Do you know what kind of waterlily it is?

Have you divided it? have you fertilized it? does it get full sun?

As I have read, many of them don't open more than a couple of times, and/or for only about 2-3 days, then they get sucked back down under water.

my lilies open only for two to three days such a shame because they are a very beautiful flower.....

I don't know exactly what kind it is, but the bloom is big, and a beautiful pink color. It's in full sun. So disappointing if it only blooms for a few days!! It was expensive, too!

Each individual flower only opens for a few days, some longer than others.

Some bloom almost constantly and have multiple flowers at a time. Some bloom once or twice all summer. There are huge differences between cultivars.

For example:
My Perry's Baby Red stays open hours later in the day and for more days than my Cynthia Ann however they both bloom more often per season and more at a time than Hermine, Charlie's Choice and Chrysantha.

They all tend to slow down if they need fertilizer or divided.

The old blooms should be removed so that they don't spend energy going to seed.

Use a high Phosphorus fertilizer like Jobe's Tomato Spikes

I just bought the lily about a month ago, so I haven't divided or fertilized it. Would it be ok to fertilize it now? Do I just lift it out and put the spike in the soil and then sink it back down again? Thanks for the replies, and sorry for the dumb questions!

Hi dannysmommy,
Yes, the flowers only last a few days. But if you do it right, you should be getting flowers quite often.
You definitely need to fertilize it. If your pot is heavy, here's a way to do it more easily:

For people who can't easily reach their pots to put the fertilizer tabs in by hand, you can make this simple little tool. Get a 1" diameter piece of pvc pipe. Make it the length you need. Mine is something like 4' long. then get a straight branch or a thin bamboo stake that will fit inside, and make it just a little longer than the pvc pipe.
Take the pvc pipe and put it in the pot where you want the pond tab to go, insert the tab, then insert the bamboo stake into the pvc pipe and push it down into the dirt. Its a simple and easy way to fertilize those hard-to-reach water plants!

Sometimes my lilies quit blooming, and it always means they need fertilizer. They usually bloom shortly after I feed them. You need to feed them every 3-4 weeks.
What size pot do you have them in?
Also, water lilies tend to bloom more if they are in water that's about 2-3' down.

They also slow down on blooming if they are in too small of a pot and are getting too large.

Yes, fertilize, and don't be afraid to trim back the pads and spent flowers!

Thanks so much for all of the great info!

Depending on your weather and the particular lily, some flowers are only open a few hours a day, usually mid morning to early afternoon. You may just be missing them being open. Lilies need to be fertilized every 30-45 days during growing season.

Another question: Pond went in and was up and running the last week of May. Is it too late to buy a waterlily now and plant in pond or should I wait until next year to start them?

It is not too late at all.

Whether you are buying a whole plant or just getting a root in a swap with another gardener, you can have success pretty much right away with no fear of too little growth or shock.

I just divided two more plants last week and they're already sending up new shoots. Just remember to fertilize with some tabs per directions... H20 lilies are hardy, heavy feeders during the hot - warm weather.

Use more than one tablet per pot. Definitely not too late.

Yes, keeps those lilies "dead headed" to get more blooms and help keep your water from getting murkier with the decay.

Liebling