HARDY NYMPHAEAS. 



365 



leaves grow right out of the water, and so completely hide what flowers 

 are produced. It is only when all the leaves are floating that the true 

 beauty of the plants can be appreciated. 



Lakes or ponds exposed to the sun, but sheltered from rough and cold 

 winds, provide the most suitable home for water-lilies, although, failing 

 possession of a natural piece of water, these charming plants may be 

 grown in cement tanks, or even in tubs. A lake for the cultivation of 

 choice aquatics should be free from all coarse weeds, and in all cases 

 the natural mud will be the best soil in which to plant. Where it is 

 impossible to lower the water for planting, this difficulty is soon got over. 

 All that is necessary is to procure shallow baskets of various sizes, and 

 place the plants in these with some soil ; then put a few small stones on 

 the surface or a few ties across the basket to keep the plant from floating 

 out. Each plant can then be sunk where it is intended to grow, and 

 before the basket has rotted away, the plant will have rooted through and 

 secured itself to the bottom. Large plants may also be planted by fixing 

 a stone or other weight to the root and dropping the whole in where the 

 plant is required to grow. In artificial ponds or tanks a copious inflow 

 of water is not at all desirable ; a trickle of water sufficient to keep 

 things wholesome is all that is needed, and is, indeed, far better than a 

 constant inrush. In small tanks a layer of soil, to the depth of 10 or 

 12 inches, 'might be spread over the bottom, and in larger structures 

 little mounds or hillocks, made by placing a few sods together, should 

 be formed. 



When planting, secure the plant with a peg or weight to prevent it 

 floating. The soil in which Nymphaeas are to be planted should be 

 prepared some months before it is required, and should consist of good 

 turfy loam, which has been cut and stacked for at least twelve months, 

 plenty of half-decayed leaves, and some sharp sand, and the compost 

 should be kept dry until it is wanted for use. The use of manures in any 

 form I do not advocate, as they only excite rank leaf growth and pre- 

 dispose to disease. 



The best time for dividing or planting Nymphaeas is the spring, 

 about the end of April or beginning of May, although they may be safely 

 moved at a much later period. If planted at the time stated the plants 

 make sufficient progress to give a supply of bloom before the summer 

 is gone. The flowering season for established plants begins early in 

 June, reaches its height in August, and in good years lasts well on into 

 October. 



The depth of water required for the culture of Nymphaeas may 

 vary from 18 inches to 4 or 5 feet ; but, although I believe some of 

 the stronger growing ones would do in a much greater depth, it is not 

 wise to plant them so deeply, for they could not be got at without a 

 boat or raft, and when it became necessary to divide and transplant them 

 the water would have to be lowered, and this is not always an easy 

 matter. I should therefore never plant choice Nymphaeas in a greater 

 depth of water than I could get at with a pair of wading boots, with the 

 tops made long enough to come well up under the arms. Four feet of 

 water above the crowns of any of the stronger growing varieties is quite 

 enough, and not less than a foot above the lesser growing ones. 



