About
Nymphaea 'Marliacea Albida' is a deciduous aquatic perennial that can spread up to 1.5 meters in width. Its oval-shaped green foliage displays a bronze tint when young. Throughout the summer months, it produces numerous fragrant, double white blossoms, each with a distinct yellow center. Smaller varieties typically reach widths of 30 to 60 centimeters (1 to 2 feet) and thrive in water depths of 30 to 45 centimeters (12 to 18 inches). Medium-sized cultivars expand to 60 to 120 centimeters (2 to 4 feet) wide, requiring water at depths of 45 to 75 centimeters (18 to 30 inches). Larger forms can grow up to 2.4 meters (8 feet) wide and need water levels of 75 to 120 centimeters (30 inches to 4 feet). Refer to the accompanying plant label for optimal planting depth in your pond.
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, Matforming
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Spread
- 1-1.5 metres
- Time to full height
- 2-5 years
- Suggested uses
- Wildlife gardens
- Fragrance
- Flower
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 hardy 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 false leaf-mining midge
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to crown rot, brown spot and water lily leaf spot