Lush water lilies (Nymphaeaceae family) float above the pond's waters as the warm days of summer slowly ease into cooler fall temperatures. Whether you're growing hardy water lilies in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 11 or tropical water lilies, which are hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11, lilies mature in one to two seasons, depending on the variety and whether you're growing from seeds or rhizomes.
Most water lilies, both hardy and tropical varieties, are grown from rhizomes and mature to flower in a single growing season. In spring, when the rhizomes have started sprouting, they can be lifted and divided to make more water lily plants. By the end of summer, the plants have spread across the pond's waters, producing new foliage and flowers.
When growing water lilies from seeds, the new plants produce foliage but might not begin blooming until their second year. The first year is spent developing the rhizomes, roots and foliage. A spectacular exception to this general rule is the giant water lily (Victoria amazonica), native to South America. This tropical water lily is grown as an annual from seed and reaches full maturity in late summer and early fall.
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