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It can be difficult to get close enough to waterlily flowers for a decent photograph when they’re growing in a pond. My own pond is awkward to get at and taking a close-up photograph of the pink waterlily there risks a ducking for both me and my camera. (I should change the layout to make access easier.)
It was a plant photographer’s treat to come across these miniature waterlilies growing in large containers recently. The garden we were visiting wouldn’t have had room for a big pond, so the owners had found a good solution to allow them to grow these beautiful plants. It also allowed me to get right up to the waterlilies to photograph them.
These small waterlilies looked stunning in their big pots. Grown in this way, they’re easy to keep clear of blanket-weed and debris, presenting a perfect picture to the onlooker. Because they can be enjoyed at close quarters, every small detail of the flowers can be seen and appreciated.
I don’t know what the particular cultivars are here. A look around the online sellers shows that a good variety of colours are available, lots of red and a number of pinks, yellows, white and even orange. Seeing these has made me wonder if I should try one in the shallow water of my own pond. I don’t know the name of the waterlily that’s already there – it came from a friend’s pond a few years ago. I suspect that it should really be in a bigger pond and deeper water, so it may not last here for long. If it does grow too big, one or two of these small waterlilies might be a better choice in the long run. (You can see my pink waterlily here.)
Ann Mackay: Inspired by Nature 
Beautiful aren’t they? If one grows within reach I like to pick it to enjoy in a vase. And who knows their names? I certainly don’t.
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They are so lovely that they always hold my attention. I’d never thought of picking one of the pink ones from my pond…I might get a bit wet trying, hehe! 🙂
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That red one sure is rich.
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It’s very striking and would never look washed-out the way paler colours might.
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I tried to comment last night but, as you know has happened several times now, WordPress claimed I wasn’t logged in when in fact I was. This morning your blog accepted my comment normally.
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I’m glad you managed to comment, Steve! It’s frustrating when WordPress doesn’t behave as you expect it to.
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I keep thinking that I would like a water container, but I’m afraid it will attract rats from the farm.
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That would be a worry, Jude! (My pond attracts woodpigeons, who leave a greasy mess on the surface – yuck!)
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The duckweeds add great texture and background, Ann!
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That is an unexpected advantage of duckweed! (Gardeners here usually complain when it gets into their ponds because it spreads very quickly to cover the water.)
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Well, who knew? Miniature water lilies? They are pretty, and certainly would do well in containers or a small pond. I like the combination of the lilies with the duckweed. In our ponds, duckweed often becomes so thick that individual plants are hard to photograph; one day there’s none, and the next there’s a solid carpet of the stuff, mixed with other aquatic plants.
The red one is beautiful, but the thought of a red water lily seems — odd. I’ve read of a water lily garden and research facility somewhere in our state. I’ll have to look it up and see what colors they’re propagated; it would be interesting if they’ve created a red one, too.
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Duckweed makes itself a nuisance in the same way here too, but our pond hasn’t had any yet. We do, sadly, have a lot of horrible blanket weed though. Red and pink waterlilies are popular in the UK as cultivated plants but our native waterlilies are white (Nymphaea alba), or yellow (Nuphar lutea).
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I have our native water lilies scheduled for an appearance; we have both yellow and white as well as blue.
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Ooh, blue! That sounds very attractive! 🙂
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I also love water lilies. Your beautiful photos show their lovely details well. It definitely helped that you were able to walk up to and lean over them. I’m sometimes tempted to get gaiters to wade into the water for better photos, but haven’t yet made the leap.
It’s little hard for me to gauge size, but how big are miniature lilies compared to the regular water lilies?
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From the little I’ve read, it seems that flower size can vary a lot. I’m tempted by Nymphaea pygmaea ‘Helvola’, which has pale yellow flowers that are 3in across and needs just 6in of water. Apparently, Nymphaea pygmaea ‘Rubra’ has red flowers that are just 1.25in across and Nymphaea tetragona has white 2in flowers. The size of the plant itself can vary a lot – Helvola is very small, spreading up to just 18in, but others have a wider spread and may be too big for containers. Dwarf water lilies appear to be between the miniatures and the normal waterlilies in size – seems there something for any amount of water!
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Thank you for the additional information, Ann. I have actually never tried to identify the exact species of water lilies I have encountered and was not aware of their different sizes.
I would love to have a pond in the garden, but we live in a semi-arid desert with about 16 inches of rain/year in a chronic drought and I would feel kind of frivolous about hogging extra water. But I hope you can figure out which Nymphea would be happiest in your pond.
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