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Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' (Escarboucle Waterlily) care

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle'

Also called Escarboucle Waterlily.

RHS H5USDA 3-11Mildly toxic to petsIndoor Spread 1.5-1.8 m (5-6 ft) of surface coverage

Watering rhythm

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Permanently submerged; keep pond level constant

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Light

Direct sun (at least 4-6 hours)

Soil

Heavy clay loam aquatic compost

Humidity

Ambient (aquatic)

Temp

15-30°C

Pet safety

Mildly toxic to pets

Mature size

Spread 1.5-1.8 m (5-6 ft) of surface coverage

Care at a glance

Light

Most houseplants will scorch where nymphaea 'escarboucle' thrives. Give it the windowsill you'd otherwise leave empty because everything else burned there. Full sun is required for its heavy, richly coloured display - at least 6 hours of direct light daily. In shade it produces foliage at the expense of flowers and colour washes out. A plant moved abruptly from low light to direct sun bleaches in 48 hours — always acclimatise over a week.

Watering

Aim for permanently submerged; keep pond level constant for nymphaea 'escarboucle', but treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. A south-facing summer windowsill will dry the pot twice as fast as a north-facing winter room. Lift the pot; if it feels noticeably lighter than it did wet, water it. A deep-water cultivar for larger ponds, grown in still water 45-90 cm (18-36 in) deep over the crown. Keep away from fountains and waterfalls. Replenish summer evaporation to maintain depth over the rhizome.

Soil and pot

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' grows best in heavy clay loam aquatic compost. Plant in a large mesh aquatic basket of heavy loam or aquatic compost, topped with washed gravel. This vigorous cultivar wants room - use a generous basket and avoid floating peat-based mixes. A pot with a working drainage hole is non-negotiable for this species — even free-draining mix will turn soggy in a closed planter. If you love the look of a decorative pot without a hole, use it as a cachepot around an inner nursery pot you can lift out to water.

Humidity and temperature

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' sits happiest at around Ambient (aquatic) humidity and 15-30°C (59-86°F). Not applicable as a percentage - foliage floats and roots stay underwater. Culture depends on water depth and clarity rather than ambient air humidity. If you keep the room above 15 year-round and avoid placing the plant near a cold draught, a hot radiator, or an air-conditioning vent, you have already handled the two biggest indoor stressors.

Fertilising

Feed nymphaea 'escarboucle' sparingly. Feed monthly in the growing season with aquatic fertiliser tablets pressed into the basket; this vigorous, large lily is a hungry feeder. Never add loose soluble feed to the open pond - it drives algae. Skip fertiliser entirely on a stressed, recently-repotted, or actively wilting plant — fertiliser salts make damage worse, not better. Wait for a round of healthy new growth before resuming a feeding rhythm.

Common problems

Below are the issues we see most often on nymphaea 'escarboucle' in the Growli community. Each is annotated with the most common cause so you know where to start.

  • Outgrows small ponds — Its 1.5-1.8 m spread quickly swamps modest water and shades out other plants. Site only in large ponds, or choose a compact cultivar; thin and divide if it overruns the surface.
  • No flowers / leaf only — Insufficient sun or too-shallow planting limits blooms on this big lily. Provide 6+ hours direct sun and the recommended deeper planting of 45-90 cm.
  • Waterlily aphids — Aphids gather on buds and emergent pads. Hose them into the water for fish; avoid oil-based insecticides that suffocate the leaf surface.
  • Congested, fewer blooms — A vigorous rhizome exhausts the basket within a few seasons. Lift and divide every 3-4 years in spring, replanting a strong growing tip in fresh aquatic loam.

Propagation

Divide the rhizome in spring. Lift the basket, cut firm sections each with a growing eye and roots, and replant into fresh aquatic loam capped with gravel. Named cultivars do not come true from seed, so division is the only reliable method. Propagation is the cheapest, most satisfying way to expand a collection — and it doubles as insurance against losing a mature plant to an accident. Take a backup cutting once the parent is established and healthy.

Toxicity to pets

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' is mildly toxic to pets. Nymphaea is not individually listed in the ASPCA toxic/non-toxic database; the ASPCA's dangerous 'lily' entries refer to Lilium and Hemerocallis, which are unrelated to true waterlilies. As Nymphaea status is unconfirmed and chewing the pads has anecdotally caused GI upset (drooling, vomiting, lethargy) in pets, treat with caution and verify with a vet rather than assuming pet-safe. If you keep cats, dogs, or curious children in the house, weigh placement carefully — a high shelf or a hanging planter is enough for casual safety. For severe ingestion incidents, call your local vet and the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center (in the US, 888-426-4435).

Pet-safety status is sourced from the ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plant List, which catalogues the most-asked-about plants for cats, dogs, and horses.

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' care — frequently asked questions

What is the common name for Nymphaea 'Escarboucle'?

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' is most commonly called Nymphaea 'Escarboucle', but it is also known as Escarboucle Waterlily. The names refer to the same species, so care instructions for Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' apply identically to anything sold as Escarboucle Waterlily.

How much light does nymphaea 'escarboucle' need?

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' grows best in direct sun (at least 4-6 hours). Full sun is required for its heavy, richly coloured display - at least 6 hours of direct light daily. In shade it produces foliage at the expense of flowers and colour washes out.

How often should I water nymphaea 'escarboucle'?

Water nymphaea 'escarboucle' permanently submerged; keep pond level constant. A deep-water cultivar for larger ponds, grown in still water 45-90 cm (18-36 in) deep over the crown. Keep away from fountains and waterfalls. Replenish summer evaporation to maintain depth over the rhizome. The finger-test (or lifting the pot to feel its weight) beats a fixed weekly calendar because pot size, light, and season all change how fast the soil dries.

Is nymphaea 'escarboucle' toxic to cats and dogs?

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' is mildly toxic to pets. Nymphaea is not individually listed in the ASPCA toxic/non-toxic database; the ASPCA's dangerous 'lily' entries refer to Lilium and Hemerocallis, which are unrelated to true waterlilies. As Nymphaea status is unconfirmed and chewing the pads has anecdotally caused GI upset (drooling, vomiting, lethargy) in pets, treat with caution and verify with a vet rather than assuming pet-safe.

What USDA hardiness zone does nymphaea 'escarboucle' grow in?

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' is rated for USDA zone 3-11 (hardy waterlily; rootstock overwinters below ice) and RHS hardiness H5. Outside that range, grow it as a container plant that overwinters indoors before the first hard frost.

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' deep-dive guides

Every aspect of nymphaea 'escarboucle' care, each with its own calibrated guide:

Featured in these plant shortlists

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' qualifies for 3 curated Growli shortlists — each one filtered objectively from our structured plant-care library, so the selection is consistent and checkable:

Related guides

Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' is also commonly called Escarboucle Waterlily.