White water lily

Nymphaea alba

Iconic native aquatic perennial with rounded floating leaves and large fragrant white flowers held just above the water surface in summer.

Hardiness ratings

White water lily hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–9 −34.4 °C to −1.1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 4–8 −29 °C to −1 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–6 −15 °C to 15 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

Growing notes

  • Floating leaves provide shade and predator cover for fish, and shelter for tadpoles and dragonfly larvae
  • Leaves are a basking and landing platform for adult dragonflies and frogs
  • Needs still water at least 30 cm deep — not for fast-flowing streams or very shallow pools
  • Plant in aquatic baskets to control spread

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check White water lily against your zones

Reference

White water lily on Wikipedia