Author Topic: water lily newbie question (Read 3663 times)

LynneNY · « **on:** July 12, 2009, 07:57:11 PM »

Some of you know that I have 2 water lilies from WalMart in my pond. I was thrilled to see a bud on one last week when it was on the shelf in the pond. We lowered it to the pond bottom, and it's doing fine. The bud started to open yesterday, but within a few hours it got very dark/cloudy outside and remained that way until we had heavy rain from 10p.m. and the rest of the night.

I noticed that the lily closed up when the clouds covered the sky, but that wasn't much different than many of my non-water plants so I didn't give it much thought. When I left the house at 9 this morning, the lily was beginning to open once again, but when I returned at 3 it was totally closed up again. We had a beautiful clear blue sky/sunny day all day. Is this flower finished? Do they only bloom for one day? It didn't even get a chance to fully open.

And does anyone know which one this might be? I can't find the labels, and with WalMart one doesn't always get what the label says anyway...

Here is is yesterday before it closed up in the darker weather.

tinkster · « **Reply #1 on:** July 12, 2009, 08:01:49 PM »

well most lilies close by 2 in my pond unless it is cloudy then they will stay open later. I am sure someone will have a better ideaas to the lily. Any walmart I have ever been in carries attraction, which that is not, colorado, which that is not, sioux which that is not and james brydon. I have seen those pretty regulary in many walmarts. James brydon is a pink lily with pretty dark red leaves. My brydon is darker pink than that but it coudl be lighting???

tink

LynneNY · « **Reply #2 on:** July 12, 2009, 08:06:14 PM »

The color of this lily is pretty true to the picture. I thought I had bought Colorado and maybe James Brydon, but I can't remember now - it was 2 years ago.

That is interesting about your lilies closing by 2 unless it's cloudy, because this one closed up when it got very cloudy here!

Lynne22 · « **Reply #3 on:** July 12, 2009, 08:43:33 PM »

Quote from: LynneNY on July 12, 2009, 07:57:11 PM

Some of you know that I have 2 water lilies from WalMart in my pond. I was thrilled to see a bud on one last week when it was on the shelf in the pond. We lowered it to the pond bottom, and it's doing fine. The bud started to open yesterday, but within a few hours it got very dark/cloudy outside and remained that way until we had heavy rain from 10p.m. and the rest of the night.

I noticed that the lily closed up when the clouds covered the sky, but that wasn't much different than many of my non-water plants so I didn't give it much thought. When I left the house at 9 this morning, the lily was beginning to open once again, but when I returned at 3 it was totally closed up again. We had a beautiful clear blue sky/sunny day all day. Is this flower finished? Do they only bloom for one day? It didn't even get a chance to fully open.

And does anyone know which one this might be? I can't find the labels, and with WalMart one doesn't always get what the label says anyway...

Here is is yesterday before it closed up in the darker weather.

Hi Lynne, nice bloom! From everything I have read about lilies, and I have read a lot, some of them only open for a few hours of the day. Probably just the type of lily. I'm sure some of the hybrids open for longer though. I remember reading an article recently, about a particular lily, and the writer said; "the bloom opens in the morning, and if you work, it will probably be closed before you get home".

It was a good read, I'll see if I can find it. Can't remember which lilies he was talking about though. Still, it may just be that since this is the first bloom, it just hasn't gotten a full head of steam up at this point. I'd imagine that the bloom will last about 2-3 days, then it will get sucked down. Just keep it fed I guess, and it will bloom more.

HOWELL · « **Reply #4 on:** July 12, 2009, 09:04:17 PM »

Well that is a nice pic of you flower....

I have WM lillies too, well just one it is called sulphurea and it blooms like crazy.

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 13, 2009, 08:49:56 AM »

Waterlilies do vary in the time that they are open. I have some that close by 4pm no matter what the sky looks like and some that stay open hours longer than that.

Perry's Baby Red is one that stays open into the evenings for me. Always.

LynneNY · « **Reply #6 on:** July 13, 2009, 03:16:00 PM »

All very interesting responses - thanks!

The flower stayed open longer today - I think it closed up around 4ish. It was also open a tiny bit wider and I was home to see that - YEA!

Still not sure which one it is?

Amy · « **Reply #7 on:** July 13, 2009, 04:06:50 PM »

I am far from an expert and rely on advice from everyone on here for a lot of stuff! LOL! I can say that I have 2 different lillies in my pond that I bought at our local Straders. The tags say that one is a colorado and the other is a rose nymph...mine are like yours, they bloom early but do not stay open real long and in a day or so they are gone. BUT....mine do keep producing blooms...slowly and the tags just say the bloom time is summer. it is like it blooms goes away but there is another to come up and replace it....I have not fertilized them so I bet if I did I would have a lot more blooms....I need to get on that!

sooks · « **Reply #8 on:** July 13, 2009, 04:14:20 PM »

If you want a waterlily that stays open late try a tropical. Some of my tropicals open during the day and close around 6-7 ish. My hardies usually last 3 days and then they're gone. They usually have a new one coming up right after the one that died. Your water lily is a pretty pink!

LynneNY · « **Reply #9 on:** July 13, 2009, 07:21:49 PM »

Thanks sooks!

I can't do tropicals - no room indoors to overwinter them, plus they are way out of my price range unfortunately. This has been a very interesting experience and I am thrilled that I got ONE bloom. I will be even happier if I get more of course!

Vickie · « **Reply #10 on:** July 13, 2009, 07:31:05 PM »

You can store tropical lilies by storing the tuber in damp sand. And using a sandwich baggie. There is room for that. LOL

LynneNY · « **Reply #11 on:** July 13, 2009, 07:44:44 PM »

Quote from: Vickie on July 13, 2009, 07:31:05 PM

You can store tropical lilies by storing the tuber in damp sand. And using a sandwich baggie. There is room for that. LOL

That is good to know, Vickie, but there isn't necessarily room for that here - I take in a lot of tubers and plants each year, and need to be careful where I store them with 6 curious cats in the house! Plus again... the price of the tropical lilies isn't in our budget right now - oh, well... I can dream...

sooks · « **Reply #12 on:** July 13, 2009, 10:06:04 PM »

people on this website sell tropicals for really cheap. they're about the same price as the walmart ones that you bought. just check on the trader forum.

LynneNY · « **Reply #13 on:** July 14, 2009, 06:56:02 AM »

Thanks sooks!

Desertponder · « **Reply #14 on:** July 14, 2009, 09:46:19 AM »

It would be very difficult to determine exactly which lily you have there. There are so many that look very much the same. If you don't know what it is it is best to leave it unnamed.

It is pretty and reminds me a great deal of Pink Beauty.

LynneNY · « **Reply #15 on:** August 06, 2009, 07:40:06 AM »

Updating this thread...

I found an old post on a gardening forum I participate in, and the 2 water lilies that I have from WalMart are both Fabiola. I've had a second bloom on the first plant, and now the first bloom on the second plant. This is all very exciting for us! The current bloom is a bit more intense in color than the other plant, and already has the second bud, but they are both Fabiola.

Has anyone had experience with this particular water lily?
Will they ever have more than 1 flower blooming at a time?

Julles · « **Reply #16 on:** August 06, 2009, 06:46:41 PM »

Whatever the name, it's a very pretty lily, and large, too.

The 99c lily I got at PetSmart blooms, but only every once in a while, and the flowers are kinda small.

Once I started fertilizing regularly, I got lots more blooms. My purple hardy blooms a LOT. (It was from the pond store, not PetSmart's close out bin.)

turtlemike · « **Reply #17 on:** August 07, 2009, 07:32:23 PM »

I was thinking Pink beauty also, which has been misnamed Fabiola, which is the name of another lily that's flecked red inner and white outer petals. I have True Fabiola, the red one. I don't know if I have Pink Beauty. I have a walmart pink I just haven't tried to ID it but it looks very similar to yours. I want a pink beauty but I may have one already.
So my opinion is that it could be Pink Beauty but definitely not Fabiola.

Pic is fabiola

LynneNY · « **Reply #18 on:** August 07, 2009, 09:50:27 PM »

Thanks Julles.

Turtlemike - I am not quite following your post. My lily looks just like the one you posted that you are saying is true fabiola. Here is another picture I took today of another bloom.

Holldoll · « **Reply #19 on:** August 07, 2009, 09:57:12 PM »

I think Mike was saying the inner leaves are pink and the outer leaves are white on Fabiola, but yours looks like it is all pink.

LynneNY · « **Reply #20 on:** August 07, 2009, 10:10:23 PM »

Ahhhhhhh - now I get it - thanks so much for clarifying that, HollDoll!!!

I'm going to have to take a better look at it if it blooms again tomorrow.
There are such subtle differences in the different types and since I am a newbie I am still learning. Thanks so much for being patient with me, everyone!

Timgod · « **Reply #21 on:** August 08, 2009, 12:54:59 AM »

The fact that it was from a big box store means there is no way to really identify it positively.
The ones sold as dry rhizomes you plant are an assortment like many have already said but in almost all cases they are not the "real" deal that the package says.
My wife actually ran a garden center for Wal*Mart for three years so I saw most of what they could carry.
N. Fabiola is one they carry but it is a seedling from some point and not the true plant.
It is a nice unnamed pink so just feed it a lot and enjoy the show.

BTW Julles, I think maybe you meant a trop... there are no purple hardies...yet.

Tim

LynneNY · « **Reply #22 on:** August 08, 2009, 10:05:17 AM »

Thanks Tim - just put more spikes in the pots yesterday, so now I wait for the show!

turtlemike · « **Reply #23 on:** August 10, 2009, 07:43:45 AM »

Hi LynneNY. Your flower definitely has the same general shape as my fabiola but it is the same clear pink on all petals. True Fabiola is a dark reddish pink to garnet reddish pink on the inner petals transitioning to white outer petals and the color is VERY flecked or speckled or grainy or whatever you call something like that.
I agree with Tim.

LynneNY · « **Reply #24 on:** August 10, 2009, 09:04:29 AM »

Thanks Mike. I am learning as I go, and I do appreciate all the explanations!