In larger ponds, use several of the same variety to achieve a mass effect. These plants are grown at the bottom of the pond, or on a shelf if your species of water lily likes shallow water. Their leaves float, and are connected to the plant by a long stem. Many water lilies produce colorful and attractive flowers. They should be grown at various depths according to the species.
Water lilies shade the pond with their leaves.
This discourages algae, and provides shelter from the fish. These plants not only add great beauty to your water garden but also act as a valuable cooling mechanism thus helping to control algae growth. Hardy water lilies have longer blooming seasons, but they have intermittent periods of dormancy, blooming for several weeks and then resting for several weeks throughout the blooming season. The blooming period for the hardy ones starts around April, the tropicals start blooming when the water gets to around 70 degrees. Tropical water lilies generally possess much showier leaves and blossoms than hardy lilies.