Description of Nymphaea 'Maeploi' (Night Bloom) Tropical

Nymphaea pubescens 'Mae Ploi' is a tropical night-blooming water lily for still ponds and containers, grown under the name Maeploi. People grow it because it is grown for evening opening flowers that stay open into the morning. It can be a tropical lily, so it needs warmth and it will not overwinter outdoors in the UK. Most gardeners simply call it a night-blooming water lily.

Appearance

Once it settles, Maeploi builds a steady cover of floating leaves. Broad floating pads that build quickly in summer. You get large pink to red-pink flowers that open at dusk and close after breakfast time. In still water the buds reach the surface cleanly and open well.

Care Guide

Put Maeploi where the water stays still and the sun reaches the surface for most of the day. Plant into a wide aquatic basket with heavy loam based compost and cap with washed gravel so the water stays clear. Lower the basket in stages and settle it at about 60–150 cm over the crown, depending on pond size and warmth. Use aquatic fertiliser tablets from late spring into late summer, placed into the pot rather than the water. Snip off tired leaves at the base and lift out old flowers to keep the plant moving. Because it is tropical, it needs warm water to flower well. In the UK you either overwinter it frost-free or treat it as a seasonal plant.

Suitability for Garden Ponds

Allow around up to around 2 m in warm conditions of surface room for Maeploi so it does not crowd other plants. A good leaf raft gives fish cover and reduces light reaching the water, which can help with algae. In a compact pond, keep it as the main surface plant and use marginals for height at the edges.

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