Water Lilies: hardy and beautiful!

HMcSwan 2016 © (digital edit)

We just have a small pond, that was actually a hot tub with all the vents sealed up.  The hot tub seems to work really well, as it has a centre depth of about 3.5' - this is where I pile the lilies in the winter months.  My lilies are in pots as I offer them for sale, and they need different depths, so some are placed on the side ledges.

Hot tub in ground with vents and holes etc sealed up.

Rockery around the edge and our black cat supervising.

'Sirius'

Dwarf water lily 'Aurora'

Purple mottled leaves of 'Sirius' water lily

'Pink Perfection' Water lily

Hardy water lily 'Sirius'

'Pink Perfection'

'Gonnere' hardy water lily

Hardy water lilies have, like a most lilies, very tuberous roots that can be divided.

'Chromatella' Hardy water lily

Water hyacinth close up

Iris chrysograph that can be grown as a marginal, along with water mint and other marginals... it is so dark it is often referred to as 'black iris'

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Dragonflies:

Wherever there is water deep enough for dragonfly nymphs to overwinter, there they are: blue, red, large dragonflies and smaller damselflies...

large blue dragonfly

empty casing of dragon fly nymph

This dragonfly is coming out of its casing that remains attached to the reed or grass where it climbed out. For this reason, marginal plants are important.

empty casings left behind on plant stems