Surprisingly, tropical water lilies are one of the favourite flowers of Spanish gardeners, be it in hotels or gardens, a water feature or pond is likely to have some kind of water lily feature.
The water lily brings a real glamorous vibe to any habitat and can do wonders for ecology of an area, the white, pink, yellow, purple, blue, and red flowers providing shade.
Many water lilies in Spain only grow in a pink variety, with the large flowers growing up to 13 inches across, fragrant and borne on stems rising above the water.
The flowers stay open later in the day, than the hardy water lilies, and also bloom later into the season. Tropical lilies can easily be distinguished from hardy water lilies, in that the leaves are serrated or jagged.
Tropical lilies come in day blooming and night blooming varieties; day blooming varieties open several hours after sunrise and stay open until several hours before sunset; night blooming varieties will open an hour or two before sunset and remain open, as late as noon on a cloudy day.
For best performance, plant tropical water lilies in at least a two gallon or larger plant container, with a generous amount of heavy garden soil, and maintain the water temperature at approximately 60 degrees. Fertilise monthly, to reach maximum blooming potential.
