Culture of Water Lilies 
VERY IMPORTANT! 
• • • 
Three conditions that are necessary 
for the Water Garden. 
First —SUNSHINE. The water garden must 
have at least half of the day’s hot sun. 
Second— UNDISTURBED WATER. Water 
lilies will not grow in running water. Just fill up 
the evaporation. Do not change the water in the 
Pool during hot weather. 
Third —PLENTY OF GOOD SOIL. Water 
lilies are heavy feeders and should have at least 
four cubic feet of well fertilized soil to each plant. 
This amount will carry them through the third 
season. 
Preparation —Any good garden soil mixed with 
about one-fifth of well rotted cow manure; spread 
over the floor of the small pools to a depth of 10 
to 12 inches; cover the top with one inch of sand 
and level off well. 
Planting —The lily tubers should be planted so 
that the crown or growing point is just out of the 
soil. If the growing point seems to come out to 
one side, plan the tuber so that the tips of the new 
leayes are looking up. Most shallow water plants 
like water from two to six inches in depth. Bog 
plants should be planted in wet ground. 
Planting Time —We prefer to ship the different 
varieties at the proper time for planting in each 
locality. Hardy lilies may be shipped as early as 
April or May. 
In large pools where it is desired to place the 
plants in boxes, the boxes should be two by two 
feet square and one foot deep, made of fir or Ore¬ 
gon pine, allowing one box for each lily. However, 
the lilies will grow more vigorously and bloom 
more freely if placed in soil spread over the bottom 
of the pool. Caution Do not use Redwood lumber. 
Where group planting is desired in large pools, 
boxes can be made any desired size, allowing about 
two feet each way for the number of plants to the 
box. 
In planting, to fill the pool for the first time 
with water, it is a good plan to wet the bed first 
with a spray from the hose after the lilies are set 
and then lay the hose on a burlap sack and fill very 
slowly; this will not disturb the planting and will 
give you a nice clear pool. 
A FEW GOLDFISH will keep your pool free 
of mosquitoe larve and other small insects. 
