovely buds and a mass of floating, as if covered with wax leaves!" - the well-known Russian naturalist N. F. Zolotnitsky wrote back in 1887.

Planting a nymph in a garden pond

I planted a pure white water lily near Moscow in a pond to a depth of 0.6 m in the spring of 1074. next year I got large-flowered hybrid garden nymphs - Rosa Arey, Eskarbukl and Sunrise, planted their rhizomes to a depth of 1 m.
The nutrient mixture was prepared from garden soil with the addition of clay, peat, rotted manure and sand and laid it in a layer of 10-16 cm, put another 1.6-2 kg of crushed fish bones on 4 m2 of soil.

Nymphaeums bloomed in the year of planting. They turned out to be unpretentious in culture, they also feel good in natural soil - silt, annually formed at the bottom of a reservoir from dying leaves and stems of plants and wind-blown dust. It grows up to 5-8 cm of viscous silt per year.
It is convenient to plant rhizomes in concrete and ceramic containers filled with earth, wicker willow baskets and then install them at the bottom of the reservoir. I had a case when the nymphs grew and bloomed all summer season in a cramped cast-iron bath installed in the garden.

Nymphaeum bloom

Starting to grow water lilies early, already in May, round-oval reddish, then dark green floating leaves up to 30 cm in diameter appear. The leaves are very decorative, even without buds the plant looks attractive. Sometimes aerial leaves also appear, which indicates the tightness in the reservoir and the need for thinning plants.

Buds appear in June, and abundant flowering soon begins. Pure white nymphea blooms for 1.5-2 months, hybrids - all summer and September, until the water in the reservoir becomes cold.
The largest nymphaeum - Eskarboukl - has wine-red flowers up to 15 cm in diameter. Nymphaeums love the sun, and at night the flowers of most species close. In rainy and inclement weather, the flowers do not open. The nymphs are very beautiful with juicy golden stamens in flowers.

Nymphaeum care

Caring for nymphs in the summer comes down to maintaining a constant water level in the pond, pruning yellowed dying leaves and extra ovaries. Old leaves lose their decorative effect and, decomposing, give the water a brownish marsh hue.
Nymphaeums should not be planted near fountains and waterfalls, giving constantly a large number of spray; water, accumulating in flowers and on leaves, spoils them ...

For 8 years of observing pests and diseases in water lilies, I did not notice. From aquatic pests, if they appear, the plants successfully rid the fish living in the pond in the summer. The annual pre-winter release of water from the pool and its cleaning are also useful. Without water, it is convenient to remove excess silt, prune overgrown rhizomes, divide them for reproduction, renew and fertilize the soil. Leaves and flower stalks are cut 3-5 cm from the rhizome and used for compost.

Wintering nymphs

During the winter, the pool is left without water. Only autumn rains fill the soil with water up to 10-15 cm before frost. Frozen water is covered with snow to the edges of the pool. Under such shelter, all rhizomes safely overwinter. Only once, left for the winter in dehydrated soil, the heat-loving nymphaeum Sunrise with golden flowers died.

A convenient way to overwinter nymphaeum outside the reservoir is to store the rhizomes in wet sand indoors at a temperature of plus 1-3 °. Reliable and overwintering in containers immersed in the bottom of non-freezing ponds, wells.

Nymphaeums breed

Nymphaeum is propagated by division of rhizomes, seeds. Rhizomes are transported, if necessary, in vessels with water or in a damp cloth, sawdust, moss. With good packaging in plastic bags, even large rhizomes could be sent over long distances by mail.

Pure white nymphea reproduces well by self-seeding. From seeds, seedlings are best grown first at home or in a greenhouse. To do this, I put a raw substrate of clay, peat and humus in a deep plate or bowl, spread the seeds on it, fill it with 3-5 cm of water and put it in a warm, bright place. After 2-8 weeks after germination, the seedlings are planted in a separate bowl and then placed in a pond to a depth of 10-20 cm in a sunny place.
Nymphs are a fertile material for an experienced grower: hybrids of various colors and shapes, with various smells, can be bred.

Reduction of the natural range of the nymphaeum

Currently natural area water lilies - nymphs decreased markedly and continues to decrease. They are ruined by their own beauty and the ignorance of some unfortunate tourists: despite the ban (the nymphaeum is listed in the Red Book), flowering plants tear senselessly and ruthlessly. But a plucked flower withers without water after a few minutes. "Lovers" of nature, trying to pick a blossoming bud, often pull out the whole plant. The rhizome of a water lily is lighter than water, therefore, pulled out of the ground, it floats on the surface, rots and dies.

This wonderful creation of nature must not be allowed to disappear. It is necessary not only to preserve it, but also to restore the former area, to introduce it into the assortment of flowers in our parks, squares, and gardens.
Who will have to visit the vicinity of Zvenigorod or Mozhaisk, take a closer look at the reservoirs, are the white lights of water lily nymphs "burning" there? Five or six years ago, while on hikes, I scattered hundreds of mature nymph seeds into many reservoirs.

Based on the materials of the journal "Plant Farming", A. Moiseev, Corresponding Member of the MOIP, 1984

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Tatyana Bobrovskaya 01/22/2014 | 11619

The pure white water lily is not one of the most decorative species, but at the same time it has a number of advantages: it is unpretentious, it is not affected by diseases characteristic of yellow-flowered water lilies and hybrids. At the same time, the plant blooms tirelessly from late May to August. In addition, it is not difficult to grow a water lily yourself.

Species water lily Nymphaeum pure white came to me five years ago and settled in an old bath dug in open field. I landed her in a plastic basket lined with sphagnum moss and filled with garden soil (sandy soil).

In the "reservoir" the water never "bloomed", although green algae settled on the walls of the bath, and green threads of mud appeared on the basket (I removed them once every two weeks). It always remained transparent, and through its thickness it was possible to observe the development of the plant.

In winter, the plant completely freezes into the ice along with the basket, but in spring the ice melts, and the water lily annually pleases not only with leaves, but also with flowers, starting from the end of May.

Getting seeds

The flower is suitable for pollination only on the first day, when it has a drop on the stigma of the pistil, where pollen should fall. However, the pollen of the opened flower ripens on the second day, which prevents self-pollination. The flowers open in the morning, and in the evening they close and fall under the water. The fruits are multi-seeded, berry-like, green, ripen under water and collapse.

I do not remove ties. After about a month, the "jugs" crack and seeds float to the surface of the reservoir. They are enclosed in transparent shells filled with air, which allows them to float on the surface of the water. If the shell is broken, they sink easily. To collect them, it is convenient to use a container, which, when partially immersed in water, is filled with water and the seeds are brought into it.

Germination

Seeds of nymphs are not afraid of dry storage and remain viable for up to 5 years. After storing the seeds for a week, I divided them into 3 parts. She lowered one into the water and put it in the refrigerator, because she suggested that the seeds of cold-resistant species of nymphs need stratification. I also lowered the second one into water and froze it in the freezer (perhaps in nature they freeze into ice?).

The third part was divided into two more and sowed superficially in transparent containers. Clay soil was poured into one, sandy soil was poured into the other. Filled with settled tap water. She left the crops on a glazed loggia. In autumn, the seeds did not germinate. During the winter, the water in the tanks was sometimes covered with ice, sometimes completely thawed. In the spring, the seeds that were stratified on the loggia sprouted together. But neither one nor the other sprouted from the refrigerator. Perhaps, for the germination of seeds of nymphs, temperature drops are needed during the period of stratification, as well as a gradual increase in temperature after it ends.

Planting plants in the ground

The result was puzzling. Underwater "thickets" resembled a lawn. In the sandy substrate, the seedlings developed much faster than in the clay. I had to transplant everything into sandy soil, after which the young plants began to grow.

She placed her "water garden" on a sunny glazed loggia near the glass. With the onset of warm sunny days a dense "carpet" of algae began to develop in the tanks, which had to be regularly removed.

Care

The water remained clear all season, but the "carpet" covered the seedlings and deprived them of light. Weekly "weeding" helped to cope with the situation. Of course, it is impossible to “fill in” the seedlings, but they also tolerate drying.

In the spring, with the onset of warm days, the nymphs woke up. In the second year, floating leaves appeared. I gave away the bulk of young plants to friends, and left two seedlings for myself, deciding to create a mini-pond on a glazed loggia. In August transplanted nymphs in a container with a capacity of 50 liters.

In the third year, the plants grew noticeably. I transplanted them into the purchased soil "Scarlet Flower", to which the nymphs responded with rapid growth.

With an annual transplant into the ground, I add slowly dissolving fertilizer. I use an earthen mixture of light mechanical composition with the addition of humus or purchased for indoor plants.

Pests

For supporting purity water in the reservoir settled elodea. And with Elodea, she accidentally brought snails that live in aquariums. The snails turned out to be vicious pests. The leaves of the nymphs began to look like a sieve. Their mechanical removal has not yet brought results, and they are not afraid of cold wintering.

hard water

Another problem was revealed in the process of cultivating nymphs in a pond located under a roof - hardness of water. With an increase in water hardness during evaporation, calcium salts are deposited on the tender leaves of the nymphaeum in the form of a white coating. To avoid such problems, the water must be regularly updated. I use boiled, settled water, replacing one-tenth of the volume of all water weekly. You can add distilled water. As in open ground, the water has never "bloomed" and remains clear all year round.

Artificial reservoirs can be decorated with different plants, but the nymphaeum looks best in them, planting and caring for it in the pond is simple and does not require a lot of time and effort. There are several varieties, thanks to which you can create an original composition.

What does the nymphea aquatic plant look like?

Perennial herbaceous aquatic plant - nymphea. To better understand what it is, it is worth considering the characteristic:

1. The stems of the plant are rhizomes, horizontally immersed in the ground, but they can also be in the form of tubers.
2. On the surface of the water there are emersed leaves, which have a rounded plate with a pronounced notch. They are dense and covered with a wax coating that does not allow getting wet. The size of the plates differs depending on the type. As for the underwater foliage, it is different and is broadly lanceolate, membranous and folded cap.
3. Nymphaeum flowering in the northern territories begins in June, and in the south - in May. The buds open in the morning and close after sunset. They can be painted in different shades, so it all depends on the variety. Flowering lasts up to four days. The flower has a symmetrical shape and its diameter varies from 3 to 30 cm. The surface can be semi-double and terry. In the center of the bud are numerous yellow or orange stamens.

Varieties of nymphs

There are several classifications of this plant, for example, according to the size of water lilies, they are divided into large, medium and dwarf groups. If we focus on the morphological features of the root system, then the following types of nymphs are distinguished:

1. Rhizome. They have long and thick rhizomes that can spread for several meters. From them, long cuttings of leaves rise to the surface. This includes hardy plants.
2. Tuberous. Such plants give shoots along the entire length of the root system. They cannot winter in temperate latitudes.
3. Conditionally rhizome. This includes nymphs that form a lobe of thin roots, which after 6 years gives a powerful horizontal rhizome, reaching a length of 15 cm.
4. Conditionally stolon. They are characterized by a rounded maternal rhizome, from which, after a while, descending stolons begin to depart and several oblong tubers form on them.

Nymphea pygmy

There are three types of water lilies and the smallest are dwarf varieties, so the diameter of the flowers reaches 3-15 cm. Planting of such plants can not be done at a great height, so 15-50 cm is enough. The next group is the average water lily nymphea, in which the lily is larger and its diameter can reach up to 18 cm. The recommended planting depth is 60 cm. The third group includes large specimens, so their flowers can reach up to 25 cm in diameter. They should be planted to a depth of 1 m.

Nymphea "Chromatella"

This species belongs to the dwarf ones, since the diameter of the lilies reaches 8-10 cm. They are painted in a light yellow color, but with age the color becomes more saturated. This variety of nymphs has another name - "Golden Cup". The leaves are almost round, dark green and have small reddish spots. It is worth noting that this species is unpretentious, and flowering is plentiful. The recommended planting depth is 40-50 cm.

Nymphaeum "Aurora"

Tall ornamental plant belongs to small group, since water lilies in diameter reach 5-7 cm. The planting depth should be 40-60 cm. This variety differs from other species in that the nymphaeum water lily changes its color during flowering, so at first it is orange-pink, and then becomes copper red. The stamens are bright yellow.

Planting nymphs in the pond

In order to plant a plant, it is necessary to prepare a low and wide container, in which there should be drainage holes. When planting medium and large varieties, buckets of 10-12 liters are used. It is worth noting that flower shops have special baskets for planting nymphs. There is a specific instruction on how to plant a nymphaeum:

1. Fill the selected containers with a soil mixture, for which mix in equal proportions wet clay without any impurities, garden soil and rotted cow dung.
2. In order for the nymphaeum to develop correctly, planting and leaving in the pond implies the correct location of the plant in the container, so it is necessary to lay the rhizomes horizontally, pointing the roots down. Note that the edge of the rhizome, which is opposite the growing bud, should be placed near the wall of the pot so that it begins to grow freely. Compact the soil well.
3. In order to prevent the soil from washing out of the tank after lowering into the water, it is recommended to pour a layer of clean sand on top and lay out stones or pebbles.
4. After that, install the containers on the bottom of the reservoir, taking into account the optimal depth for each selected species. In order for the nymphaeum to develop well, planting and leaving in the pond implies that the planting depth is calculated from the surface of the soil, and not from the bottom.

Nymphaeum flower - cultivation

After planting a plant in a pond, it is necessary to properly care for it. Keep in mind that the nymphs grow rapidly, filling the entire water surface, which eventually leads to the fact that the water lilies become small, and then the flowering may stop altogether. To avoid this, lilies should cover only half of the pond. In order for nymphs to grow properly, their care should include the following procedures:

1. Baskets should be checked regularly to ensure there is no debris in them. In the spring, be sure to sedum from fallen leaves. Throughout the season, care includes removal yellow leaves and buds that have faded.
2. Many are worried about whether water lilies will be able to survive the winter, but they perfectly tolerate cold at a depth of 50-60 cm. As an additional shelter for proper care, you can throw a 1.5 m layer of snow on the pond. This is enough to the plant survived even very severe frosts.

Soil for nymphs

For profuse flowering and good growth it is important that the soil used is highly nutritious. One soil mixture suitable for growing water lotus has already been considered. Nymphea at home can be planted in a container for further placement in a pond filled with a mixture of two parts of clay soil, part of sand and part of garden soil. You can also use silt from a natural reservoir, but then you must be sure that it is environmentally friendly.

Fertilizer for nymphs

In order to speed up the growth process and see large and bright water lilies on the surface of the reservoir, you can’t do without top dressing in your care. Nymphaeum for a pond needs fertile soil, to which it is recommended to add a pinch. So that it does not wash out, roll it into clay balls and place it in a container near the roots. As a result, bone meal will for a long time fertilize nymphs.

Another option for plant nutrition is the use of special tablets designed for aquatic plants. It is recommended to make them for proper care once a month, and preferably once every two weeks. You just need to press them with your finger into the ground, given that one tablet should fall on 4 liters of water. Nymphea, planting and caring for which include proper feeding, will delight with abundant flowering every year.

Nymphaeum breeding

To increase the number of water lilies in your pond, it is recommended to propagate by rhizome. It is best to start the procedure at the end of the flowering season.

1. Please note that the nymphaeum aquatic plant has long stems and in order not to damage them, it is better to untangle them in the water.
2. Take out the container and remove the rhizomes. Find the bulbs and start separating them. If the lateral roots interfere, then separate them with any garden tool, such as a spatula.
3. Landing in new containers is carried out according to the scheme that was described earlier.

Diseases of nymphs

Water lilies can suffer from a number of problems that are important to deal with in time to preserve the beauty of the plant.

1. It can move from stone fruit trees to water lilies in the pond. You can’t fight it with chemicals, so insects should be mechanically washed into the water, where they will be eaten by fish.
2. When keeping a nymphaeum, they can be attacked by a water lily leaf beetle - a brown bug of a small size. It lays eggs, and the larvae eat through holes in the leaf plates. Beetles must be collected manually, and severely damaged parts should be removed.
3. On the nymphea, planting and care in the pond, which was carried out with errors, spotting occurs. At first, the spots are small, and then they increase in size. Affected parts of the plant should be removed.
4. The most dangerous disease is black rot, which provokes a fungus. The roots turn black and begin to emit an unpleasant odor, and after a while the leaves turn yellow. It is necessary to make a bath with a solution against fungal diseases. After treatment, the lily must remain in quarantine.

A decorative pond in the country is a rather unusual and impressive element of landscape design. If a decorative pond is decorated with suitable moisture-loving plants, its attractiveness will become even greater. In this article we will talk about such an option for decorating a pond as growing water lilies. Now you will learn how to care for nymphs, as well as see photo examples of their bright unusual appearance.

Using Nymphaeums to Create a Water Lily Pond

Most summer residents do not use nymphs to create a pond with water lilies, because. It is believed that these moisture-loving plants do not tolerate cold at all. This is a big misconception, because today many varieties of frost-resistant nymphs have been bred that are able to overwinter in severe frosts and decorate the pond for several seasons.

Water nymphs have an attractive bright color that can be white, pink, yellow and red.

These plants require little or no maintenance, which we will discuss below.

A decorative pond decorated with water lilies (nymphs) will create a romantic atmosphere, so it is advisable to place a small one near the pond.

We draw your attention to the fact that water nymphs grow rapidly, therefore, to decorate a decorative pond, it is enough to plant several seedlings.

It should also be noted that water nymphs should occupy no more than half the area of ​​the pond, otherwise the composition will look sloppy. To this should be added the fact that it is better to choose plants of the same shade, because. multi-colored ponds do not benefit as much when decorating the territory as plain white, pink or yellowish ones.

If you still want to decorate a pond with water lilies with several types of plants of different colors, then it is recommended to plant nymphs in different places so that the different shades of flowers are separated by the water surface.

Nymphaeum care

What would a pond with water lilies decorate country cottage area as long as possible and with minimal intervention of the owners, it is necessary to carry out proper care for the nymphs.

As we have already said, nymphs are not too demanding to care for, but still there are some things you should do, namely:

• Fertilize nymphs for better growth
• Transplant into containers for overwintering
• Keep track of their number in the pond

So, everything is in order.

Fertilizer nymphs

In order for the nymphs to grow faster and have large bright flowers, it is necessary to fertilize the plants. To do this, it is recommended to pour a mixture of fertile soil with sand and compost into the container where the root system will be located. It is also desirable to add a pinch of bone meal to the fertile mixture, which is an excellent fertilizer for water nymphs.

So that the bone meal does not wash out of the container so quickly, it is recommended to roll it into clay balls and also place it in the container to the roots. In this case, bone meal will fertilize the nymphs for a long time.

Since nymphs have small roots, it is recommended to transplant them into spacious containers. This will allow not only to move plants around the pond, changing landscape design reservoir, but also carry out overwintering of plants.

Although, as we have already said, there are frost-resistant types of water nymphs, sometimes, due to certain conditions, it is necessary to hide plants for the winter from frost.

There are 3 habitat conditions for water lilies (nymphs):

1. Nymphs grow in a deep pond (depth over 0.6 m)
2. Nymphaeum grow in a shallow natural pond
3. Nymphs grow in a shallow artificial pond, where the bowl is concreted or made of plastic.

In the first case, whether natural or artificial pond, the depth will allow the roots not to freeze during severe frosts.

If the pond is shallow, but its bottom is natural, then you can simply dig a hole about 0.5 meters deep at the bottom of the reservoir and place the roots there before the winter season.

But if the pond is shallow and, moreover, artificial, it will not work to deepen the roots of the plants, so you still have to move the plants for the winter to a warmer room. For this, containers will come in handy, because. in this case, it is not necessary to disturb the root system of the nymphs, but simply transfer the plants to the basement, where the temperature will be normal for overwintering.

In addition, containers are good because the plants can be moved around the pond, creating a floating flower bed that will float in the middle of the pond with water lilies.

We draw your attention to the fact that different kind nymphaeum, the length of the roots is different, there are varieties with 20-centimeter roots, and there are varieties with a root system longer than 1 meter, this must be taken into account when creating a composition of a pond with water lilies.

Number of nymphs in the pond

We have already said that the number of nymphs in the pond should be limited. Firstly, a large number of plants will only reduce the attractiveness of the pond. And, secondly, if there are too many nymphs in the pond, they will not be able to grow normally: many small flowers with tiny green leaves will float on the water. If you limit the number of water lilies, they will be large and bright, which looks much better!

Until recently, the bright flowers of the nymphaeum were an outlandish rarity in our gardens. One of the main issues that concerned gardeners was the wintering of this stunningly beautiful flower. If you have not yet decided to grow a nymphaeum in your garden, it is definitely worth a try.

How to arrange a pond

A pond for a gardener is a special object of effort and a separate concern. Dragonflies and frogs will populate the new reservoir by themselves. But without the participation of a person in the landscaping of the pond, he will not be able to take his rightful place in the design of the garden.

In order for the pond to harmoniously fit into existing garden compositions, it is necessary to create smooth transitions from adjacent flower beds to its coastal vegetation. And the most favorable time for this will be spring. Wait until the water settles and warms up before making out the reservoir, so that it is comfortable to work in it. Also, space out your future plantings well in advance, as aquatic plants tend to grow quickly and in a few years your pond will be out of sight due to the lush coastal thickets. The universal rule is this: on one square meter area should be placed no more than two or three plants.

All aquatic cultures can be divided into two large groups - coastal and deep-sea. Nymfaea can be confidently considered the queen of deep-sea plants. In European culture, this beauty has long been an integral part of any, even the smallest pond.

Thanks to the work of French enthusiast Joseph Bory Latour Marliac (Joseph Bory Latour Marliac), who became interested in aquatic plants and set himself the goal of creating brightly colored cold-resistant varieties of water lilies. During his life, Mr. Marliak created no less than 66 varieties of water lilies, which are still cultivated throughout the world. These varieties were obtained by crossing bright colorful heat-loving species with modest, but hardy and winter-hardy northern water lilies.

Choosing a variety of water lilies

When choosing a plant variety for your pond, you need to know which group of nymphs it belongs to. It depends on the size of the plants. Knowing the landing depth of a particular nymph is necessary in order to calculate how many and which plants can be planted in a pond. To make the pond look beautiful, water lilies should cover no more than half of its area.

Types and varieties of nymphs:

dwarf and small - flower diameter 5–15 cm, planting depth from 10–15 to 50 cm;

medium - flower diameter 15-18 cm, water depth - 30-60 cm;

large - flowers with a diameter of 18–25 cm, planting depth 50–100 cm.

Dwarf varieties of nymphs can be easily found on sale. The prefix "pygmy" is often found in their name. This is, first of all, N.pygmaea"Alba" with white flowers and N. pygmaea "Rubra" with dark red petals. Variety chameleon Aurora from creamy yellow gradually fades to orange. Unfortunately, in our cold climate, it blooms little. good and N.pygmaea "Helvola", with its small semi-double cream and yellow flowers. It is also suitable for small ponds.

For medium-sized ponds, a popular variety can be recommended. "Rose Arey" with flowers 12-15 cm in diameter. Its feature is the gradual fading of the petals in the sun. As a result, both pale pink and almost white water lilies bloom in the pond at the same time. This is one of the most resistant and regular flowering varieties, growth in width is limited to a diameter of about 80-100 cm. Mature plants of the variety attraction have large star-shaped red flowers with white speckles. And young ones are distinguished by smaller, cup-shaped flowers and a pale pink color. Variety Gonner has white, unusually double flowers. The slow growth of the plant makes it suitable for most water bodies.

For large and deep ponds, a very tall variety can be recommended. N. marliacea "Chromatella". It has a light yellow tint of petals, blooms profusely and grows best of all among the yellow varieties in partial shade. This plant is suitable for ponds up to 1.5 m deep. Pair it with a bright crimson Escarboucle, with huge flowers that are in no hurry to close in the evening. Or intensely cherry James Brydon which has double and compact flowers with rounded petals. Marliacea albida will please you with fragrant cup-shaped white flowers with yellow stamens. Young leaves have a bronze tint, and over time they become dark green. It can grow at a depth of about 2 meters.

Nymphea care and landing

Successful cultivation of nymphs begins with a competent landing. Choose a low but wide container with plenty of drainage holes. Under such conditions, the rhizome grows more freely and multiplies faster. It is better if your basket is dark, as with clear water they will attract less attention to themselves. When planting, pay attention to how your nursery grew before. If its rhizome was located vertically, try to ensure its former position in a new place. If the tuber with roots lay horizontally, lay it down and cover it with earth on top, without deepening the buds with new leaves. Otherwise, the water lily will wither and may die.

When planting a nymph, it is worth using a clay earth mixture with sand and a little ordinary garden soil. I mix the composition based on the calculation of 2:1:1. Silt from the bottom of the nearest reservoir is also suitable, but only if there are no collective farm fields nearby, from where residues of gasoline or harmful fertilizers can get into the reservoir. I often come across recommendations to add special pond fertilizers or bone meal to the mixture. This is probably correct and useful for the plant, but I myself have never seen them for sale. I do not feed my plants, and they feel good even without mineral supplements. If you really want to, you can feed the plants with a simple mixture of "Kemira Universal" (up to 5 grams per adult plant) with the addition of a small amount of superphosphate, about 3-5 grams per plant. All fertilizers are mixed with earth and water and brought to the consistency of sour cream. Water lily rhizomes are planted in such a mixture, and pebbles can be scattered over the surface of the soil so that the soil “floats away” less.

Overgrown and grown from a basket plants can be easily divided. The section operation is carried out as with an iris rhizome, that is, a tuber with a kidney is cut off with a sharp knife. Separated plants are planted in different containers and lowered into the water. It is worth noting that water lilies grow very quickly, almost like irises. And if your pond is not large, then the division operation will have to be performed every 3-4 years.

It is worth emphasizing that water lilies grow quite quickly and cover the mirror of the pond. However, along with the water, the real beauty of these flowers also disappears, as they become smaller, flowering becomes less and less common, and instead of water, new and old leaves pile up around the flower. Landscape designers recommend leaving at least half of the reservoir free. For the same reason, many nymphs should not be planted at once in one pond. Finally, another design trick in one densely growing group of nymphs is best to combine varieties of the same color. If you want to plant water lilies of different colors, it is better to separate them with a section of the water surface. Otherwise, caring for nymphs is very simple. Once every few years, in the middle of May, it is necessary to get baskets with water lilies from the pond and clean it of leaves after winter. The removed container with the plant is cleaned of fallen leaves and other organic debris. Then the plants are returned to their place. During the season, try to remove yellowing leaves and faded buds.

Spring cleaning of the pond necessarily includes the removal of all withered and dead leaves from coastal plants: marigold, iris calamus, calamus and other pond inhabitants. It is best to do this when the water has already warmed up so that the household members whom you will attract to help in this difficult event do not evade it later. But it is better to have time for all spring work before the start of active vegetation - leaf growth, so you will damage the plants less. However, in my experience, all of them are quite unpretentious and even repeated transplants of a vegetative plant in one season from pond to pond and from container to container do not affect their external decorative effect.

It's time for the nymphs to bloom

The water lily begins to bloom very quickly. Even a tiny delenka, planted in the spring, in May, already in July threw its first flower upstairs and then bloomed until the end of September.

My plants overwinter in film ponds, at a depth of about 60 cm. In severe winters, the water in them freezes to the very bottom, but cold water lilies are not affected. I have to resort to only one winter trick: during visits to the country, we rake excess snow from the paths and throw it on the pond. By the end of wintering, a hill rises above the reservoirs, about 1.5 m high. overall depth pond 70 cm.

In addition to the water lily, plants must grow in the deep part of the pond - oxygen generators that produce oxygen under water and clean the pond from ugly blue-green algae and mud. In addition, they serve as food for fish. This group includes the water star (Callitriche hermaphroditica), marsh turcha (Hottonia palustris), urut spiky (Myriophyllum spicatum) or dark green hornwort (Ceratophyllum demersum). Gardeners are advised to use several types of oxygen generators in one pond at once. At one time, I caught several shoots of uruti and turchi in the coastal zone of the local lake and lowered them to the bottom. And now whole colonies of these algae grow under water, serving as a refuge for the surrounding frogs.

Plants in a shallow pond

For the shallow part of the pond, beautifully flowering and well-known calamus, calla, susak, marigold, some types of irises, for example, are suitable. airy. Reeds and cattails should be used with caution, as they grow rapidly and clog all other plants. The roots of most shallow-water plants are located and hibernate in the ground under water at a depth of no more than 40 cm, and most of the shoots are above water. These plants are quite unpretentious and can successfully grow not only in the coastal zone of a pond or stream, but also in a mini-reservoir 5-10 cm deep. If you maintain constant humidity for them, then shallow perennials will successfully grow in a wetland, planted on a few centimeters above the water level. Most of them grow very quickly, so it is advisable to plant them in baskets.

An even wider choice of marsh plants, in which the root neck and leaves rise above the surface of the water. Almost all of them can endure temporary flooding from time to time. Take care of marsh plants in the same way as garden plants. Volzhanka belongs to this group (arunkus), astilbe, meadowsweet. A variety of hostas, daylilies, and ferns will feel great in the swampy zone. If space permits, plant crops with large, strong leaves, such as rhubarb, bergenia, or buzulnik, here. Very beautiful on the banks of water bodies, especially in the natural style of the fronds of ferns.

The principles of placement of coastal plants are the same as in the formation of a flower garden - in contrast of color and shape. For example, the slender swords of marsh iris emphasize the delicate openwork of the fern and contrast well with sprawling daylilies and dense thickets of hosta.

Text: Maria Karela

Landowner #4 (80), 2013