Hardy water lily (Nymphaea 'Comanche')
Nymphaea 'Comanche' is a stunning Hardy water lily featuring yellow flowers turning coppery bronze. Low maintenance and ideal for ponds.
Complete Plant Information
Overview
The Nymphaea ‘Comanche’, or Hardy water lily, is prized by pond owners for its spectacular and continuous bloom cycle lasting from May until the first frost. This specific variety offers a unique color transformation, opening bright yellow and maturing into a striking coppery bronze hue. As an herbaceous perennial, it offers reliable seasonal beauty in aquatic environments.
A key benefit of incorporating Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ into your water garden is its relatively low maintenance requirement once established. These plants thrive in still water and provide excellent surface coverage with their rounded, speckled pads up to 8 inches across. Gardeners appreciate the hardiness of this water lily, allowing it to establish successfully across a wide range of temperature zones.
For optimal results, ensure your Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ receives adequate light while being planted horizontally in spring. The flowers themselves are showy, semi-double blooms reaching up to 5 inches in diameter, often floating right on the water surface. Adding this Hardy water lily significantly enhances the aesthetic appeal and tranquility of any pond ecosystem.
Fast Facts
- Plant Family: Nymphaeaceae
- Plant Type: Herbaceous perennial
- Hardiness Zones: USDA Zones 4-10
- Size at Maturity:
- Height: 0.25-0.5 ft
- Spread: 5-6 ft
- Bloom Time: May to frost
- Bloom Description: Yellow turnning coppery bronze
- Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade
- Water Needs: Wet
- Maintenance Level: Low
How to Grow
Planting Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ is best done in the spring. Rhizomes should be positioned horizontally in containers, ensuring the bud end faces upward, and then submerged in ponds or water gardens where the water depth ranges from 12 to 48 inches. While full sun is ideal for the most prolific flowering, this Hardy water lily will still produce blooms with as little as three hours of direct sun daily. Planting in containers makes future relocation much easier than planting directly into the pond bottom mud.
Once situated, care for your water lily is generally low maintenance. They thrive in wet soil and still water environments. Fertilization is often unnecessary if the plant is situated in nutrient-rich pond sediment, but if growth seems slow, specialized aquatic fertilizer treatments can be applied according to product directions. Keep the area around the plant clear of debris to ensure the leaves float freely.
Winterizing Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ is critical in colder climates. In ponds, the water must not freeze solid to the bottom for the plant to survive outdoors. If growing contained specimens in areas that experience hard freezes, it is recommended to lift the rhizomes after foliage dies back. Store the rhizomes of this Hardy water lily in a cool, frost-free location, ideally between 40-45°F, such as a basement or garage, until spring planting time returns.
Landscape Uses
Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ is specifically suited for aquatic environments, making it the perfect centerpiece for water gardens or backyard ponds. Its substantial spread of 5 to 6 feet requires adequate open water space to prevent overcrowding other marginal plants. Because the foliage floats flat, it helps shade the water, which can naturally suppress algae growth beneath the surface.
Beyond traditional ponds, this aquatic perennial offers great value in large tubs or containers placed on decks or patios, effectively creating a portable water feature. They are also suitable for rain gardens, provided the basin retains permanent standing water or heavy saturation, fulfilling their ‘Wet’ requirement. Companion planting often involves pairing them with upright marginals like cattails or irises around the pond edge for textural contrast against the flat leaves of the Nymphaea ‘Comanche’.
Standout Features
Flower Qualities
- Showy
Noteworthy Characteristics
Nymphaea is a genus of about 50 species of herbaceous aquatic perennials found worldwide that are grown for their spectacular flowers. This winter-hardy variety typically features flowers that float on the water surface, opening in the morning and closing nightly for about five days per bloom cycle. The cup-shaped flowers of the Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ display lovely upward-curving petals that transition from yellow to coppery-bronze, centered around dark yellow stamens.
Tolerances
- No serious insect or disease problems.
Potential Problems
While generally robust, Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ can occasionally attract minor pests. Leaf mining midges and aphids are noted as the most likely culprits to cause aesthetic damage or stress in certain regions. Inspect new growth and the undersides of leaves regularly, especially during the warmer peak summer months.
Control of small infestations is usually simple; aphids can often be managed by spraying them off the foliage with a strong jet of water. For persistent issues or leaf miners, consult local extension services for recommended aquatic-safe insecticides or biological controls, focusing on keeping the water quality pristine to promote plant vigor and resilience against minor pests.
Frequently Asked Questions
What hardiness zones is Hardy water lily suitable for?
The Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ is suitable for USDA Hardiness Zones 4 through 10, offering adaptability across many climates.
How large does Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ grow?
This water lily typically reaches a height between 0.25 to 0.5 feet tall, with a spread that covers 5 to 6 feet across the water surface.
What sun exposure does Hardy water lily need?
This plant prefers full sun to part shade, though you will achieve the best and most continuous flowering performance if you provide it with the maximum amount of daily sunlight possible.
When does Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ bloom?
The blooming period for Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ spans from May until frost, featuring flowers that start yellow and transition into a striking coppery bronze shade.
Conclusion
The Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ stands out as a low-maintenance, long-blooming aquatic perennial perfect for adding vibrant, changing color to ponds and water features. Its hardiness zone flexibility makes this Hardy water lily a popular choice for water gardeners seeking year-over-year spectacular displays. Before planting, confirm that your water garden environment falls within USDA Zones 4-10 and that you can provide the necessary pond depth for successful overwintering.
Companion Planting
When designing a mixed-pond environment, consider pairing Nymphaea ‘Comanche’ with marginal plants that offer vertical height to counterbalance the flat pads. Plants like variegated Sweet Flag (Acorus calamus) or Pickerel Rush (Pontederia cordata) grow upward from the edges and look elegant next to the spreading foliage. Ensure these companions do not excessively shade the water surface where the water lily needs its sun exposure.
Another excellent pairing involves contrasting leaf textures. While the Hardy water lily features large, rounded leaves, plants with finer, grassy foliage provide visual relief and depth in the water garden design. Remember that companions must share similar needs for wet or submerged soil conditions to thrive alongside the Nymphaea ‘Comanche’.
Seasonal Care Calendar
Spring is the crucial time for establishing your Nymphaea ‘Comanche’; plant rhizomes horizontally immediately when the danger of hard frost has passed and you prepare your water garden for the growing season. Once summer arrives, focus shifts to observation, enjoying the continuous bloom cycle from May to frost, and ensuring debris does not accumulate on the water surface.
As autumn approaches, begin preparing for winter storage if you are in a colder zone. Cut back all dead foliage as the end of the season nears. For gardeners overwintering rhizomes in containers, lift them before the first hard freeze, clean off old soil gently, and move them to a cool, dark storage location maintained near 40-45°F.
