I planted 5 water lilies in Aug. and they have done ok over the pas couple months. Problem is, I planted them in the pond bottom and the water level has dropped to the point where they are in danger of freezing if we have a bad winter. I pulled three of the five out today because they were in less than a foot of water. The other two will probably need pulled as well. So my question is, what do I do now? Do I go ahead and plant them in deeper water, or should I put them in containers and back in the pond? Should I winter them in the garage and plant them again in the spring? I'm afraid they won't take root if I replant them this late in the year. They already seem to be going into dormancy.

Like Bill Cody suggested to others here. Containers, shove in deeper water this winter, pull to shallower water next spring.

Many years ago I planted pinks, yellow and red lilies in my pond I bought from Lowes. My pond can have some pretty big water level drops with some of the lilies just at the edge of being dry. I did loose the yellows but not the pinks and reds so mine seemed pretty hardy from freezing and even dryness.

I would rather not plant them in pots if I can help it. I want them to be planted in the mud bottom so that they can ubsorb nutrients from the bottom. If I were to put them in pots I would have to plant them again in the spring anyway.

So how thick does the ice get on your pond John, and how deep are your most shallow lilies?

I have had domestic water lilies in areas that dried to where no water was over them, although the ground stayed fairly wet. Fall rains always seemed to come before really cold weather, and they survived. This happened in wetlands though, my ponds have never dropped that far. Why not just plant them a foot deeper? I also do not like pots.

I have had my pink domestic lilies in my garden pond for over 10 years. Finally kicked them out since they took over. I moved them to the big pond one rhizome at a time. The garden pond froze solid several years now, and the lily had done just fine. One year the ice block lifted up in the pond from expansion, but the lily never blinked.

Otter over the years my pond has frozen thick enough for ice-skating to barely freezing at all.

Great, good to know that hardy lilies are hardier than I thought. Maybe I will keep the last two where they are and see how they do. I think they are in about 10" of water. I do expect a harsh winter and I hope to ice skate. I also have decided to replant the other three deeper. I hope they do ok as well.