Goldfish-Water Lil ies-Auquatic Plants-Succulents 
3 
It's Easy to Build Your Own Pool 
Location 
The pool should be exposed to full sun. Lilies will not bloom without sun for at least 
part of the day. The pool should be from 1 8 inches to 2 feet in depth. 
A very easy and inexpensive pool may be made by first tracing out on the ground the 
size and shape of the pool you desire; this may be done by using a garden hose to outline 
an informal pool; our advice being to make pool as large as your space will permit, as you 
will find so many plants you will want room for. 
For a front yard the formal pool will best fill the requirements of good design, but for 
a back yard pool the informal pool works in beautifully with rock gardens and is much 
easier to construct, needing no forms. 
For an informal pool, after deciding on size and shape, dig out soil to a depth of 2 feet 
and level off; shave walls off as near perpendicular as possible, then place re-inforcing on 
floor and up the sides, using heavy fencing wire. 
The concrete should be poured continuously, so there will be no joints, and as it is 
poured the reinforcing should be pulled up to the center of the cement, thus making the 
pool stronger and less apt to crack. 
Where heavy freezing is expected the concrete should be six inches thick. In mild 
climates a three-inch cement is ample. As cement is poured it should be well tamped to take 
out any porous places and thus insure yourself of a water-tight pool. After this has thor¬ 
oughly set make a mixture of 1 part cement and three of screened sand and apply a thin 
coat with trowel. As soon as this has hardened, apply a paint made of pure cement and 
water. After this hardens the pool may be filled with water; let stand a few days to soak 
out the alkali; drain off and sweep thoroughly when it dries and pool is ready for planting. 
Culture of Water Lilies 
Th e soil should be any good garden soil, mixed with one-third well rotted cow manure. 
If it is impossible to obtain well rotted manure, we recommend any good commercial fertilizer, 
using one pound for each 1 8 inches of pool. Spread mixture over floor of pool to depth of 
1 0 inches, level off and cover with one inch of sand. 
Planting 
The Hardy lilies should be planted Horizontally and with the crown just out of the 
sand. Tropic lilies should be planted upright and at the same depth as before, being shipped 
as potted plants. Be very careful that leaves do not become dry before planting or Tropic 
lilies may not recover. 
Lotus tubers should be planted horizontally, care being taken to not break the crown 
off. A space should be bricked off for Lotus as they will crowd other plants out if allowed 
to grow freely in pool. 
In large pools, where it is desired to plant in boxes, the boxes should be 2x2 feet square, 
and I foot deep if possible, and made of pine, allowing one box for each lily. Caution-do 
not use redwood. 
In wild planting, to fill the pool for the first time with water, it is a good plan to wet 
the soil first with a spray from the hose after the lilies are set, and then lay a burlap sack 
down and place the hose on this and fill the pool very slowly; this does not disturb the 
planting and you will have a nice clear pool. 
A pool 4x6 feet will hold three or four lilies and several water plants. When lilies are 
received, great care should be taken to prevent their becoming dry before planting. Cover 
with wet burlap or paper. 
Tropic lilies are shipped as 4-inch pot plants, and should not be planted in fresh water. 
Fill pool a few days before and allow water to become warm before planting Tropics. 
