Garden Q&A: How can I get my waterlilies to flower again?

Whether you're a gardening beginner or expert, Irish Examiner columnist Peter Dowdall has the answer to your questions 

My waterlilies have not flowered for two years. The leaves are very healthy-looking — do you have any solution?

ANSWER

It’s possible that the plants are lacking in nutrients needed for flowering, such as potassium and phosphorus. 

These can be added to the plants in the form of aquatic plant-food tablets which should be inserted under the soil in the pots that the lilies are planted in.

However, it is more likely that the issue is that the plants have simply become too congested for the pots in which they are growing. 

It is important to lift the waterlilies out of the pond every four or five years to divide and re-plant them so that they don’t get too congested and lose their vigour which results in a lack of flowering.

Do this during late spring and early summer by cutting the clump into several smaller plants making sure each new plant has at least one growing shoot and some roots.

Pot up each new division in aquatic pots using good, aquatic soil and cover the top of the pot with gravel so that the soil doesn’t leach into the water and reposition them in the pond in a shallow location until they are producing new leaves and then you can gradually move them into a deeper position.

• Got a gardening question for Peter Dowdall? Email [e-mail]