Choosing water lilies for your water garden can be a difficult as there are so many colors, sizes and types to pick from. Among many types of lilies, you are faced with color choices, here we are going to tell you all about types of yellow lilies for your water garden. Keep in mind factors involved for deciding which lily you plant in water garden include: - how large your water garden is. - if you have free flowing water in your pond. - if your grow zone matches temperature need of lily.

The "Charlene Strawn" is a medium sized lily found in North America. The petals are wide at base with points on end. The flowers on this lily push up and seem to sit above green lily pads. This flower does have a slight fragrance you will enjoy if you like just light scents.

"Colonel A J Welch" lilies produce a narrow and pointed looking bloom. The petals look crinkly and point out from plant like a start. The leaves of plant are green but flecked with purple specks while plant is still young. As plant matures, purple is less noticeable and flowers will stay open in afternoon temperatures. This lily is a very fast growing species that will take over small water gardens quickly. It is more suited for large pond or deep-water garden.

This is first in a series of essays on how I am converting a small (12' x 16') yard in Cody, Wyoming (USA) from a barren wasteland of pea gravel and total shade to a useful summer room that is a delight to senses. I am doing this from April to October, with a budget of about $100 (US) per month. Please come along with me on this journey. I expect it to be fun, educational, frustrating and I'll love your company.

When you think of Wyoming, you probably picture vast forests, beautiful meadows, big game and Old Faithful. All that is here, but it's not in Cody. Situated at eastern gate to Yellowstone National Park, Cody was founded in 1900 by Buffalo Bill Cody. His Irma Hotel (two blocks from my house) is still in operation.

Cody is in USDA Zone 4 and gets about 13" of rain per year. I am writing this on April 15 and so far we've had about 2.5" of moisture. We are in a "rain shadow" created by mountains in Yellowstone. Moisture coming in from west rises up to Continental Divide and drops right there. I can see this in action when I stand in my kitchen window and watch huge clouds evaporate as they sail in from west.

We moved into this rental house in January. The yard looked like any yard in January - brown and bare. But I looked at all that pea gravel and no sign of grass and row of shaggy unkempt elm trees and knew what I was facing. So I began to plan.

Of course first stop is always gardening books and magazines that are full of dreamy photographs of gardens in places where it (a) rains and (b) owner invests price of a college education in their landscaping. Sigh. But if folks on that TV show that takes design inspiration from rooms done in highest style and reinterprets them with items from yard sales and import stores could make a polyester satin purse out of a vinyl pig's ear, I could too!

So here is basic plan, and what I have achieved to date.