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ovenbird

Almost Black - planted too deep?

ovenbird
13 years ago

The best place in our pond for full sun is about 3' deep. Will this be too deep for our new Almost Black water lily?

Comments (12)

  • frogman4_gw
    13 years ago

    {{gwi:222755}}

    Almost Black in it's second year. My minimum depth is 3 ft deep but I have the pot setting on what you would call a milk crate which elevates it 18" off the bottom. I always start my new divisions with the pots on milk crates and lower once they take off but I elected to leave AB on the crate.

  • ovenbird
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    frogman4, your Almost Black is even prettier than I imagined! Why do you start your plants sitting up on a crate? Is it to ensure the leaves are getting unfiltered sun...is that what the plants need to get established? We live in zone 4 and I would feel more comfortable if it overwintered much deeper than 18". One winter we lost a lily sitting 18-24" under water. This is our first new lily...the others came with the house. Thanks!

  • horton
    13 years ago

    Frogman, please don't take offense, but could you down size your photographs a bit.
    Lovely lilies by the way.
    Thanks,
    "Horton"

  • catherinet
    13 years ago

    As someone told me once, hardy lilies bloom better if they are deeper. I think 3' is fine.
    Do you use a deicer in the winters?

  • ovenbird
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Catherinet, no we do not use a deicer; we turn the waterfall off and just let the pond freeze over. It's good to hear hardy lilies do good when planted deep. I think we'll just leave the Almost Black at 3'.

    Our pond is about 30'x40'. It is shallow around the edges for about 3-4' then it gets deeper fairly fast. The middle is 12' deep.

    Our other lily, which came with the house, is planted about 3' deep and it is going gangbusters the past couple of years. I have no idea what species it is, but it certainly likes its environment.

    This is a 5 year old picture of the gangbuster lily:

    {{gwi:222756}}

  • catherinet
    13 years ago

    With the size of your pond, at 3', the lily should be fine over winter.

  • frogman4_gw
    13 years ago

    {{gwi:222758}}

    I would never leave a lily in my zone at that depth over winter, too much risk involved. Smaller varities perform better for me at a shallower depth.

  • ovenbird
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    frogman4, what zone are you in?

  • catherinet
    13 years ago

    ovenbird, the number after people's names usually denotes their zone. So I'm thinking Frogman is in zone 4.

  • catherinet
    13 years ago

    oops....nevermind. He doesn't have the "z" in front of it, so it might be something else.

  • frogman4_gw
    13 years ago

    Zone 5b southern Ohio

  • ovenbird
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thanks everyone!

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