The parent of a great many blue lilies. Nymphaea colorata is a true species rather than a hybrid, and it sits behind much of the blue and violet tropical breeding you see today. It carries star-shaped violet-blue flowers 4–6 inches across, blooms prolifically from late spring through fall, and stays compact enough for a modest pond. What You'll Receive You will get 1 young and freshly harvested water lily tuber All of our water lilies tubers/rhizomes have been inspected before ship out and guaranteed they are viable and perfect to grow in a proper pond environment Plant Profile Common name — Colorata Blue Water Lily Scientific name — Nymphaea colorata Type — Tropical water lily, day-blooming Flower — Violet-blue, star-shaped, 4–6 inches across, lightly fragrant Foliage — Rounded, bright green pads Bloom season — Late spring through fall; prolific Placement — Ponds, container water gardens and large containers, or tanks 20 gallons and up Care Difficulty — Beginner Sunlight — Full sun; at least 6 hours of direct sun for good flowering Water depth — 12 to 36 inches over the crown Substrate — Heavy clay or loam in a container, placed on the pond bottom or a shelf Planting angle — Tropical tuber: straight up at 90°, crown level with the soil Feeding — Aquatic fertilizer tablets through the growing season Overwintering — Tropical. Lift the plant in cold climates and store it warm and frost-free until spring Propagation — Tuber division Grower's Notes A species, not a hybrid — which matters if you want to propagate. Species lilies come true from seed in a way named cultivars do not. N. colorata is also one of the parents behind much of the blue tropical breeding on the market, so this is the original rather than a derivative. Compact for a tropical. At 4–6 inch blooms it suits a smaller pond or a half-barrel where the large hybrids would swamp the surface. Free-flowering over a long season, from late spring right through autumn in warm conditions. Attracts bees and dragonflies, which is worth having in a pond you want balanced. Plant into heavy clay in a container, never loose potting mix — light media float out and cloud the water. The compact size makes it the more workable choice for an indoor tank. Twenty gallons is the sensible floor, though most owners still grow it outdoors. Flowering inside takes very intense, sun-equivalent light over a long daily photoperiod; under ordinary aquarium lighting it makes pads instead of blooms. Trim those pads regularly or they shade out everything planted below. New to planting water lilies? Read our complete Water Lily Planting Guide — tuber angle, soil, depth and the one mistake that kills most first lilies. Notes We don't ship dormant roots. Your tuber arrives fresh and actively growing with 1–2 young leaves already emerged — visible proof it's viable before it leaves us. Young pads may start fully submerged and will reach the surface within about a week in good light. Remove yellowing pads and spent flowers as they appear to keep the water clean and push energy into new growth. Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.
