Sky-blue flowers over mottled pads. Nymphaea 'Bagdad' is a tropical water lily that opens star-shaped blooms in pale blue to light violet with a glowing yellow centre, held above leaves marked with purple-maroon mottling. It flowers freely through the season and carries a light sweet scent. What You'll Receive One young sprouted tuber, ready to pot and grow on Plant Profile Common name — Bagdad Blue Tropical Water Lily Scientific name — Nymphaea 'Bagdad' Type — Tropical water lily, day-blooming Flower — Sky-blue to light violet, star-shaped, yellow centre, lightly fragrant Foliage — Green pads with purple-maroon mottling Placement — Pond, tub or large container; centrepiece Water depth — 6 to 18 inches over the crown Spread — Suits medium to large ponds and half-barrels Growth rate — Fast in warm water Care Difficulty — Beginner Sunlight — Full sun. Six hours or more, or it will not flower properly Water — 72–82°F · pH 6.0–7.5. It wants genuine warmth Substrate — Heavy clay-based soil or aquatic planting medium in a basket Feeding — Water lily fertiliser tablets monthly through the growing season Overwintering — Tropical. Lift and store the tuber indoors somewhere moist over winter unless your climate stays warm Propagation — Tuber and rhizome division Grower's Notes Tropical means it will not survive a freeze. Unlike a hardy lily, this one cannot be left in a pond that ices over. Lift the tuber in autumn and keep it moist and frost-free indoors, or treat it as an annual. Getting this wrong is the usual way a tropical lily is lost. Full sun is not negotiable. In part shade it produces leaves and few or no flowers, which is the most common disappointment with water lilies generally. Plant into heavy clay soil in a basket rather than loose compost — light media float out and cloud the pond. Feed monthly in the growing season. Lilies are heavy feeders and flowering falls away quickly without tablets. The mottled pads carry interest even between flushes of bloom, which not every lily offers. PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS FOR WATER LILY There are two main types of water lilies, tropical and hardy. The differences between tropical and hardy water lilies are a growing habit. Tropical water lilies don't do well in winter. Hardy water lilies, on the other hand, can tolerate the cold. Tropical water lilies tubers must be removed from the pond and stored in moist conditions to come back in the future years. In warm climates, they can remain in the pond. Notes Photos are representative. Bloom colour and size vary with sunlight, feeding and water temperature. Tubers ship young and sprouted; flowering follows once established. Never release aquatic plants into natural waterways.
