Water lilies flower timing

[Oaklandopen]

Today is 5/25, I have a hardy lily in zone7 USA. Ive been adding fertilizer and it has roughly 6-8 hrs of sunlight. It looks very healthy, leaves are 3 inches at smallest, 7 at largest.

My question is if a flower will emerge does it look different than a leaf and if that's the case what does it look like?

Im highly anticipating a flower and the suspense is killing me

 

[addy1]

Not my picture

You will see the bud come up, then it starts to open. bud on the right, left open flower in the middle. It is small when it first starts to grow.

 

[Oaklandopen]

Ugh I don't see anything other than what looks like a forming leaf

 

[addy1]

That looks like a new lily, give it time.

 

[Lisak1]

Yup. They'll usually put up lots of pads before you see the first bud.

 

[MajorDan]

My first one was just this week and before the bud poked out of the water it looked like a fat tulip that had not opened. Really looks different from the rolled up leaves.

 

[Oaklandopen]

K thanks

 

[JamieB]

Mine haven’t flowered either, probably due to too much shade and weather conditions.

 

[j.w]

@Oaklandopen
I'm in zone 8 and no blooms from mine yet. Takes longer when you have a brand new plant also. Your lily pads looks nice and healthy. There are lily fertilizer tabs you can buy also. You just jab your finger down as far as it will go to make a hole and stick the tab in and pack it in. There are other ways to fertilize also.

 

[Oaklandopen]

Yea ive been doing the tabs since I got it in April. Once before putting it in my pond and another a couple weeks ago. Not sure if I am going to do monthly or every 2 weeks

Right now im maintaining 2 different ponds at home and work. I put 2 lilies in my work pond but their leaves are very small, but more of them. I'd say they both have double the leaves but all around 3 and 4 inches. Ther one at work gets more sun than at home since there are no trees above. Those look almost like they are being eaten, I was assuming by the small koi. It's since gotten better, maybe because I wasn't giving the koi enough food since they are still new and extremely timid

Maybe im just anticipating too much. It's my first attempt at a pond with fish and water plants

 

[j.w]

Yep lilies love all the sun they can get and they do suck up the fertilizer. Mine are not in pots. They are anchored w/a rock tied to them on a plant shelf. They don't do as well blooming as ones in pots but I got tired of having to get them out of the pots to divide them.

 

[adavisus]

Buds on the rise

 

[Oaklandopen]

I actually was able to see some at a plant place nearby. Now I know what to look for, although the only ones blooming were the tropical ones

 

[Oaklandopen]

New question....I just noticed these little guys today

They are about a cm in length, unable to get a good count but there are obvious ones hanging around the plants. I don't know where they came from or what they are.

They don't look or move like tadpoles although I've had many frogs pass by. I find it hard to believe that the koi and comets have already reproduced at less than 5inches long at the longest, but I don't know their reproductive cycles either

 

[Lisak1]

Those are definitely fry. They could be from your fish, or you may have had eggs come in on a plant from another source.