Nymphaea Species, American White Waterlily, Fragrant White Water Lily

This lily is native in southeast Missouri, zone 6b, and extremely hardy. We find it in sloughs, ponds, swamps. Incredibly beautiful and n...Read Moreicely fragrant. I had a 2 1/2 acre lake, maximum 15 feet deep, built last fall. The state aquatic biologist came this week to check it out. He recommended I add this lily plus some other native water plants to provide good habitat for native fish (bass, catfish, and bluegill) in the lake, as well as the whole food chain. I have a big one in a tub on my patio so I'll divide it to plant in the lake.

I also grew it in Denver, Colorado, in my backyard water lily "pond" that was about 10 feet in diameter and a maximum of 33 inches deep. Denver is zone 5B. This lily was an absolutely reliable bloomer and made it through the winters fine for the over 20 years I had my little pone. The Denver Botanic Gardens had this displayed in their outstanding water lily collection, at least when I left in 2005.

Not reccomened for small ponds. The spread can be indefinite, especially if planted in mud bottom ponds. Fragrant blossoms have a nice fr...Read Moreuity coconut scent in my opinion.

These deceptively delicate looking flowers are also beautifully scented. Nothing compares to the soft, vanilla fragrance of a mass of blo...Read Moreoming waterlilies! One of my favourite wild flowers.

This hardy, native water lily is highly fragrant and has a delicate white flower with a yellow center. It is commonly used as a cross fo...Read Morer hybridization. The seeds and flowers are edible. It prefers slow moving or stagnant water. The floating leaves will spread to cover 3-5 feet on the water's surface. The leaves can grow quickly when heavy rains cause high waters.