Plants for Koi Pond – Water Lily

I have attempted to grow water lilies in my Koi pond since the early days in my first pond. In my first pond, I placed my water lilies in the shallow garden pond that overflows into the main Koi pond. That way, my large Koi will not be able to get to the leaves. Unfortunately, my shallow garden pond was near the water fall and I found that the constant flow of water is not good for the plant. After some time, the plant just deteriorated and died. I found that that the water lily is best grown in warm, still water and with plenty of sunlight.

   Pictures of my water lily in my first pond. Other aquatic plants in the picture includes the Umbrella Plant, floating water lettuce and penny wort.

In my third pond, I have better results with the water lilies. Again, I grow them in pots placed in a separate pond with only a few small Koi in it. This garden pond is physically separated from the main Koi pond with the larger Koi but share the same biological filter system. Water flow into the garden pond from the filter return pump is adjusted to be slow enough to maintain water circulation but not fast enough to disturb the floating leaves of the water lilies. Besides maintaining a slow water flow, I also found that regular fertilising and plenty of sunlight helps to maintain the blooming and plant growth.  2 to 3 Fertiliser tablets are pushed into the soil in each pot every month.

    Pictures of the water lilies blooming in my third pond. As the old flower fades away under the water, a new flower head will appear to replace it.