The waterlily is the crowning jewel and focus of any water garden or pond. The waterlily brings color, fragrance and surface coverage to a backyard pond. Some varieties of waterlilies are small enough to be grown in containers on your deck or patio. At Bergen Water Gardens, we offer a complete selection of waterlilies.

Hardy Waterlily

Hardy waterlilies will survive the winters of western New York if kept at a depth of 2 feet. The flowers may range in color from red, peach, white yellow, pink and some will change color. The flowers usually lay on the water’s surface, although newer hybrids rise above the water’s surface. Pads are round and usually green.

Tropical or Annual Waterlily

Tropical waterlilies provide the “wow factor” for a water garden. Flowers are held high above the water and colors such as blue and purple are available. Many tropical waterlilies have a distinctive, sweet fragrance. The leaves are ofter large, serrated and are mottled. A tropical waterlily will produce about 5 times as many flowers as a hardy and bloom into October here in New York. With some effort the tuber can be stored but most pond keepers treat them as an annual.Additional tropical waterlilies.

Night Blooming Waterlily

Night blooming waterlilies are tropical waterlilies which have flowers that open at night. The colors will be red, pink and white. They commonly open about 8:00 pm and close about 10:00 am. Nightbloomers often have a strong fragrance. They are large plants with big leaves which are heavily serrated.

Intersubgeneric (ISG) Waterlily

Simply, an intersubgeneric or ISG waterlily is a cross between a hardy and a tropical waterlily. There are different forms of this cross tropical x hardy, night bloomer x hardy, Australian waterlily x tropical waterlily. As of 2015 some of the first ISGs will be available to the backyard pond keeper, among them will be N. ‘Purple Fantasy’, N. ‘Siam Pink 2, N. ‘Siam Purple 2″. These plants grow like a hardy waterlily and will survive our New York winters.

Victoria Waterlily

Victoria waterlilies are the giant platter waterlilies. The leaves in Western New York may grow to 45 inches in diameter while the world record is close to 96 inches! This is a tropical night blooming waterlily with the scent of pineapple at night when it opens. The leaves, stems and sepals are covered with spines, so care must be taken to grow these giants!