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Indoor Water Plants |
 There are many water-lilies and other aquatic plants which
are natives of warmer climes, which in Britain can only be
grown in indoor pools, tanks or tubs. Particularly in the case
of water-lilies, the colour range is very wide and beautiful, and
the flowering period is very long. In addition, there are varie-
ties with fragrant flowers and some are excellent as cut flowers.
Among the great number of hybrids there are quite a few
which flower at night. With all these attributes the tender
nymphaeas are well worth cultivating wherever possible, in
conservatories and greenhouses.
They certainly like sun and warmth and a fairly rich loamy
soil, and given these and good growing conditions they are not
really difficult to grow. Their exotic beauty suggests diat they
are temperamental. They are not, and once established pro-
duce their lovely blooms in quick succession over a period of
many months. It is advisable to grow the plants in an average
temperature of sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. Rather more heat
will not be harmful.
The best time to secure fresh stock is from the middle of
February to the end of March and there are one or two
specialist firms who supply them at that time. They can be
obtained as tubers which should be inserted upright, in pots of
rich loamy soil. These should be stood in the pond and if the
water is kept warm, say at sixty-five to seventy degrees, new
growth will be fairly rapid. During April, foliage will be seen
on the surface of the water and the plants can then be moved
into the bigger tubs, pans or other receptacles in which they
are to grow. They soon make a good root system which needs
both room and plenty to feed on. Therefore, when moving
the young plants from their original pots to their final con-
tainers, it is important to allow a space of up to two feet square
and to add decayed manure (preferably cow) and bone meal to
the loam used. Once the young plant has been removed to
the bigger container, it should be returned to the water but do
not place it in deep water immediately. Let it just cover the
crown at first and then gradually fill the tub or tank over a
period of a week or so, remembering to keep the water nicely
warm at all times. It is, of course, permissible to plant indoor
water-lilies in soil in the bottom of the pool but this is less con-
venient when wanting to give fresh soil or to divide the tubers.
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