Hints on the culture of water plants in lily tubs.

No container is too small to grow water plants, even an old kitchen sink can be recommissioned to grow a water lily. By choosing our plants carefully a half of a wooden barrel can become the home of a variety of water plants.

Care must be taken in selecting a suitable tub, it will need to have been cut down by less than half, so that it will hold 12ins + of water. Make sure that it has not been allowed to dry out, and if you are not going to use it immediately, keep 10cms (4ins) of water in the bottom to prevent the oak from shrinking. Timber barrels must breath, so as to permit the air to circulate all round including underneath, by placing it on three flat bricks. Any barrel that has previously been used to store alcohol will need to be thoroughly scrubbed, then cleansed by filling, leaving for a few days, tipping out and refilling several times. Finally, the inside surfaces will need to be painted with a coat of 'Aquaseal' before use. Lilytubs retailed by THE WATERGARDEN CENTRE will have been lined with a moulded heavy duty ABS lining which makes them slightly more expensive but overcomes all the above problems. 

It is amazing how soon a container of water standing out on the patio attracts wildlife, from birds casually dropping in for a drink and a bath, to a toad, seeking a more permanent residence.

No small container makes an ideal, outdoor environment for fish, except perhaps for the red rosey minnow, and even this little fish may require some form of protection during the cold depths of winter.
Plants are best grown in containers, rather than in any medium placed directly on the barrel bottom. This not only extends the barrel's life, but also makes plant life easier to control.

As far as barrel culture is concerned, water plants divide into three categories: -

• Submerged plant, that has most of its foliage below the water level, sometimes called oxygenating plants.
  
• Lilies and lily-like plants, with rooting systems on the bottom but with their flowers and foliage on the surface.
  
• Marginal plants, with their roots in water and their flowers and foliage held aloft. Bulrush and iris being classical examples.
  
  

Submerged Plants

Callitriche autunnalis (water starwort)
Very attractive plant, an excellent water conditioner. It's pale green leaves form starry masses on the surface during summer months, remains active during winter.
Planting depth 12"

Tillaea recurva
A succulent creeping plant with very fine leaves and stems. Another good water conditioner, winter green most winters, but its growth will need controlling.
Plant in 12"


Lily like plants

Aponagetan distachyun (water hawthorn)
Unusual plant with forked white flower spikes and black anthers bald above the water. Flowers freely in spring and autumn. Fully scented.
Plant in 12"

Villarsia nynphoides (fringe lily)
It's yellow lily-like flowers and foliage can be mistaken for a miniature lily. In a small tub should replace rather than be grown with a lily.
Plant in 12"


White Water Lilies

Candida
Free flowering, small white cup-shaped flowers, with golden ,stamens and crimson stigmas. Planting depth 9"/15"

Caroliniana Nivea
Large, very fragrant, pure white blooms, with bright yellow stamens.
Planting depth 9"/15"

Odorata Alba
Medium sized snow white flowers, with numerous pointed petals, sweetly scented.
Planting depth 9"/24"

Pygmaea Alba
May well be the smallest lily in cultivation. Tiny white flowers, only 1" across, small oval dark green leaves with purple reverses.
Planting depth 6"/9"

Pink Water Lilies

Odorata Luciana
Satiny rose coloured flowers.
Planting depth 9"/15"

Firecrest
Carries its rich pink blooms above the water in tropical fashion. Orange-red stamens.
Planting depth 19"/12"

Laydekeri Lilicea
Rose liliac flowers spotted with carmine, deepening with age. Free flowering.
Planting depth 9"/18"

Odalisque
Fragrant deep rose flowers proud of water.
Plant in 9"/12"

Red Water Lilies

Ellisiana
Flowers glowing red, deepening to purple at centre, orange -red stamens. Free flowering. Planting depth 19"/18"

Froebeli
Rich wine-red flowers, nice compact foliage. Free flowering
Planting depth 9"/18"

Laydekrei Fulgens
Fragrant, bright-crimson flowers, reddish stamens
Planting depth 12/18"

Laydekrei Purpurata
Brilliant shade of rich wine-red flowers, with bright orange-red stamens.
Planting depth 6"/9"

Pygmaea Rubra
Small growing, tiny leaves, flowers open a lovely shade of dark rose, and darkens to red, ideal for even the smallest container.
Planting depth 6"/12"

Vesuve
Brilliant amaranth-red flowers, flecked and shaded with orange. Red stamens.
Planting depth 12"/18"


Yellow Water Lilies

Odorata Sulphurea
Soft sulphur yellow, star shaped flowers. Green foliage flecked with red spots.
Planting depth 19"/18"

Pygmaea Helvola
One of the genuine miniature water lilies, free flowering. Attractive red blotched foliage.
Plant in 6"/12"

Marginal-Plants. [plant in containers with 2"/3" of water above crown]

Acorus gramineus Variegatus
Green and white striped foliage, compact in growth. Height, approximately 9". Highly recommended.

Calla palustris (bog arum)
Thick, creeping rhizomes with dark green heart shaped leaves. White spathes in spring followed by red berries in autumn.
Approximate height, 9".

Caltha palustris Flora Plena (double yellow king-cup)
First of the plants to bloom in the spring.
Height,9" Highly recommended.

Eriophorum angustlfolium (cotton grass)
Silky white tufts of cotton like flowers in spring.
12" high grassy foliage.

Houttuynia cordata Plena
Elegant heart-shaped purplish leaves,white double flowers. Grows best when grown above water level.
Height 15"

Houttuynia cordata Tricolour
Variegated form of above
Height 12"

Mimulus guttatus
Rich golden flowers, blotched with red or brown very attractive, but might not be winter hardy in tubs,

Sagittaria sagittifloia (arrowhead)
Dramatic arrow-head leaves, white flowers with brown centres.
Height 12"/15"
Double form of above.

Typha minima (miniature bulrush)
Complete with miniature pokers nicely in scale with the 18" high foliage, a choice tub plant.

Planting

The submerged plants, are best grown in half litre pots, water hawthorn, the fringe lily, in one litre with water lilies requiring at least one & half litre. pots. Marginal plants will best be grown in small round or square baskets suitably lined with hessian.
The correct medium for planting nearly all water plants, if you are not going to use a prepared water plant medium, is heavy top soil with a clay content. Firm in the plant and then cover lightly with gravel.

Lilytubs with moulded heavy duty ABS lining

Small Lilytub - 60 cm in diameter
Large Lilytub - 85 cm in diameter

To complete your feature, try one of the Barrel Plant Collections which will be made up with a water lily, Aponogeton, marginal and oxygenator plants.

These items are availble from our online shop