Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Nymphaea pygmaea, Waterlily

Group/Class:  Miniature Water Lily

Description:

Small, dainty, pink to white flowers with golden-yellow centers, over attractive, shiny medium green pads; a beautiful addition to small ponds or container gardens; easy to care for; water lilies dislike moving water

Ornamental Features

Pygmy Water Lily features showy pink cup-shaped flowers with white overtones and gold eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to late summer. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive small glossy round leaves remain green in colour with hints of chartreuse throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Pygmy Water Lily is an herbaceous evergreen perennial with a ground-hugging habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Pygmy Water Lily is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Water Gardens
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Pygmy Water Lily will grow to be about 8 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 3 feet. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. As an evegreen perennial, this plant will typically keep its form and foliage year-round.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It is an excellent choice for very wet locations or locations with some standing water. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division.

Pygmy Water Lily is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.