I think that there are different kinds of wild cattails (narrow leaf, broadleaf, and a hybrid). I think that they have different tendencies toward spreading. I bought my water lillies from Lowes. The whites, pinks, and yellows did well, but the orange did not survive. I was later given more waterlilies from a coworker. Many looked like the same ones that I had, but one is a very nice red, but it is much slower growing. The pinks are the largest plants. Once the lillies get going, you can split off tubers and spread them.