Water lilies

From Gardening Wiki

Wintering Water Lilies

Remove the tender lilies from the pool before killing frosts have set in. Remove the leaves and store the tubers in pots of damp sand at a temperature of from 50 to 60 degrees or pot them and keep in water at a temperature of 50 degrees. The hardy lilies may be left in the empty pool if the latter is filled with leaves and covered with boards or boughs.

Spring Planting of Water Lilies

The hardy varieties of water lilies may be set out any time from April to August. The earlier the planting is done the longer the flowering period will be. The tender varieties cannot be safely set out until the water has reached a temperature of 70 degrees. In planting, sink the plants 3 to 4 inches deep in the mud and cover with a small stone to keep them from floating to the top. Oftentimes it is worth while to cover the mud with a layer of sand or fine gravel 2 to 3 inches thick, to keep down the manure and the soil. A good soil for water lilies can be made by combining equal parts of any good garden soil and well rotted cow manure.