Nymphaeum (Water Lily, Water Lily). Water lily from seeds

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 most favorable time this is what spring is for. 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 ahead of time, as aquatic plants tend to grow quickly and in a few years your pond will not be visible due to the lush coastal thickets. The universal rule is this: no more than two or three plants should be placed on one square meter of area.

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

Thanks to the work of the French enthusiast 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 thermophilic species with modest, but hardy and winter-hardy northern water lilies.

Choosing a variety of water lilies

When choosing a plant variety for your reservoir, 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 flowers of cream and yellow flowers. It is also suitable for small ponds.

Recommended for medium sized ponds popular variety "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. Juveniles have smaller flowers cupped and pale pink. Variety Gonner has white, unusual 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 is the best among yellow varieties grows 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 a nymphaeum begins with 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 nymphs, 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 gr. per mature 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, one more design technique in one densely growing group of nymphs, it 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 winter in film ponds, at a depth of about 60 cm. harsh winters the water in them freezes to the very bottom, but the water lilies are not affected by the cold. 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 with a total pond depth of 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 natural style 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

Unbelievable but true: water lilies(Nymphea) adorned the gardens of the Egyptian, Japanese and Chinese nobility and were reputed to be the object of universal admiration more than four thousand years ago!

Over time, the charm of water lilies has not faded, partly due to the efforts of breeders, who to this day do not stop working on breeding new varieties (including for small ponds), trying to enrich the palette of colors with exquisite blue. Over the past years, their work has been crowned with success mainly in the field of breeding low-growing varieties of compact forms.

As for the exclusive blue color, it remains the privilege of exclusively exotic varieties that are absolutely not winter-hardy.

Varieties of water lilies

If you are planning to breed these unearthly beauty plants in your pond, when choosing a variety, you should first of all pay attention to the vigor of growth and the required planting depth, which in water lilies varies greatly depending on the variety: a dwarf quadrangular water lily (Nymphaea tetragona) has a depth of 10 cm, and plants of such vigorous varieties as "Gladstoniana" or "Gold Medal" sometimes lack even a meter depth.

For small ponds and garden ponds medium-sized water lilies are particularly suitable for low-growing water lilies, for example, varieties "Walter Pagels" and "Moorei".

They have two advantages at once: firstly, a small depth is optimal for them - from 20 to 50 cm. Secondly, they do not form too large a leaf mass, which can threaten the pond with overgrowth.

How to plant water lilies

If a plant water lilies in stable mesh baskets, rapid growth will not have to be feared - their growth will be under control.

For planting, it is necessary to choose a sufficiently large container in which the water lily can grow for at least three years. The minimum volume of baskets for planting is 5 liters; for powerful plants, baskets from 10 liters are used.

Line the basket from the inside with linen burlap and fill it with earth, not reaching the top 8 cm. Place the water lily roots in the basket, cover with a substrate and tamp it down.

Lay pebbles on top and water generously so that the soil substrate, soaked with water, does not float when you lower the basket into the pond.

Important: when determining the planting depth, the countdown is from the top edge of the basket.

Example: if the optimal planting depth of the water lily is 50 cm, the basket should be placed at a depth of 80 cm - taking into account its height, which is approximately 30 cm.

Install the basket first, submerging only to half the recommended depth. When the first leaves grow to the surface of the water, move the basket to a permanent place - to the desired depth for the plant.

Soil and fertilizer for water lilies

In order for water lilies to bloom well, they need good nutrition. Unlike many other water lilies, over time, they begin to miss those in the water. nutrients. Poor pond land is not suitable for them as a substrate.

Ideal for water lilies is clay, rich in nutrients garden soil , and it is better without impurities of immature compost, otherwise it will quickly rot under water.

Water lilies are "responsive" to annual top dressing. In spring or early summer, apply a long-acting mineral fertilizer or horn shavings. Fertilizers are rolled into clay balls and placed directly into the substrate of the basket in the root zone.

If, with all your care, after a few years, flowering loses its strength or stops altogether, this can mean only one thing: it's time to take health measures.

Remove the basket from the water and divide the rhizome into several parts so that each division has enough roots and at least two leaf buds. Plant each division separately in a basket filled with fresh substrate, and distribute the rest, which did not have enough space in it, to your friends - the happy owners of garden ponds.

home pond - the best decoration suburban area or garden. BUT various plants- the decoration of the pond itself. The most common flowering plants in the pond were water lilies (nymphs) or water lilies. They are unpretentious in care and will delight the eyes of the owners and their guests all summer.

These flowers can be grown from cuttings or seeds. The first option is suitable for those who want to see flowering buds as soon as possible. The second option requires patience. And if you are patient, and caring for a plant brings you pleasure, then this article is for you.

Water lily seeds look like coffee beans, but they are somewhat larger in size. Before planting, check the seeds for damage. Only a whole and unexpired seed will turn into a plant. As for the shelf life - the seed of the nymph can be stored for up to 5 years. For germination, it is enough to place the seeds in a transparent container with settled water, pouring a two-centimeter layer of sand on the bottom. The sand should cover them. Use soft water, preferably not from the tap, hard or salty water, causes irreparable harm to a plant that has not yet grown stronger. Place your container in a warm and well-lit area.

Subject to all these rules, you can observe the first leaves in 5-7 days. Water lily leaves should always be on the surface of the water. Therefore, when your flower grows up, move it to a deeper container. If you have several seedlings, then each should have its own dishes.

The best time to move plants to a permanent reservoir is the end of May. How to plant (plant) a water lily (nymphea) in a pond: buy soil for aquatic plants, plant each flower in separate container and place it at the bottom of the pond. The pond or other body of water in which this beauty will live must be under the sun, otherwise you will not get flowers. The first buds will appear only in the third year. Therefore, be patient.

Preparing the plant for wintering

Water lily cannot winter in shallow reservoirs on the street, this is true for all cases when freezing reaches the bottom.

Let's figure out a little how to prepare a nymphaeum for winter. The best place for wintering can be a basement. Storage of nymphs in the basement: just take out the container in which the rhizomes are located and transfer it to the basement, or another dark, cool, but inaccessible place for frost. If you are sure that your reservoir will not freeze to the bottom, then water lilies can be left to winter in place. This applies to water bodies with a depth of 0.5 m.

As you understand, water lilies are quite easy to grow at home. Create for them favorable conditions and admire the beautiful flowers.

Varieties of water lilies (nymphaeum)

Consider some types (varieties) of nymphs in more detail:

attraction

One of the largest lilies, it is also popularly called the nymphaeum "attraction", although in translation from English it will be "attractive or charm." Suitable for deep reservoirs (they say that it successfully grows even from a depth of 4 meters), and 1.5 meters “just seeds”, leaving a few meters to the side, the bush will successfully grow. The rhizome is large, takes root easily. Very similar to Conqueror, only the flowers are larger, the tips of the petals are sharper, the color is darker (you can practically distinguish if both species grow side by side). The leaves are dark red at first, then turn green. The photo clearly shows that this pink water lily is large and has whitish petals around the edges with a bright yellow center.

Nymphea Attraction blooms for 5-6 days, closer to autumn, individual flowers can bloom up to 10 days or longer, but after 5 days they stop closing for the night. Flowering begins later than early varieties of lilies, but finishes blooming, in fact, the last. Some buds remain to winter under the ice. Very rarely, but still, you can see that an overwintered flower has bloomed in the spring. True, it will be much smaller than those that bloom in summer, white and not fully opened.

Summing up, large, undemanding, fast spreading, real "attraction", sometimes it can pleasantly surprise with its deviations, such as long flowering, and flowering of last year's flowers in the spring.

This species can be planted in mid-summer, even flowering. It will take root without problems, although it will not bloom again in the same year. Next year will please beautiful flowers, although not very abundant. If it were not for a very pleasant yellow hue that enlivens the view of the reservoir, this lily would be rather dull. Dull lines of petals, light yellow color (it can be seen in the photo), flowers are smaller than the water lilies we previously described.

Blooms more moderately than Conqueror, Rossenymphe or even Colorado. At the same time, more than 4 flowers from a bush are rare. Blooms for 4 days, fairly stable.

However, this lily has very beautiful large burgundy spotted leaves. Even without flowers, Moorei looks very decorative. The bush itself is quite compact, not prone to overgrowth, the leaves grow in closely knit groups.

Feels better at a depth of one meter, adapts to fluctuations in water. As the water level rises (after rain), the flowers open underwater as well. True, then they become almost white and do not fully bloom, wither after three days. But the view of a flower opened under water is no less decorative.

Winters well. In the spring it wakes up one of the last, begins to prepare for winter early, stops blooming. It looks very nice in small ponds.

Dwarf nymphea, like two drops of water similar to the usual white lily, only much smaller. Green leaves, spotless white petals, bright yellow stamens and pistil stigma. There are few leaves, the bush is not very violent.

In the first year, flowering is weak (2-3 flowers). Flowering begins closer to mid-summer. If the summer is hot, blooms only 3 days, although many online stores describe them as lilies long flowering, which can be grown in tubs, fonts, especially in combination with Pygmaea Rubra. Maybe this is true, most likely, a not so hot summer is needed for long flowering. And although this water lily is dwarf, it is still a pure white plant intended primarily for shallow water bodies, and only for tubs, in which it can be grown on a balcony.

Type of lilies of medium size, probably more to small ones. The bush is small, rare, few leaves. Optimal depth about 60 cm (but not more than 90 cm). The leaves are initially burgundy in color, later changing color to green. Blooms for about 5 days. Flowers are medium. Unlike Rossenymphe, whose flowers simply fade, Indiana changes color. The spotting of the petals is increasing.

What can be said about the beginning and end of flowering - the variety is not one of those that begins to bloom early, but also begins to prepare for wintering earlier than other sisters.

Although this water lily, especially at the peak of flowering, looks very attractive, it should not be planted next to other lilies, especially bright colors. Next to the large-flowered ones, it will simply disappear, creating a not-so-attractive variegation. After all, Indiana itself has several color variations, and if there are other flowers blooming nearby. However, it is ideal for small (1-3 m in diameter) pools.

Mayla

They bloom for the first time in the second year after planting. Nymphea "maila" is slightly larger than average. The leaves of this water lily are large, green, but at first the leaf has a burgundy hue. The bush is not very violent and multi-leaved.

The flowers are fuchsia, double, even "very double". When you first see it, it’s even hard to believe that this is a living flower, this water lily is so “poisonously” pink, it can be clearly seen in the photo. She looks artificial.

This species is slightly more whimsical than the above varieties. This lily needs sunny place(does not even like partial shade), well-heated water. It cannot boast of abundant flowering - it blooms for only 4 days. But unusual color compensates for all the shortcomings of this type.

Gonnere and Almost Black

Water lilies can be selected by size, color, smell, or you can try to create compositions, in contrast. For example, by planting these two species side by side: Almost Black and Gonnere. Both of these lilies are medium in size, can be attributed to the "spoiled", do not smell, but the flowers are "double-double."

The size of the flower begins to "feel" as soon as the buds come out of the water. They are much larger than others.

The leaves of both varieties are green, young with a slightly burgundy shade, which may remain a little longer at the edges of the leaves. Bushes of these lilies can be combined into one by planting them next to each other.

Almost Black lily flowers are maroon. The tops of the petals are blunt, reminiscent of a peony flower. This is one of the darkest water lilies in Europe, and perhaps the darkest of the frost-resistant varieties bred.

At Gonnere, the snow-white water lily is quite fragrant, these two varieties of water lilies do not wild plants and are perfect for backyard ponds (they will not give "wild birds"). A flower, like a ball of white snow - so snow-white. The tops of the petals, like the color, the opposite of Almost Black, are sharp.

Both of these water lilies do not bloom as profusely as popular and common varieties. The first flowering will also have to wait. For example, you can wait two years for the first colors of Almost Black.

The beginning of flowering is also later. Growing these two species, you need to take care of root nutrition. If there are no nutrients in the soil, additional fertilizer is needed, since both species "expend a lot of energy" during flowering.

As already mentioned, these two species can be combined on the principle of contrast, but since they mature after two or three years, you will have to arm yourself with patience until the "black and white" becomes pronounced on the surface of your pond.

If your pond is very tiny, just a few meters, or you just want to try growing a nymphaeum in a tub (barrel) on the balcony, try this species and you will grow your own water lily at home. Thanks to his small size suitable for growing in small containers.

The variety is not a subspecies of nymphs, dwarf varieties Nymphaea pygmaea. rather it is a hybrid of Nymphaea odorata. But in size, she really is a dwarf.

The green leaves are slightly larger, burgundy at first, but the flowers are very similar to Pygmaea Rubra. The only difference is that the nymphaeum "Aurora" has one more turn of petals, the flower looks more terry, and also has an orange tint. Blooms for 3-5 days, more abundant than other dwarf lilies, flowering also begins earlier than others.

Arc-en-ciel

This lily can be attributed to large and more whimsical. The depth must be selected in the range from 1 to 1.5 m, leaving about the same amount of space on the sides. Having planted too small, the leaves "scatter" on the sides, and the center of the bush remains empty.

Flowers white with pink tint, bright yellow in the middle. The flowers of adult bushes rise 10-15 cm above the surface of the water, the petals lean back, and the lily itself becomes like a lotus. Very few varieties of winter-hardy water lilies differ in this form of flowers. The flowers of young bushes float on the surface of the water, standing out only because the petals are sharper.

Another distinctive feature of this species, which is not characteristic of most lilies, is very variegated, big leaves. At first they have a bright burgundy hue, then they turn green, but all the time they remain with cream, pink, burgundy stripes or spots. Even without flowers, lilies of this species are much more beautiful and decorative than other varieties.

What a view with whims, you can notice immediately. The first is that which begins to grow only when the water in the pond warms up well, much later than other types of lilies. Most likely, not one of the last, but the last. It is getting ready for winter, it is also one of the first to start.

It was not possible to obtain any original information about this species, but if you ask lily growers what they can advise in the first place, 9 out of 10 will answer - Joey Tomocik.

This species was bred from the American wild, especially prolific and resistant to adverse conditions, abundantly flowering yellow lily Nymphaea mexicana. The flowers of the wild "mother" of this species, if a little paler, but are not inferior in size. After all the selection and crossing of Joey Tomocik, Joey Tomocik (the lily is named after him) managed to develop a hardy variety with brighter flowers, which quickly spread throughout the world.

By the way, this type of lily also reproduces by seeds, therefore, if the summer is very warm, there is a danger that it will spread throughout the reservoir with its less decorative offspring, which have a deviation from the standard. mother plant or appeared from crossing with other plants of the reservoir.

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The genus Nymphaeum belongs to the family Nymphaeaceae. (Nymphaeaceae). There are about 50 varieties of Nymphaeum. Among them are cosmopolitans who take root in fresh water from South America to the tundra: Nymphea tetrahedral (Nymphaea tetragona), Nymphea white (Nymphaea alba), Nymphea snow-white (Nymphaea candida).

Nymphs are able to grow, bloom and bear fruit with a significant decrease in water level and even on land. For this they are called amphibious plants.

Distributed on all continents the globe. In ancient times, they were often mistaken for. The famous Egyptian lotus is actually Nymphaea lotus. Widely known Red Indian lotus(lat. Nymphaea rubra) and Nile blue lotus(lat. Nymphaea caerulea). In Russia, the dried rhizome of Nymphea was called overpowered-grass and worn as a talisman.

Description

Aquatic herbaceous perennial, 60–250 cm high. It grows up to 200 cm in diameter.

The rhizome is thick, tuberous or horizontal, immersed in the bottom substrate. The diameter of the rhizome is 4–5 cm. root hairs numerous, located in the nodes of the rhizome.

ON THE PICTURE:Rhizome of Nymphae. Photo by Arthur Haines.

The leaves are attached to elastic and durable petioles. In some representatives of the genus, the length of the petioles reaches 5 m.

Emersed leaves are rounded heart-shaped. The length is 12–30 cm. The color of the surface leaves varies from dark green and green-silver to burgundy in spots. The leaves, located under water, are broadly lanceolate, covered with a film. The membranous underwater leaves cover the growth buds of the plant with emerging pedicels and leaf petioles.

ON THE PICTURE:Thanks to the long petioles, the leaves of the Nymphaeum move along the surface of the water without being damaged by the flow and vibrations of the water. Leathery and dense leaf blades protected with a wax coating from getting wet.

Flowers 3–25 cm in diameter. Arrangement floating or protruding. The shape is star-shaped, spherical or cup-shaped, with four to five green sepals, a corolla corolla and a thick star-shaped column. Less commonly, the flowers of Nymphaeum are chrysanthemum-shaped, tulip-shaped, goblet-shaped or ray-shaped.

ON THE PICTURE:Flower of the cultivar "Siam Purple".

The color of the flowers is white, cream, yellow, pink, orange, red, bluish-violet. The flowers of most varieties exude a delicate pleasant aroma.

Nymphaeum flowers open in the morning and close in the evening. With a sudden cold snap, they do not bloom and go under water.

The fruit is a berry-like spongy leaflet. Each fruit contains 1600-1700 seeds. After maturation under water, the fruit disintegrates. Seeds float to the surface and are dispersed by currents, birds and aquatic fauna.

Popular varieties and varieties

In the middle lane, frost-resistant varieties are mainly grown. Many of them were bred by the French breeder J. B. Latour-Marliac.

ON THE PICTURE:The cultivar "Lucida" was bred by J.B. Latour-Marliacom in 1894. Photo by Alice Galante.

For growing in aquariums and other popular dwarf varieties: "Pygmaea Rubra", "Pygmaea Helvola", "Pygmaea Alba", "Aurora". These cultivars are tolerant of hard water and some alkali. For indoors, the compact and unpretentious Nymphaeum tetrahedral is also suitable.

Compact Nymphaeum varieties "Pygmaea Rubra", "Pygmaea Helvola", "Pygmaea Alba" and "Aurora". Photo by Alice Galante.

Owners of small garden ponds prefer medium and small varieties of Nymphaeum, especially Laydeckeri hybrids, K. Leydecker hybrids. This is "Gonnere", aka "Snowball", "James Brydon", "M-me Wilfon Gonnere", "Perry's Fire Opal", "Rose Arey", "Marliacea Chromatella". Leydeker hybrids are distinguished by small leaves, lush and abundant flowering. The diameter of mature specimens is up to 60 cm.

PHOTO (left to right, top to bottom):Leidecker hybrids "Gonnere", "James Brydon", "M-me Wilfon Gonnere", "Perry's Fire Opal", "Rose Arey", "Marliacea Chromatella". Photo by Alice Galante.

In mini-ponds, the fragrant Nymphae variety grows well ( Nymphaea odorata) Alba. It is considered one of the most winter-hardy.

ON THE PICTURE:Nymphea fragrant "Alba".

The highly decorative and unpretentious "Marliacea Rosea", "Marliacea Cornea", "Attraction", "Gladstoniana", "Escarboucle", "Hollandia" became common varieties for reservoirs with a depth of more than 60–80 cm. The popular European variety, Nymphea white, is also grown in deep ponds. She is remarkable decorative leaves with a green top and a purple-red underside, and double white flowers with a bright yellow center.

PHOTO (left to right, top to bottom): Large-flowered varieties Nymphaeum "Marliacea Rosea", "Marliacea Cornea", "Attraction", "Gladstoniana", "Escarboucle", "Hollandia". Photo by Alice Galante.

cultivation

In room culture:

To grow Nymphaeum indoors, you need a container or a special basket for aquatic plants, 25–30 cm high and 30–60 cm in diameter. The container is filled with a mixture of peat, sand, humus and sapropel 1:1:1:1. Mineral fertilizer for Nymphaeum is added to the soil mixture.

The rhizome is placed in the ground at an angle of 45 °, so that the growing point is at ground level or slightly higher. The planting depth for container plants is 20–40 cm. The soil is then soaked and covered with gravel.

ON THE PICTURE:In addition to gravel, small river pebbles are suitable for mulching the soil around Nymphaeum.

At first, the container with the Nymphaeum is placed at a depth of 20 cm under water. Then, as the leaves grow, the immersion depth is adjusted to the recommended one for the variety.

It is advisable to slightly acidify the water for Nymphaeum. Read more about the use of acids for this and other purposes in the publication:. Be sure to soften and pre-filter the water.

Indoor Nymphea is kept in a well-lit place at an air temperature of + 24–28 ° C. When the temperature drops to + 22 ° C, Nymphea grows more slowly and does not bloom.

ON THE PICTURE:Red-leaved species, such as this 'Red Tiger Lotus' Nymphea, need more light than those adapted to mid-latitude conditions. So that exotic varieties do not enter a state of rest and do not lose their decorative effect, you will need.

For fertilizing Nymphaeum in closed containers, bone meal is recommended. So that the top dressing is not washed off with water, it is mixed with clay, molded into balls the size of a tennis ball and placed under the rhizome when the plant is planted. Granular fertilizers for aquarium plants are also suitable.

In garden ponds:

Adapted to the conditions of mid-latitudes, Nymphaeum grows in any garden pond with filtration, circulation and aeration of water.

ON THE PICTURE:Nymphaeums look great in ponds of various designs. Small design tricks, for example, evening lighting give their decorative foliage a fabulous look.

It is important to equip the pond with Nymphaeums with a drain and inflow new water, for the prevention of stagnation and "blooming" of the reservoir in the hot months. Nymphs do well in still water, but a change of 5-10% of the pond contents weekly is desirable.

The illumination of the reservoir is important: in a heavily shaded pond, growing Nymphaeum is difficult.

Plants are planted no thicker than one specimen per 0.5–4 m 2. There are two options for placing Nymphaeum in a garden pond:

• in a container;
• landing in the ground, exclusively for non-freezing water bodies in winter.

In the first case, a container with a plant is placed in a pond after the temperature of air and water stops dropping below +18–20°C. It is more convenient to place the Nymphaeum in a partially filled reservoir.

Deep-sea species are planted in the ground. For the preservation of the rhizome in winter, a place is selected at a maximum depth. In order for the rhizome of Nymphea to take root and not float, the soil at the bottom of the reservoir must contain silt and clay, preferably white.

Landing is carried out in May-June as follows:

1. The rhizome is freed from damaged areas with shortening of root hairs to 5-7 cm, sprayed with water.
2. Planting material is buried in the soil at an angle of 45 °. For medium-sized varieties, pits 60–80 cm deep are needed, for large ones 80–150 cm. The growth point is left at 1 cm above the ground.
3. The planted plant is fixed with stones.
4. The soil around the Nymphaeum is mulched.

If the growth of Nymphaeum in the pond is stable, special fertilizers are not required. When growth slows down, plants are fed with complex mineral fertilizers in granules. and organic top dressing such as vegetable compost. But excess organic matter in the pond can cause root rot.

Diseases and pests

Nymphs are little susceptible to pests and diseases. In dry hot weather, the outer parts of the plant sometimes damage and. Help get rid of harmful insects.

reproduction

Vegetative technology:

Vegetative propagation is preferred to preserve varietal characteristics. It is better to propagate Nymphea vegetatively from early spring to mid-summer.

A rhizome with several points of growth is taken. Thoroughly washed with the removal of old leaves and pedicels. Cut into pieces with a sterile knife so that at least one point of growth remains on each division.

Slices are sprinkled with charcoal. After that, parts of the rhizome are placed in containers with a suitable substrate and immersed to a shallow depth for germination. As the plant grows, the container deepens more.

Vegetatively obtained plants bloom the next year.

ON VIDEO:The secrets of the division of the Nymphaeum are revealed by the biologist, the founder of the unique Russian Park of Water Gardens Alexander Marchenko.

From seeds:

The seed method mainly propagates species Nymphaeum. Nymphs are sown in winter or early spring in pots with a substrate. After that, the containers are immersed in water with a temperature of + 25 ° C, left in a lit place.

If the Nymphs are sown in an aquarium, there should not be herbivorous fish and snails.

After the emergence and growth of seedlings, they dive. In the future, young plants are cared for in the same way as adults. In the second year of life grown from seeds, Nymphaeum flowers appear.

First steps after purchase

If an adult plant is purchased in a 3–5 liter container, it is not necessary to transship it immediately. When planting Nymphaeum in nutrient soil, the substances necessary for its growth are enough for a long time.

If an early planting is not planned, the rhizome of Nymphea is stored at a temperature of + 5–8 ° C in the basement. A container with a rhizome is placed in water so that moisture reaches the edge of the container. Can be stored planting material buried in moist ground to a depth of 20 cm or cover it with moistened sphagnum moss.

Success Secrets

Nymphaeum is better to transship rather than replant. This is done when the rosettes of leaves extending from the rhizome become crowded.

ON THE PICTURE:For Nymphea, a new capacity is selected one and a half to two times larger than the previous one.

In order for the Nymphaeum to bloom luxuriantly and annually, the rhizomes are divided every four years. At the same time, parts of the roots are constantly sprayed. Even short-term drying should not be allowed.

To preserve the decorativeness and health of the plant, you need to constantly remove old, brown or yellowed leaves. When removing wilted flowers, they are cut off with a pedicel.

Nymphea winters without problems in reservoirs below the freezing point, at a depth of a meter and a half. When the water is drained into the pond for the winter, the rhizomes of the Nymphaeum are covered with fallen leaves. If the rhizomes are buried in the soil for wintering, a thick layer of snow is poured over them.

Possible difficulties

Sudden growth stop.

Causes:

1. hard water.
2. nutrient deficiency.
3. insufficient lighting.

Rotting leaves and roots.

Causes:

1. drowning of floating leaves.
2. stagnant water in a pond or indoor pond.

Poor bloom.

Causes:

1. growing in a shady area.
2. lack of fertilizer.
3. hardness of water.