How to Plant Hardy Perennial Water Lilies

Hardy water lilies are the true royalty of the pond. Give them room to stretch, and they will reward you with beautiful blooms all season long!

Follow these simple steps to plant your hardy water lily:

1. Pick the Right Pot: Choose a wide, shallow container like our PondGro Fabric Plant Containers. The wider the pot, the bigger your water lily grows and the more blooms you get!
2. Mix Your Soil: Fill 2/3 of your container with a heavy soil mix. Blend 2/3 heavy loam topsoil with 1/3 pre-rinsed sand (like pool filter sand). Add a splash of water and squeeze—it should hold its shape in your hand, not turn into runny mud.
3. Feed Your Plants: Push 1–2 Fertilizer Tablets into the bottom soil layer. Cover them completely with soil so nutrients stay in the pot rather than leaching out into your pond water.
4. Position the Rhizome: Hardy water lilies grow horizontally across the pot! Place the cut edge of the rhizome against the side of the pot with the growing tip (crown) pointed toward the center.
5. Top Off and Press: Fill the remaining top 1/3 with your soil mix, leaving the growing tip exposed. Firmly press down to remove any trapped air pockets.
6. Submerge and Sun: Place your potted water lily under 6 to 24 inches of water. If your pond is deep, use bricks to prop up the pot. Make sure your plant gets at least 5 hours of direct sunlight daily to produce blooms!

Best Soil for Water Lilies and Pond Plants

Wondering where to get the right soil? Good news: about 75% of homeowners in the U.S. have great loam soil right in their backyard underneath the lawn!

• Midwest & Corn Belt: States like Iowa, Illinois, and Indiana feature rich prairie topsoil that pond plants love.
• Northeast & River Valleys: Floodplains along the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri rivers boast nutrient-rich loam. Just strain out any stray garden rocks.
• West Coast & Pacific Northwest: Coastal valleys feature deep, fertile soils ideal for aquatic roots.

What Not to Do When Planting Pond Plants

There is a lot of bad advice on the internet regarding pond plants. Keep your water clear and your plants thriving by avoiding these common mistakes:

• DO mix 2/3 heavy loam topsoil with 1/3 rinsed sand for water lilies, lotus flowers, and heavy feeders.
• DON'T use potting soil or composted garden materials. They decompose underwater, robbing oxygen from your fish and clouding your pond.
• DON'T use 100% calcined clay, API Aquatic Media, or Microbe-Lift planting media for water lilies or lotus. These are light, nutrient-free media meant only for submerged grasses, not flowering heavy feeders!
• DON'T pack heavy stones over your plant roots—they choke off growth and distort rhizomes.
• NOTE ON BOG PLANTS: Wetland and marginal bog plants are the exception to the rule! They actually prefer poor, slightly acidic soil to mimic their natural wetland habitats.

Featured Planting Essentials