Deep Water Aquatics
The Plant Profiles that follow give a brief introduction to some of the more popular and interesting groups of deep water aquatic plants for the water garden. They provide a general review of the plants, their uses in the water garden, as well as their culture and propagation. By also using the Directory sections of this web-site, a comprehensive overview of this division of aquatic plants can be made by the water gardener.
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 Plant Profiles provide a review of popular deep water aquatic plants.
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 Waterlilies are an important group of deep water aquatics.
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The most important groups of plants within this assemblage are the waterlilies or Nymphaea. These are usually treated separately by nurseries in their catalogues - indeed the same is done within the International Directory, such is their importance and rich diversity. However, when looked at objectively from a botanical point of view, waterlilies are just another group of deep water aquatics with very similar requirements to all the others.
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Lotus or Nelumbo are next in importance. They are not completely frost-hardy, and so there are few gardens where they can be grown outdoors unless confined to a container during the summer months and then over-wintered indoors. Indeed, in cold districts they are usually confined to the greenhouse.
There are many beautiful traditional cultivars available, mostly derived from the Sacred Lotus, N.nucifera. However, with the greater freedom of trade for everyone with China, many hitherto unknown Chinese Lotus cultivars are becoming available to the gardening public.
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 There are a number of Chinese cultivars presently being introduced.
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 Water Hawthorn, Aponogeton distachyos, is an old favourite.
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Amongst the popular frost-hardy deep water aquatics are old favourites like the Water Hawthorn, Aponogeton distachyos, the various Pond Lilies or Nuphar, and that reliable old North American native the Golden Club, Orontium aquaticum. For those who are fortunate enough to be able to grow aquatic plants indoors, there are the Swamp Lilies or Ottelia, and the lovely Water Poppy, Hydrocleys. These will only be found in the nursery inventory of specialist aquatic plant growers and occasionally larger garden centres.
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Finally there is encouragement to try something different. Not every gardener has the room or climate to permit the cultivation of Brasenia and Euryale, but they are becoming steadily more available and those gardeners who have the space and enthusiasm to try growing these strange and fascinating plants should be encouraged to do so.
Brasenia schreberi is the Water Shield, and Euryale ferox, the appropriately named Gorgon Plant. Either are only likely to be available from specialist aquatic plant suppliers or through aquatic plant societies and their seed exchanges.
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 Euryale ferox, is for the more adventurous gardener.
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