Photo by @hannixx42

Nymphaea "Tina" Water Lily

Nymphaea "Tina" Water Lily is hands down one of my favorite water lilies to grow. This older but breathtaking variety was first hybridized by Van Ness Water Gardens in 1974.

Displaying royal purple petals and a golden yellow center you will be drawn to it's beauty. Lily pads are a lime to bright green color which adorns the flowers that stand 3-5 inches above the waters surface. Each enchanting flower blooms for 3 to 5 days. As each day passes Tina will keep you at the waters edge with her hypnotic perfume.

Care

Nymphea "Tina" water lily requires a minimum of 3-4 hours of full sun to produce blooms. If placed in full sun you can expect 3-5 flowers in blooms with 2 or more breaking the waters surface though out the season.

Planting

Water lilies generally thrive in thick muddy soil on the bottom of a lake, pond, or river. This is perfect for water lilies to anchor themselves to by sinking their root deep into the nutrient rich soil. Use soil that is heavy in clay or backyard soil that is sandy will work great. Avoid treated or bagged soil that is not specially created for water lilies as the soil is too loose and will float away and give your pond a murky appearance.

When planting add a 2 inchs of soil to the bottom of your container. Pack the soil tightly. Sprinkle a small amount of pellet fertilizer at the bottom. This bottom layer will feed your lily mid-season and keep it blooming after it has exhausted all of the available food closes to it. Continue adding soil until halfway. Pack the soil firmly. Add more fertilizer, only this time use the recommended amount per the manufactures instructions. Next, carefully add 1 inch of soil and tamp it firmly ensure that the plants roots cannot touch any of the food. The plant will need to establish its roots first before working its way to these nutrients. Direct contact with any fertilizer can severely damage or kill your water lily.

Hold your water lily with one hand over the container with its roots inside and the bulb about an inch below the brim. Using your other hand pour the remaining soil into the pot being careful not to damage the root or get dirt on the crown of the bulb. Usually there will be tiny little lily pad shoots growing off of it. Be extra careful not to break them off when planting.

Water lilies grow from their crown (similar to the bulb of a Cyclamen plant). Always keep the crown above the soils surface so that it can easily send up new lily pads. If you are planting a bare root plant press the bulb firmly into the soil but not too deep that it is covered. Finally, add a small top layer of rinsed pea gravel to the container. This will keep the soil in place and also prevent curious or hungry fish from snacking on the plants roots or disturbing the soil. Avoid covering the bulb. For bare root lilies, place a couple of similar sized rocks on each side of the bulb to keep it anchored.

Important: Always rinse your freshly potted lilies with very slow running water. This will reduce the amount of dirt and debris released into the water when placed. Forgetting this step could make your crystal clear pond water to look like a chocolate shake and then cause you to have a conniption.

Placement & Water Depth

Add the plant into the water very very slowly taking care not to disturb the pea rock. As you lower the pot into the water you will see bubbles rising to the surface along with some muddying of the water. That is expected and will clear up quickly. The water lily should be introduced gradually to the correct depth over of water over a period of time. This will allow your water lily to receive enough sunlight to begin sending lily pads to the surface. If placement to too deep the plant will not receive enough light to produce lily pads and starve.

I have a rule of thumb I use to decide when to move my pots deeper. When the water lily has 2 or 3 large pads on the surface of the water I can move it to a deeper depth.

**Tip: Re-potting your water lilies each year with fresh soil and fertilizer will keep them producing flowers all season. **

Plant Facts
Family	Nymphaea
Pad Color	Moss/Emerald Green
Pad Size	2-6 in
Flower Height	4 - 6 inches from Water Line
Flower Production	Moderate to Heavy
Mature Spread	2-3 Feet Across
Zones	9-11, Tropical but Hardy
Growth Rate	Moderate
Sun Exposure	Full Sun
Flower Color	Purple, Royal Purple, Fuchsia

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