Waterlilies…..the slowpokes of spring

No matter the temperature, the plants in your garden have already been alerted that spring is coming .  Plants “know” this because the days are getting longer.  Warm weather is all it takes for things to GET GROWING!  However it’s a different story in the pond, stick your hand in the water, it’s cold!  It’s still winter in the pond.  Water takes much longer to warm up and cool down.  And due to that fact, waterlilies make their debut a little later than terrestrial plants.  Expect your hardy (perennial) lilies to start sending up their first small reddish leaves in early March.  As spring progresses the leaves will get larger and greener.

Tropical lilies which survive most winters may not have survived the twin freezes of January.  If the tuber (root) is mushy then the plant did not survive and you will need to replace it.  Don’t worry we’ll have plenty of lilies available this spring.  If the plant has survived you will see underwater leaves (these leaves are shaped differently andwill stay underwater) and then in early April (weather dependent) the first small reddish leaves will break surface.  Night Blooming Tropical lilies are tough and survive most freezes  we’ve had reports of night bloomers coming back year after year in Dallas.  Night Bloomers are the latest to appear in the spring appearing in late April- early May.  If you know you have a night bloomer don’t give up on it!