Five Tips for growing water lilies

Rick Keith is serious about his flowers. Varieties ranging from hydrangeas to roses to daylilies, his personal favorite, produce thousands of blooms on his well-groomed property in Chickamauga, Ga.

Though the green-thumbed 56-year-old is dedicated to making each flower thrive, he's particularly proud of the water lilies growing in a 14-year-old man-made pond. They bloom in delicious colors of yellow, pink, peach and blue.

These hardy perennials typically bloom from May until the first frost, he said. They thrive if proper steps are taken when planting and caring for them. He offers the following tips for adding water lilies to ponds.

1. Purchase the plant at a reputable business. (Mr. Keith gets his at the Water Garden in Hixson). Average cost is $25 each.

2. Replant in a 3-gallon container (he uses felt ones) filled with healthy soil.

3. Cover with pea gravel, which keeps the dirt in the pot.

4. Place in an area of the pond that gets about six hours of sun each day. Submerge the plant about 22 inches deep.

5. Feed each plant one tablet of aquatic plant food tabs (various brands) every month.