Aponogeton distachyos (Water hawthorn)

Aponogeton distachyos is the more common water hawthorn, with profuse white vanilla scented flowers in spring and autumn and oval green floating foliage. It is an excellent alternative to water lilies in cooler and shadier ponds and spreads well from shed seed. This plant grows from a waxy bulb in the bottom mud and does best in cool water, going dormant in summer in warmer locations. Flowering size plants are supplied; leaves are crispy and brittle so will be mostly cut off for packing – they will soon grow new ones. Pond snails can devastate the leaves, so if you see lots of holes and bits of leaf floating about, you will know what to look for. Leaf miners can affect them too.