NOTES ON THE NEWER OR LESSER KNOWN WATER-LILIES. £0l 



Course, serve the same purpose, but it does not look so well. 

 When a thaw sets in the protection is removed by the use of a 

 rake before the ice disappears. During the last two winters and 

 springs I have noted that some of the varieties have retained 

 their foliage partially through those seasons. The undeveloped 

 flower-buds even of some have kept their heads above water all 

 the winter. Those showing these tendencies the most were the 

 varieties of N. Marliacea and JV. odorata sulphured, as well as its 

 larger form. Even our London fogs did not appear to have 

 much effect upon what was above water (below water the dense 

 deposit of soot would no doubt be an advantage when absorbed). 



Position. 



The spot chosen for Water-lilies should not be shaded by 

 trees so as to affect the growth. In these places the water is 

 relatively cooler at times. I noted this in adding two varieties 

 in the spring of 1897, which, for want of a better place at the 

 time, were put too much under the shade of a copper beech. I 

 can plainly see that they will have to be moved to a more open 

 position, as no satisfactory increase in vigour is evident. An 

 open, sunny place, where the water is warmed during the day, 

 is the best choice, and if not too far away from the land it 

 will be all the better, so as to be able to remove any sticks or 

 other floating matter, as weeds, without in every case having to 

 enter the water. (When this is done we use long waterproof 

 wading boots, which for cutting the blooms are a great 

 convenience.) The smaller varieties, too, are seen to better 

 advantage when nearer the sides, where they can be looked down 

 upon. We make thus far three various grades of our varieties: 

 the robust growers for the deepest water needed, which w T ould be 

 from 18 inches to 2 feet to the top of the crowns ; the smallest 

 kinds have about 8 inches of water over them, and the medium 

 growers from 1 foot to 15 inches. I do not think it is necessary, 

 nor do I deem it advisable, to place them in deeper water than 

 just quoted for each class of plant. 



I have no doubt whatever that a pond w T ith a muddy bottom, 

 say, as an instance, a foot or so deep, with a rich deposit of 

 decaying vegetation, would be congenial to them. In our case, 

 however, this does not occur at such a depth. There may be 

 3 inches or 4 inches of mud, but not much more where our Lilies 



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