Other Names:  Carla's Sunshine, Waterlily

Description:

A tropical water lily with stunning yellow star-shaped flowers with golden centers; blooms from summer to winter; oval green foliage is heavily mottled with dark burgundy; easy to care for; water lilies dislike moving water; annual in colder climates

Ornamental Features

Carla's Sonshine Tropical Water Lily features showy lightly-scented double yellow star-shaped flowers with gold eyes at the ends of the stems from early summer to late fall. The flowers are excellent for cutting. Its attractive large glossy oval leaves remain dark green in colour with showy burgundy variegation throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Carla's Sonshine 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.

Carla's Sonshine 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

Carla's Sonshine Tropical Water Lily will grow to be about 10 inches tall at maturity extending to 14 inches tall with the flowers, with a spread of 6 feet. Its foliage tends to remain low and dense right to the water. 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 should only be grown in full sunlight. 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. 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.

Carla's Sonshine 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.