Manee Red Hardy Water Lily — Brilliant, True Red With Sweet Fragrance

The Manee Red Hardy Water Lily (2006, Pairat Songpanich) is a medium-to-large hardy water lily famous for brilliant, true-red blooms (≈5–6") held above clean 8" green pads. Cup-shaped flowers open wide in sun and carry a sweet, noticeable fragrance. A dependable perennial pond plant, Manee Red flowers from late spring into fall and reads beautifully across any water garden. (Note: in extreme Deep South heat, petals can “sun-burn”; use the shallower end of the depth range and provide abundant sun plus steady fertilizer for best color.)

Why Customers Love It

• Glowing, true-red flowers with elegant cup form

• Sweet fragrance that’s easy to notice at pond-side

• Steady bloomer in full sun with simple tablet feeding

• Versatile: lined ponds, wide containers, or earth-bottom shelves

Plant Requirements (quick reference)

• Sun: Full sun, 6+ hours of strong midday light

• Container: 12–18"+ wide, shallow aquatic container (fabric pots preferred)

• Depth (soil surface → water surface): 6–24" (best bloom 8–16")

• Spread: ~3–5+ ft at maturity (medium-large habit)

• Soil: Heavy loam topsoil only (no bagged mix, peat, “aquatic media,” or gravel)

Care & Fertilizing (simple schedule)

• Fertilizer tablets: 4–6 tablets on the 1st & 15th each month (May–September)

• Application: Press tablets 3–4" into the soil around (not on) the crown

• Maintenance: Trim spent blooms/yellow leaves; divide every 1–2 years to maintain peak flowering

Water Lily Planting Tips

• Plant shallower (8–12") to warm the crown and ramp up buds

• Keep surface water open and unshaded—pads are your solar panels for flowers

• Never cover the crown with stones or gravel; leave it slightly exposed

• Choose wide, shallow containers to encourage rhizome run and bigger bloom counts

• In very hot climates, aim for shallower depth + strict fertilizing to minimize color fade

Do’s & Don’ts

Do

• Plant in full sun and heavy loam

• Fertilize twice monthly on schedule for continuous blooms

• Repot immediately on arrival; keep all parts wet while planting

Don’t

• ❌ Don’t use compost/peat mixes, “aquatic media,” or gravel (they float, rot, or smother crowns)

• ❌ Don’t let floating plants shade Manee Red—light drives flowering

• ❌ Don’t plant too deep (>24") if you want frequent blooms

Helpful Links

• Full Planting Instructions →

• Waterlily World® Fertilizer Tablets →

• PondGro™ Aquatic Loam Soil →

• Aquatic Containers →

• PondGro™ Fabric Pots →

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Shipped as: a live young adult plant (rhizome with leaves/lilypads). Plant immediately in heavy loam soil and set at the recommended depth. Minor leaf yellowing from transit is normal and quickly replaced by new growth.