Lily pads are iconic aquatic plants known for their large, round leaves that float gracefully on the surface of ponds and slow-moving rivers. While the lily pad itself comes from several plant species in the Nymphaeaceae family, they provide a picturesque platform for an array of gorgeous blooms to rise up from the water. When in bloom, flowers on lily pads create a stunning display of color and wonder. Let’s explore some of the most captivating flowers found blooming on lily pads.
Lotus Flowers
One of the most iconic and culturally significant flowers found on lily pads is the lotus. Lotuses come in several species with flowers in shades of pink, white, yellow, and red. The flowers have delicate petals that open to reveal a center containing thin stamens The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is likely the most widely recognized and respected species
Lotus flowers hold deep meaning in many Eastern cultures and religions In Buddhism and Hinduism, the lotus represents purity, enlightenment, and rebirth due to its ability to emerge unstained from the mud The various parts of the lotus plant are also edible and used medicinally.
Water Lilies
While lotuses are rooted in the mud below, water lilies float freely on the water’s surface. There are around 70 species of water lilies in the Nymphaea genus. These produce brightly colored blooms in shades of white, pink, yellow, orange, and red.
Some water lily species only bloom at night, with flowers that delicately open for a few days before sinking below the water. Popular water lily species include tropical water lilies that thrive in warm water, hardy water lilies that withstand cold climates, and fragrant water lilies like the European white water lily (Nymphaea alba).
Pickerel Weed
Pickerel weed (Pontederia cordata) is an aquatic plant with long heart-shaped leaves that are a perfect foundation for its spikes of vibrant violet-blue flowers. It grows up to 3 feet tall and blooms through the summer months, spreading to form dense colonies in shallow water.
The flowers provide a pop of color along the water’s edge, while the plant itself supplies cover for fish and other aquatic animals. Its leaves and seeds also serve as food sources for waterfowl.
Frog’s Bit
Resembling a tiny floating water lily, frog’s bit (Limnobium spongia) has small rounded leaves, each bearing a single petite white flower. Its fragile blooms rise just centimeters above the water and feature three delicate petals.
Native to the American tropics, frog’s bit spreads rapidly across the water’s surface and has naturalized in the southern U.S. Its trailing growth offers shelter for fish and frogs.
Spatterdock
Also known as yellow pond lily (Nuphar advena), spatterdock produces yellow cup-shaped flowers from June to September. Its heart-shaped floating leaves provide a base for the 2-3 inch wide blooms to rise above freshwater ponds and streams across North America.
Spatterdock spreads aggressively to form large colonies that give shade, protection, and food for aquatic wildlife. Its pops of yellow blossoms stand out brightly along the water.
Fragrant Water Lily
As its name suggests, the elegant fragrant water lily (Nymphaea odorata) boasts sweetly scented white blooms. Its floating circular leaves can reach over 12 inches wide, providing ample space for the fragrant flowers that open in the morning and close at night.
Each pristine blossom lasts around 3 days before being replaced. Hardy fragrant water lilies flower from early summer into fall, thriving even in northern climates. Their upward facing petals and bright yellow centers shine in ponds and slow streams.
Growing Your Own Lily Pad Flowers
Natural lily pad habitats allow these stunning flowers to bloom right from the water’s surface. You can also cultivate lilies, lotuses, and other aquatic blooms on lily pads in backyard ponds. Plant them in pots submerged 1-2 feet deep so their foliage and blossoms cascade elegantly across the water.
Include sloped edges for marginal plants to take root in the shallows. With proper sun exposure and ideal water conditions, your personal lily pad pond can soon become a thriving showcase of nature’s most exquisite floating flowers. Just be mindful of containing the spreading growth of certain species within pots to prevent them from overtaking small ponds.
Flowers on lily pads create entrancing displays of aquatic beauty. Lush green lily pad leaves provide the perfect base for delicate blooms in an array of vivid colors to rise up and brighten ponds and water features. Take inspiration from these dazzling flowers to create your own flourishing water garden.
Why Choose Lily Pad Like Plants
For many reasons, plants that look like lily pads are an excellent choice for your garden pond. Like water lilies, lily-like pond plants have beautiful floating leaves and flowers.
They grow best in aquatic soil. These plants can grow from just a few inches below the water’s surface and spread along the water’s surface several feet long. Even in a very deep pond, the flower of the lily-like plant remains floating or standing just above the pond’s surface.
Lily pad looking plants are durable and fast growers! They can be perennial or annual depending on your location.
The varieties available are shocking. Lily-like plants can have flowers and leaves in different colors, sizes, and shapes, tolerate different conditions, and have varying needs for maintenance. Here at Chalily, we carry several unique and unusual types, along with the more classic varieties.
Lily-like plants add elegance to ponds, earning them the title, ‘jewels of the pond.’ Beyond their beautiful aesthetic, these aquatic plants serve a few essential functions in your pond.
Some varieties can be prolific spreaders, meaning that they can quickly multiply over your pond. This is easy enough to keep in check, but the benefit of their spreading is that you can begin with just a few plants and, in time, have significant growth of lily-like plants all over your pond.
Why do you want these plants all over your pond?
- Their lush leaves cover the water’s surface and provide shade and protection from predators to your pond wildlife.
- The leaves oxygenate the water, making it a healthy environment for fish, frogs, and others.
- The surface coverage of the water also protects your pond from getting too much sun. This hinders an overgrowth of algae and unhelpful bacteria.
- The roots aid a healthy ecosystem by oxygenating and keeping the water clean. They also absorb many nutrients from the water that would otherwise feed unwanted green plants and algae, helping to keep the water clear.
Keeping Your Lily-Like Plants
Lily-like aquatic plants are easy to maintain. Some lily likes require less sunlight to bloom making them perfect for ponds or water gardens in shady areas in your backyard.
They make a lovely accent among marginal plants or between the rocks or rushes at the edges of your pond. Lily-like plants are well-suited for bog gardens, stream beds, container gardens, and ponds.
All of our plants come with a 100% Quality Guarantee. They are grown and shipped by skilled and trusted aquatic plant experts. Your plant is guaranteed to arrive alive and healthy!
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FAQ
What flower blooms on a lily pad?
Nymphaea odorata, also known as the American white waterlily, is a fragrant white flower with a purple underside of the lily pads.
What is the flower called that grows on lily pads?
Water lilies, plants in the genus Nymphaea, are aquatic blooms that grow in ponds and water gardens. Their green lily pads spread out across the surfaces of freshwater environs and, when warm weather arrives each year, their blooms have spiky, brightly colored petals.
What are the white flowers that grow on lily pads?
White Water Lily (Nymphaea odorata) This showy member of the water lily family (Nymphaeaceae) is a beautiful plant to admire as you paddle a canoe around a lake or down a sluggish stream. The large white flowers are often fragrant, hence the specific epithet “odorata”.
Can lily pads grow flowers?
The opulent, many-petalled flowers come in a choice of colours, including white, pink, red and yellow. They sit on or just above the surface, among the glossy lily pads. Waterlilies are perennials, so live for many years, dying down in autumn and re-sprouting in spring.