Nymphaea alba

white water lily

• Position: full sun
• Depth of water: 45-90cm (18-30in)
• Rate of growth: average
• Ultimate spread: 150cm (60in)
• Height above surface: 0-10cm (0-4in)
• Flowering period: June to September
• Hardiness: fully hardy
  
  Large, cup-shaped, white flowers up to 20cm across, with a double ruff of white petals enclosing a yellow centre, sit like crowns atop round, dark green floating leaves from June to September. Our native white water lily will happily grow in water up to three metres deep. It is an excellent choice for a large, deep, wildlife pond, where the dark green leaves create a shady underwater habitat for native fish and amphibians. The shade cast by the foliage also helps check the spread of algae.
  
  
• Garden care: Plant firmly in a hessian-lined aquatic planting basket filled with aquatic compost. Apply a 2.5cm (1in) top-dressing of pea shingle or gravel to prevent the top layer of the planting medium from clouding the water. The crown of the plant should protrude slightly above the surface of the planting basket. Raise the basket on bricks when the plant is young, gradually lowering them as the plant matures, so that the leaves float on the surface.