Laura Strawn Hardy Water Lily

Laura Strawn Hardy Water Lily — Classic, Pure-White Elegance

The Laura Strawn Hardy Water Lily brings heirloom beauty to modern ponds with wide, pure-white petals and a serene, old-world look. This medium hardy water lily opens clean, cup-to-star blooms above medium-to-dark green pads, creating a calm, luminous focal point in any water garden. A dependable perennial pond plant, Laura Strawn blooms from late spring into fall and reads beautifully from across the water.

Why Customers Love It

• Classic white flowers that feel refined and timeless

• Steady bloomer in full sun with simple tablet feeding

• Compact-to-moderate spread—great for lined ponds or wide containers

• Hardy & reliable—returns each year with minimal care

Plant Requirements (quick reference)

• Sun: Full sun, 6+ hours of strong midday light

• Container: 15"+ wide, shallow aquatic container (fabric pots preferred)

• Depth (soil surface → water surface): 6–20" (best bloom near 8–16")

• Spread: ~3–4.5 ft at maturity

• Soil: Heavy loam topsoil only (no bagged mix, peat, or gravel)

Care & Fertilizing (simple schedule)

• Fertilizer tablets: 4–5 tablets on the 1st & 15th of each month (May–September)

• Application: Press tablets 3–4" into the soil around (not on) the crown

• Maintenance: Trim spent blooms/yellow leaves; divide every 1–2 years to maintain peak flowering

Water Lily Planting Tips

• Plant shallower (8–12") to warm the crown and jump-start buds

• Keep surface water open and unshaded—pads are your solar panels for flowers

• Never cover the crown with stones or gravel; leave it slightly exposed

• Choose wide, shallow containers to encourage rhizome run and more flowers

Do’s & Don’ts

Do

• Plant in full sun and heavy loam

• Fertilize twice monthly on schedule for continuous blooms

• Repot immediately on arrival; keep all parts wet while planting

Don’t

• ❌ Don’t use compost/peat mixes, “aquatic media,” or gravel (they float, rot, or smother crowns)

• ❌ Don’t let floating plants shade Laura Strawn—light drives flowering

• ❌ Don’t plant too deep (>20") if you want frequent blooms

Helpful Links 

• Full Planting Instructions →

• Waterlily World® Fertilizer Tablets →

• PondGro™ Aquatic Loam Soil →

• Aquatic Containers →

• PondGro™ Fabric Pots →

Shipped as: a live young adult plant (rhizome with leaves/lilypads). Plant immediately in heavy loam soil and set at the recommended depth. Minor leaf yellowing from transit is normal and quickly replaced by new growth.