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Nymphaea 'William Falconer' (H)

waterlily 'William Falconer'

An aquatic perennial with rounded leaves up to 20cm across, dark green flushed with dark red. The deep red, cup-shaped flowers are up to 15cm across, and produced freely from early summer to early autumn

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Size
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
0.5–1 metres
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Moisture
Poorly–drained
pH
Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green Red
Summer Red Green Red
Autumn Red Green Red
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Hardiness
H5
Botanical details
Family
Nymphaeaceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Submerged, Floating
Genus

Nymphaea are rhizomatous, submerged aquatic perennials with floating, rounded leaves and showy, sometimes fragrant, cup- or bowl-shaped flowers in a wide range of colours, held on or above the water and followed by submerged, berry-like fruits

Name status

Unresolved

Horticultural Group
Hardy Nymphaea are aquatic perennials with rounded floating leaves and showy flowers on or just above the water, with numerous narrow petals and conspicuous stamens, in white and shades of yellow, pink and red

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in undisturbed water in full sun. Plant in baskets in loamy soil with crowns just below soil surface and covered with pea shingle. Position basket so that it is covered by 15-25 cm of water, as the plants establish lower the plants to twice the initial planting depth. Feed during the growing season with a proprietary aquatic fertiliser at the manufacturer's recommended rate. See waterlily cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by division of rhizomes or offsets in summer, place pots in shallow water until established

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Low Maintenance
Pruning

Deadhead and remove yellow leaves regularly

Pests

Susceptible to waterlily beetle, waterlily aphid, brown china-mark moth and leaf-mining midge. See waterlily pests

Diseases

May be affected by crown rot, brown spot and water lily leaf spot

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