Nymphaea alba

Nymphaea alba is the quintessential temperate pond water lily, native across much of Europe and temperate Asia from Ireland to Siberia. It colonises lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers with depths of 0.5–3 metres, spreading by long underwater rhizomes. The floating pads are large, rounded, dark green, with a characteristic cleft at the base, and the solitary flowers are pure white with a dense mass of golden stamens and a sweet, delicate fragrance that is most pronounced on warm summer mornings.

In cultivation, N. alba is one of the hardiest water lily species available, surviving winters down to at least -25°C with rhizomes submerged below the frost line. It is ideally suited to large natural ponds and lakes, though it can be maintained in smaller formal ponds with regular rhizome control. It flowers prolifically from late spring through early autumn.

Being a vigorous, space-demanding species, N. alba is best reserved for larger water features. In smaller ponds it should be containerised and rhizome growth restricted to prevent it from overwhelming the water surface.