Sioux Water Lily

Sioux Water Lily (Nymphaea 'Sioux') is a hardy water lily whose flowers change colour as they age. Each bloom opens buff yellow, deepens to peachy orange and finishes coppery red over three or four days, so a plant in full flower carries all three shades at once above olive pads mottled with purple-brown. It spreads to about 1 to 1.2m across the surface.

Why you'll love it

• Three colours from one plant. Sioux is one of the changeable lilies, and the shift from yellow through orange to red is its whole character.
• Patterned pads. The olive-green leaves are splashed with purple-brown, which keeps the plant interesting between flushes of flower.
• A long season. Flowers come from spring to autumn, opening in the daytime and closing in the late afternoon.
• Medium vigour. It covers about a square metre of water, enough to fill a large tub or share a pond without smothering it.
• Hardy and perennial. It goes dormant in winter and returns from its rhizome every spring.

Where it works best

Garden ponds. Allow one plant for each 1 to 1.2m of open surface. A small pond needs only one or two.

Large tubs and half barrels. A container at least 60cm wide and 40cm deep gives the 30cm of water it needs over the crown.

Dams and big ponds. Set several along the sunny shallows, 1.2m apart, for drifts of mixed colour.

Growing Sioux Water Lily in Australia

Position and climate. At least five to six hours of direct sun a day, or it makes leaves and few flowers. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens.

Soil and planting depth. Plant the rhizome in a wide pot of heavy garden loam, growing tip just showing, and cover the soil with gravel. Stand it so there is 30 to 60cm of water over the crown. Begin shallower and lower the pot as the pads reach the surface. The water must be still: splash from a fountain or waterfall spoils the pads and stops flowering.

Water and feed. Keep the water level steady. Push slow-release fertiliser tablets deep into the soil in spring and again in midsummer, as water lilies are hungry plants.

Pruning and winter. Twist off yellowing pads and spent flowers below the surface. In winter the plant dies back to the rhizome; leave it in the pond below any ice. Divide every three or four years in spring.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Sioux Water Lily in 200mm pots, sold singly. A small pond needs only one or two, and a dam or several ponds takes more, so order the number your water suits. Plants arrive potted and damp, not submerged, and should go into water promptly. Pads bruised in transit yellow and are replaced by new ones. Ordered in the cool months, a plant can arrive with few or no pads because it is dormant. Our growers do not hold every size all year, so a size can show as on backorder at times. An order for a backorder size is confirmed with you before anything ships.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Water plants for Australian garden ponds
• Flowering plants for every season
• Plants for pots, tubs and containers

Common questions

Is something wrong when the flowers change colour?

No, that is what Sioux does. Each flower opens buff yellow and darkens through orange to coppery red before it closes for the last time.

Why is my water lily all leaves and no flowers?

Not enough sun is the usual cause. It needs five to six hours of direct sun. Moving water, a pot set too deep and a starved plant are the other common reasons.

How many do I need?

One plant covers about a square metre. Work from the open surface of your pond and aim to leave a third of the water clear.