AQUATIC PLANTS 65 



as elegant as the day-bloomers, but they are called the business man's 

 water lily, because he can see them in bloom in the evening and in the 

 morning. 



Water lilies like extremely rich soil. A mixture of half clay and half 

 cow manure suits them very well. An inch top layer of sand will prevent 

 any of this soil from getting into the water. The crown of the plant 

 should not be covered and ought to be about 8 inches below the surface 

 of the water for tenders, and 8 to 20 inches for hardys. They need an 

 abundance of sunlight. 



Before freezing weather sets in, the tender plants should be taken up. 

 Close to the main root will usually be found a few tubers about the size 

 of shellbarks. These are the starts for next season's plants. They are 

 to be broken off and slowly dried. In April they may be laid in shallow, 

 warm water in the sun until sprouted, then placed in submerged pots, 

 and later permanently planted out in June. 



Hardy water lily roots only need to be kept moist and from actual 

 freezing. In a pond they may be left out. In early spring they form 

 a number of new crowns. Every two or three years the parent root 

 should be cut up into pieces, allowing a crown to each piece. Plant only 

 one crown to a pot. Let all water lily pots be as large as space will 

 permit. Most tenders will grow and bloom in a seven-inch bulb pan in 

 an ordinary tub, but they are dwarfed from lack of space. They will do 

 better in an open pool planted in a box about a foot deep by thirty 

 inches square. Tropical water lilies show a surprising degree of intelli- 

 gence in adapting themselves to the size of the pool they are in, reducing 

 leaf and flower to accommodate themselves to the available space. The 

 ordinary hardy water lily if given as much space as it can use will have 

 a surface diameter of about five feet. The usual tropicals spread from 

 ten to fifteen feet, but will do well in pools of six-foot diameter. 



There are but few firms specializing in aquatic plants. Their names 

 can usually be found in the advertising pages of the aquarium magazines 

 listed in the end of this book. The catalogues of these firms contain 

 much valuable information as to suitable plants for different conditions 

 and purposes. 



OTHER POND PLANTS 



Lotuses (Nelumbiums). Album grandiflorum (white), Luteum 

 (yellow), Speciosum (rose), Pekinensis (red). 



The culture of Nelumbiums requires more root-space than for water 

 lilies. Planted in a shallow pond where they have plenty of space for 

 the strong roots to branch out and travel, they prosper amazingly. They 



