Other Names:  Waterlily

Description:

A night blooming tropical water lily with stunning red star-shaped flowers with golden centers; blooms from summer to winter; round green foliage emerges copper; easy to care for; water lilies dislike moving water; annual in colder climates

Ornamental Features

Antares Tropical Water Lily features showy fragrant double red star-shaped flowers with fuchsia overtones and gold eyes at the ends of the stems from late spring to late fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive large glossy round leaves emerge coppery-bronze in spring, turning green in colour with distinctive light green veins and tinges of chartreuse the rest of the year.

Landscape Attributes

Antares Tropical Water Lily is an herbaceous annual with a low habit of growth, spreading atop the surface of the water. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other garden plants with finer foliage.

This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Antares Tropical Water Lily is ideally suited for growing in a pond, water garden or patio water container, and is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Water Gardens
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Container Planting
• Bog Gardens

Planting & Growing

Antares Tropical Water Lily will grow to be about 12 inches tall at maturity extending to 16 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 6 feet. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the water, not requiring facer plants in front. Although it's not a true annual, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. As an aquatic plant, it requires a suitable water garden environment and will benefit from special planting and ongoing care practices; consult one of our in-store experts for further details and instructions. To help this plant achive its best flowering performance, periodically apply a flower-boosting fertilizer from early spring through into the active growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Antares Tropical Water Lily is a fine choice for the water garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its spreading habit of growth, it is ideally suited for use as a 'spiller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the edges where it can spill gracefully over the pot. Note that when grown in outdoor pots and containers, aquatic plants like this one will require a special growing environment that meets their requirement for consistent moisture.