THE CULTURE OF WATER LILIES 
(PLEASE READ BEFORE PLANTING) 
ESTABLISHING THE WATER GARDEN 
Water lilies are so easily and successfully grown by those who 
have had no previous experience that by following these simple 
methods one may be assured of an abundance of beautiful flowers 
WHEN TO PLANT: Hardy water lilies may be planted as soon as they begin 
to show growth in the spring, usually about April first, and may be planted 
up to the last of August with good results. Tropical water lilies should not 
be planted before the first of June except in the latitudes south of Kansas. 
MATERIALS NEEDED: 
Containers for the Plants: We like the large size candy pails for a single lily. 
If these are not available, boxes may be made from any rough boards, one 
inch thick and twelve inches wide. Permanent boxes may be built of brick 
or concrete, but movable boxes are preferred, as they may be placed in the 
basement, containing the lilies, during the winter. 
Soil: Most any garden loam will give good results. 
Fertilizers: The best are cow manure, well-rotted if possible, and bone 
meal. Use cow manure at the rate of one part to five parts garden loam. 
Commercial fertilizers should be used at the rate of one pound to each cubic 
foot of soil. 
Sand: One inch layer of sand or gravel over the boxes, after planting, will 
help keep the water clear. 
All that is required to grow lilies is fertile soil, still water, and plenty of 
sunlight. It is unnecessary to drain the pool during the growing season. Simply 
replace the evaporation. Shortly after planting, the water may become green 
throughout the season. Once planted, the pool needs very little 
care—no hoeing, nor the watering that is so necessary for growing 
most other varieties of flowers. 
from the fertilizer used in the soil. Allow the water to run in and overflow 
the pool, if this condition arises. 
IMPORTANT: When you receive your shipment of roots, unpack at once 
and place them in water until ready to plant. Should you need to keep them 
for some time before planting, it is best to submerge fully one-half the root in 
mud and cover with water. 
HOW TO PLANT: The lilies may be planted in individual boxes, or in soil 
spread over the bottom of the pool, to the required depth. The important 
item is that plenty of root room be allowed. Each lily should have at least 
one cubic foot of soil. The plant should be set with the crown of the root 
even with the surface of the soil, then covered with about an inch of gravel. 
Plant the lilies about four feet apart. 
WINTER CARE; Hardy water lilies may be removed to the basement and 
kept moist and protected from mice throughout the winter. They need no 
other protection other than from direct freezing of the roots. 
Goldfish should be removed to a tank in the basement and fed very spar¬ 
ingly, in climates where the pool freezes over. 
INSECT ENEMIES: Plant lice, or aphis, are the only common pests of water 
lilies. They are easily controlled by washing off with a strong spray from the 
hose, and the fish eat them. "Black Leaf 40” mixed according to directions 
rids the plants of this louse. 
ORNAMENTAL POOLS —EASY TO BUILD 
DESIGNING THE POOL 
Small species of water lilies require only a small pool—three feet or more 
in diameter. Larger varieties must have a pool at least six feet wide. Depth 
depends upon tne type of planting. For water lilies, a depth of at least 22 
inches is desirable. 
Excavate to the required depth including the thickness of the floor. Pools 
with vertical sides are built with forms. If the soil is firm, no outside form is 
needed. 
Pools with sloping sides often are built by “plastering” a stiff concrete in 
place. Wire mesh reinforcement is used. Natural rock may be set in the concrete. 
Pools having curved or irregular shaped walls are made with forms of 20 
gauge galvanized iron wire, readily bent to the desired shape. 
REINFORCEMENT 
Reinforcement should be used as shown in the accompanying drawings. 
Place the floor and walls in one operation to avoid construction joints. 
Support the interior wall forms across the top of the excavation so that the 
bottom hangs six inches from the bottom of the pit. Spreaders, or braces, 
extending across the pool from one form to the other, prevent bulging when 
the forms are filled with concrete. 
MAKING THE CONCRETE 
Strong, durable, watertight concrete is easily made. Most important is the 
amount of water used per sack of cement. 
Use about 4 X A to 5 gallons of water per sack. 
The correct mix (determined by a trial batch) should be plastic, holding 
its shape well, but not crumbly. If too stiff, use slightly less sand and gravel; 
if "runny,” add sand and gravel until the proper proportion is obtained. 
1. Make a dry mix of about 1 part portland cement, 2 parts clean sharp 
sand, 2H to 3 parts clean gravel. Mix thoroughly until the color is uniform— 
no gray or brown streaks. 
2. Add correct amount of water and mix until sand and pebbles are thor¬ 
oughly coated with cement paste. 
The concrete should be placed within 30 minutes. 
CURING 
Do not permit newly placed concrete to dry out 
Protect it from sun and drying winds for a week to 10 days. A covering of 
burlap or canvas, sprinkled often enough to keep it moist, is a satisfactory 
covering while curing. 
THE MINIATURE POOL OR TUB GARDEN 
PLACING THE CONCRETE 
Oil the inside of the forms so that concrete will not stick to them. First place 
the concrete for the floors. Then deposit the concrete for the walls in 6 or 
8-inch layers all around the pool, spading each layer as it is placed. A garden 
hoe, straightened out, makes a good spading tool. 
Often, pools are built partly above grade. A oundation two or three feet 
deep should be used. 
The most inexpensive is the tub garden. Not much room is needed—only 
three or four feet square makes a very nice, small water garden. Choose a 
sunny spot and sink a wash tub or half barrel in the ground. Two or three 
tubs are sometimes grouped together filling in the space with perennials or 
rock plants. The tub should be filled with five or six inches of good garden 
loam with a big handful of commercial fertilizer well mixed in. At intervals 
of three weeb a spoonful of fertilizer added to each plant will tend to produce 
more blossoms. 
