Are water lilies a good choice for a Koi pond?
And how should I prevent my Koi from uprooting them? Are there special types of basket you can plant them in? James David, Dorset Answer: Many Koi keepers have great success with lilies in Koi ponds although I would suspect that they are a minority. Many Koi ponds at some depths of over two metres are too deep for most lilies. Some vigorous white varieties like Nymphaea ‘Colossea’ and particularly N. ‘Gladstoniana’ would cope. One catalogue has N. ‘Gladsoniana’ as tolerant of 2.5 metres! But on average most of the bigger lilies are happiest at less than 1 metre. Lilies of this size and power are gross feeders and are great for mopping up excess nitrates in the pool whilst providing useful pool cover. However marks against are that they provide too much cover and that any other living thing in the water upsets the refined control that some enthusiasts like to have on their pool water chemistry. Really the main problems of Koi with lilies result from the inquisitiveness of the fish. Lili
