THE CULTURE OF WATER LILIES 
(PLEASE READ BEFORE PLANTING) 
ESTABLISHING THE WATER GARDEN 
Water lilies are so easily and successfully grown by those tiful flowers throughout the season. Once planted, the pool 
who have had no previous experience that by following these needs very little care—no hoeing, nor the watering that is so 
simple methods one may be assured of an abundance of beau- necessary for growing most other varieties of 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 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 im- 
ortant item is that plenty of root room be allowed. Each lily should 
ave 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 
sparingly, 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 the 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^ 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 
thoroughly coated with cement paste. _ 
The concrete should be placed within 30 minutes. 
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 foundation two or three 
feet deep should be used. 
CURING 
Do not permit newly placed concrete to dry out 
Protect it from sun and drying winds for a week to 1() days. A.covering 
of burlap or canvas, sprinkled often enough to keep it moist, is satisfactory 
covering while curing. 
e 
THE MINIATURE POOL OR TUB GARDEN 
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 weeks a spoonful of fertilizer added 
to each plant will tend to produce more blossoms. 
