Description of Nymphaea 'Mexicana' (Sunrise)

Nymphaea 'Sunrise' is a hardy water lily that sometimes appears in trade lists with the word Mexicana attached, which can cause confusion with Nymphaea mexicana. In UK catalogues, Sunrise is usually treated as a compact, free-flowering hardy cultivar with fragrant yellow blooms. It grows from a rhizome and builds floating pads before sending up flowers through the warmest part of the season.

Appearance

Sunrise produces oval to rounded pads that can look slightly mottled. Flowers are large for a compact plant and are described as creamy to glowing yellow, semi-double, and star-shaped. The centre is golden to orange-gold, and the blooms are held well above the water compared with many hardy lilies. Many sources also note a light fragrance and that the flowers stay open later into the afternoon than lots of other varieties, which makes it a good choice if you view your pond later in the day.

Care Guide

Give it full sun and still water. Plant it in a wide basket with loam based compost and top with washed gravel. Start the basket a little shallower, then lower it as the plant establishes. As a compact hardy lily, a medium shelf depth often works well, and many gardeners adjust until pads sit flat on the surface and buds rise without effort. Feed with aquatic fertiliser tablets through summer and keep on top of old leaves so they do not rot in the pond. It is hardy, so overwinter it below ice level.

Suitability for Garden Ponds

Sunrise suits small to medium ponds where you want bright yellow flowers that show from a distance. Because the blooms sit higher, they do not get lost in the pads and they look good from the pond edge. The leaves still give shade and cover for fish, and the plant usually stays compact enough to balance with marginals without filling the whole surface. In ponds with fish, a gravel cap helps stop compost being disturbed around Mexicana (Sunrise). Clear floating debris so buds on Mexicana (Sunrise) can rise and open cleanly at the surface. In ponds with fish, a gravel cap helps stop compost being disturbed around Mexicana (Sunrise). If Mexicana (Sunrise) makes lots of leaves but few flowers, feeding often helps more than changing depth. In ponds with fish, a gravel cap helps stop compost being disturbed around Mexicana (Sunrise). In ponds with fish, a gravel cap helps stop compost being disturbed around Mexicana (Sunrise). If Mexicana (Sunrise) makes lots of leaves but few flowers, feeding often helps more than changing depth.