Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Identifying plants Will these Lilly pads be aggressive?

I have all of these Lilly pads in plastic totes. I was wanting to plant them in the pond bottom. Do you think they would be aggressive in central Illinois pond?

Unless they are native plants they will likely not survive the winter. If you are already leaving them in the pond over winter in the totes then they are hardy. It will depend on the pond, each pond acts differently. They will grow in shallower water, how deep they grow depends on the variety they are. I tried native ones in my ponds and muskrats ate them so I have none.

Thanks Woodster! They are Hardy, probably some hybrids. That were given to me from a friend who filled in their Koi pond. She thought I would plant them in the pond bottom but I wasn't sure if they would be too aggressive! Right now they are growing in 2-4' of water.

The white ones will typically grow deeper than the other two, but not always. Is one of them a yellow flower? Unless you know the variety name it will be a guess as to how fast and deep they spread. Based on the flower type, I suspect they are medium spread varieties. I do now they are not dwarf nor small varieties. You can easily reduce the size of the lily patch by using a glysophate pond herbicide on the deeper growing leaves. If your pond is bigger than 1/4ac I would put the root mass of each container in some area of shallow water 2-3ft deep wherever you want some habitat and cover. IMO these lilies will be a benefit in you pond.

Thanks for the response Bill! Yes, one of them is yellow and one has a peach hue to it. The pond is about 1 acre and drops off with steep sides to about 8' depth within 12' from shore. The dam was built with a 3-1 slope though.

I enjoy my spreading water lilies

Gorgeous! Would love to have lilies in my BOW, if could be sure they wouldn't go crazy.

Choose hybrids with limited spread or put them in tubs.

RHA that's awesome! Congrats on a beautiful pond!

RAH, very beautiful pond! I could show my wife those pictures and sell it as our pond! It looks very similar! I think I am ready to plant them in the pond. How old are they and how deep are they extending into? Do you fertilize them?

I'll bet some of the pink ones are extending to 6' deep. We fish from a floating dock and boats, and also swim from the dock, so they are not a problem. Fishing near them is productive as the fish seem to like to hang out under them. I have never fertilized because they seem to grow and bloom well without it. They are over 10 years old, maybe closer to 15 years old. They have spread when dug up by critters causing the tubers float around and re-root. I am good with this since we have plenty of open water. I think that they have helped control submerged plants as well. We have added them to other ponds and wetlands on our place as well as sharing with other pond owners. The only drawback for me is that the hardy water lilies are all morning bloomers.