Pond Boss Forums AQUATIC VEGETATION Balance of plants in the environment Splitting Hybrid Lilies

Around 5 years ago, we started planting hardy lilies around the pond. Although we tried several varieties, we ultimately wound up with only 2 that survived both the prolonged droughts, and the more recent almost flood like pond conditions. What flourished were a pink,and white lily variety.

So instead of buying more, I split what I knew would do well here.

These are the pink hardy lilies. Very dense, and slow growing. I split some 5 gallon buckets for transplants because the wider base made them more stable on slopes. It also made it easy to slide them down the slope as our water level dropped.


This is one of the donated tubers after it had been dug up from an existing plant, and cleaning started. I will tell you that you can pick and rise each tuber 10 times, and you may still find some sort of hitchhiking plant. So, clean them well.

I made sure each transplant had actively growing offshoots, so I could just drive by and see how they were doing. Once the new leaves popped up (they're almost burgundy), I knew the transplants were actively growing.


I added time release planting mix to the bottom third of the bucket, seated the tuber, covered that with our pond clay, and covered all that with river rock to keep the plants or buckets from floating. Ultimately 9 out of the 11 I put in buckets survived, and have been moved around the pond.


I did have one bucket with a hole in the side, and after a month, it was spreading through the hole, and into the pond bottom. What I like about this, is that with multiple holes, the transplant could spread from the bottom of the bucket, and self-replant the new growth. Next year, I'll just take a sharpshooter and cut the newly rooted tubers off at the outside of the bucket, and move the bucket to another location. That way, I can treat the bucket as a donor, and repeat the whole transplant process as little as possible.


I've posted this picture before, but this is an existing pink lily, brush pile combo. Perfect cover for both forage and predators alike. We always catch something here.

Hope all this helps.

Very pretty.

Yes that helps. Great ideas. Your efforts really look to be paying off. Our koi pond lilies survived midwest winters when they were in 2-3 feet deep water. Never thought of trying them out in our bass/bluegill ponds. thanks for the info. Could i ask what the grass or rushes are along the shoreline in your pictures? That looks nice as well. BM61

BM61, Bulrush is next to the buckets in the top pic, and emergent Arrowhead is under the buckets in the third pic.

The bulrush has been an outstanding plant to control erosion in the marginal water.

is that just regular potting mix or specific to aquatics?

Potting mix for lilies is too light and fluffy to keep the buoyant tubers in the soil pot. For planting into containers use heavy garden soil or pond bottom dirt.

Very nice. We have the red hardy lily's too and they are our favorite. I have them planted in about 8 feet of water at full pool. We have had 30"s of solid ice in the winter and they do just fine.

Muskrats will make short work of them if you have some. Last fall they got into our yellow ones and ate them off to where we didn't have any flowers this year just little 2" pads. Maybe next year.

Cheers Don.

We have a bit of an FA issue in 2 of our 3 ponds and a little sago pondweed and coontail in another. The treatment usually is copper sulfate early in the year and a Cutrine Plus/diquat combo after mid-June.

Will those chemicals kill hardy water lilies? CS is pretty selective on the FA but I am not sure about the other stuff with these nice lilies.

Anyone have advice on that? Can they survive these herbicides? Thanks. BM61

Bm61, the labels on your herbicides should list types of vegetation they work on. I THINK cutrine is for algae species, but def check the label.

I've tried to get lilies established in my pond, we have something in the pond that clips off the leaves.

Painted turtles love my pond lily stems. Probably is what has been eating yours.