Nymphaea Mayla | Pink Hardy Water Lily

Magenta with a scent. Nymphaea 'Mayla' is a hardy waterlily bred by Kirk Strawn in 1993, crossing 'August Koch' with 'Crystal'. It produces deep pink to magenta blooms with slightly pointed petals that give the flower a star-like shape, and it carries a sweet fragrance — not something every hardy lily offers.

What You'll Receive

You will receive 1 young, freshly harvested waterlily tuber.

• All tubers/rhizomes are carefully inspected before shipping and guaranteed viable and healthy.
• Note: Photos shown are sample representations. The actual product may vary in size and stage as live plants are seasonal.

Plant Profile

• Common name — Mayla Hardy Water Lily
• Scientific name — Nymphaea 'Mayla'
• Origin — Hybrid by Kirk Strawn, 1993 ('August Koch' × 'Crystal')
• Type — Hardy water lily, day-blooming
• Flower — Deep pink to magenta, slightly pointed petals, up to 6 inches across, sweetly fragrant
• Foliage — Circular green pads up to 8 inches across
• Placement — Pond, patio pond or container water garden; also tanks 20 gallons and up
• Spread — Compact but vigorous; suits smaller water features
• Hardiness — USDA Zones 4–10
• Growth rate — Vigorous

Care

• Difficulty — Beginner
• Sunlight — Full sun to partial shade; 6+ hours of direct sun for heavy blooming
• Water depth — Adaptable, from shallow pools to deeper ponds
• Substrate — Heavy clay or loam topsoil in a wide, shallow pot
• Planting angle — Hardy rhizome: 45°, growing tip up, at the pot edge pointing toward the center
• Feeding — Aquatic fertilizer tablets monthly through the growing season
• Overwintering — Hardy. Cut back foliage in autumn and move the pot below the freeze line; it returns in spring
• Propagation — Rhizome division

Grower's Notes

• Fragrance is the reason to choose this one. Plenty of hardy lilies match Mayla for color, but few are scented. Site it where people sit — beside a bench or at the near edge of the pond — or you lose the feature you paid for.
• Compact enough for a patio pond or half-barrel while still producing 6-inch blooms, which is an unusual combination.
• Twenty gallons is the indoor minimum. Most people grow Mayla outdoors, but the compact habit makes it one of the more manageable lilies to keep in a tank of 20 gallons or up. Flowering is the catch: it takes light as intense as sun, held for a long day, so indoors expect pads far more often than magenta. Trim them back regularly — a vigorous lily covers the water surface fast.
• Hardy, so it stays in the pond over winter. No lifting, no indoor storage — unlike the tropical lilies.
• The dense pad cover shades the water and helps suppress algae naturally through summer.
• Feed monthly once growth starts. Flowering falls away quickly on an underfed lily, and Mayla is a vigorous grower with an appetite to match.

New to planting water lilies? Read our complete Water Lily Planting Guide — tuber angle, soil, depth and the one mistake that kills most first lilies.

Notes

• We don't ship dormant roots. Your tuber arrives fresh and actively growing with 1–2 young leaves already emerged — visible proof it's viable before it leaves us. Young pads may start fully submerged and will reach the surface within about a week in good light.
• Never release aquarium plants into natural waterways.

At a glance

• Free shipping on orders of $150 or more (after discounts) within the contiguous United States, by USPS.
• Free thermal protection is included with every shipment, all year round.
• Processing: most orders leave us within 1 to 2 business days. Tracking is emailed when your order ships.
• USPS (2 to 5 business days) ships Monday through Saturday.
• UPS 2nd Day Air® and Next Day Air® ship Monday through Wednesday. Order by Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time for same-week delivery.
• Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and military addresses ship by USPS at a flat rate shown at checkout.
• Weather holds: during extreme heat or cold we may hold live orders until it's safe to ship.
• We ship within the United States only.

Please bring live plants indoors and unpack them the day they arrive. Every live order is covered by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee.

The complete rules, including lost packages and address issues, are in our Shipping Policy. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.

Every live order is backed by our 24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee. If a plant arrives dead, we'll make it right.

How it works

• Tell us within 24 hours of the delivery time on your tracking.
• Send photos of the affected items in their original, unopened packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label, to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com with your order number.
• We'll make it right with a replacement, store credit or refund for the affected item.

Good to know

• Some melting or yellowing as plants adjust from greenhouse to aquarium life is normal. They regrow from healthy roots and rhizomes.
• Please bring your package indoors and unpack it the day it arrives.
• Free promotional items and shipping charges are not covered.

The complete rules, including what's covered and what voids the guarantee, are in our Returns, Refunds & Live Arrival Guarantee. If anything conflicts, that policy applies.

Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.

Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.

Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.