Nymphoides peltata - Fringed Waterlily, Floating Heart

Regular price £4.95

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  • Approximate leaf spread: 45cm (18 inches) in the first year
  • Recommended water depth over crown of plant: 10 - 30cm (4 - 12 inches)
  • Flowering time: July to August
  • Flower colour: Yellow
  • Supplied either as a bare-root plant or in the solid 9cm pot we grow them in - for best results we recommend potting on using a 1 litre pot

Sometimes known as Villarsia nymphoides, this pretty native plant is not a true waterlily but actually a relative of the Bog Bean. It is very easy to grow and good for fast surface cover in a native pond, especially if you have a limited budget. The downside of this is that it will usually need to be thinned and cut back regularly. It produces floating heart-shaped leaves which are a lush green, slightly glossy, and sometimes dappled with red/brown. Each crown sends out floating runners, which will gradually root and create new plants. Buttercup-yellow flowers about 1½ inches across with fringed edges are produced in summer at the nodes in the runners, and stand about 2 inches out of the water. Each flower only lasts a couple of days but mature plants produce several runners and many flowers from each runner. If your plant arrives with runners, pot the main plant in the soil but leave the runners floating freely in the water.

Not recommended for ponds in Ireland, where it is not native.

If designing a planting scheme, we recommend approximately 1 Nymphoides peltata plant per four square feet of water surface. Read more here on how to pot and care for your plant.