Description of Nymphaea 'Mary Patricia'

Nymphaea 'Mary Patricia' is a hardy water lily often sold as a compact, free-flowering plant for tubs, barrels, and smaller ponds. It grows from a rhizome and makes a tidy patch of pads rather than a sprawling mess. Most sellers use the cultivar name Mary Patricia, and you may see it described as a dwarf lily, although size and spread claims vary between catalogues.

Appearance

Mary Patricia produces rounded floating leaves that knit together into a small to medium raft, depending on basket size and feeding. Flowers are usually described as peachy pink to soft pink, with a cup-like shape rather than a flat star. On warm days the colour reads as gentle and clean, and the yellow centre stands out well. Because it tends to bloom freely in summer, you often see several buds and flowers across the season rather than just a short burst.

Care Guide

Plant it in a wide basket with loam based compost and a gravel cap. Put it in full sun for the best flowering, but it will often cope with a little light shade. Start it on the shallower side so the first pads reach the surface easily, then lower once growth is strong. Many sellers quote a wide depth tolerance, so adjust based on how the plant behaves in your pond. Feed with aquatic fertiliser tablets through summer and remove old leaves as they yellow. It is hardy, so leave it in the pond over winter below ice level.

Suitability for Garden Ponds

Mary Patricia suits container ponds and small garden ponds where you want a softer pink flower without taking over the whole surface. The pads still give useful shade for fish and wildlife, and the basket keeps the plant manageable. If you keep open water around it, the flowers are easy to enjoy from the edge, which matters more in a small pond than total surface cover. If you lift Mary Patricia for repotting, do it in late spring when new shoots are obvious. Keep a small patch of open water near Mary Patricia so you can enjoy the flowers from the edge. Keep a small patch of open water near Mary Patricia so you can enjoy the flowers from the edge. Keep a small patch of open water near Mary Patricia so you can enjoy the flowers from the edge. A wide basket helps Mary Patricia spread evenly and usually improves flowering.

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