VLoveof Nature

Blue star lotus

Nymphaea nouchali

Back to the plant library
Blue star lotus · Nymphaea nouchali

Round floating leaves and sun-following flowers, fit for a small water basin.

Care and placement

Needs full sun (6+ hours), still water, garden loam (not potting mix), shallow planting then lowered gradually; aquatic fertilizer tablets pushed into the basket.

Draft mature dimensions

Maximum height (cm): 30 cm · Maximum spread (cm): 80 cm

Things to consider

The sources checked do not list toxicity for Nymphaea nouchali. Still water breeds mosquitoes: add small fish and avoid insecticides near the pond.

Unknown evidence does not mean safe. Decorative plants are not automatically edible.

Information is compiled from multiple reputable sources for reference. If you spot an error, please contact us so we can check and update it.

Send feedback

How to grow and care for it

  1. Planting and pot

    Plant the rhizome in a sunken basket or pot with its growing point above the medium and a thick layer of river sand around it; use good garden topsoil, not potting mix. Start 10–20 cm deep then lower gradually to 40–80 cm; too deep or too rich gives huge leaves but few flowers.

  2. Light

    Full sun, at least 6 hours daily; shade gives leaves but few flowers. Protect from frost.

  3. Watering

    Still water, no fountains; keep the water level covering the leaves. Rhizomes stay in water or moist soil through the cool season.

  4. Feeding

    Push slow-release aquatic fertilizer tablets into the basket near the roots in spring and midsummer; do not scatter loose fertilizer in the pond, which feeds algae.

  5. Pruning

    Remove yellowed leaves and spent flowers at the stalk base to keep the water clean.

  6. Propagation

    Divide tubers in spring as the plant leaves dormancy, each piece with at least one growing point; repot every 1–2 years in spring.

  7. Pests and common problems

    Check regularly for aphids and treat promptly; also crown rot, lily beetle, brown china mark moth larvae and water snails. Check the label and local rules before any spray near a pond.

  8. For more flowers

    For many flowers: all-day sun, still water, moderately lean garden soil (not too rich), suitable depth, regular tablet feeding and division when crowded. Flowers open with sun on the water surface.