About
Nymphaea 'Darwin' is a water-loving perennial characterized by its broad, rounded leaves that can reach 20 cm in diameter. The plant produces cup-like flowers that measure up to 12 cm across, featuring a lighter pink hue with a deeper coloration at the center, complemented by yellow stamens.
About the genus
Nymphaea consists of rhizomatous, aquatic perennials that grow beneath the water's surface. They produce rounded, floating leaves and notable cup- or bowl-shaped flowers, which can be fragrant and appear in various colors. These blooms are positioned on or above the water and give way to submerged fruits resembling berries.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Clay, Loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Poorly-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H5
Plant details
- Plant type
- Aquatic
- Habit
- Submerged, Floating
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Wildlife gardens
Care notes
- 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
- Pruning
- Deadhead and remove yellow leaves regularly
- Propagation
- Propagate by division of rhizomes or offsets in summer, place pots in shallow water until established
- Pest resistance
- Susceptible to waterlily beetle, waterlily aphid, brown china-mark moth and leaf-mining midge
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to crown rot, brown spot and waterlily leaf spot