All about replanting water lilies

1. Overgrown lilies can be chopped up into sections. Any piece that has leaf buds and fine white roots on it will grow. In fact the bud or eye can be scooped out and planted.

2. If you want to play safe, just cut off the big fat white and black anchor roots.

3. Replant in fresh loam, just into the surface, in a new basket lined with hessian particularly if there are large fish in the pond.

4. Push the hessian square into place in the basket.

5. Part fill the basket with loam. The portion of lily tuber needs to lie near the surface.

6. Place the lily on the soil in the position at which it was growing on the original plant.

7. Backfill with soil and firm into place.

8. Tuck down the loose ends of the hessian square.

9. Top off with peagravel.

10. The lily is ready for planting. Place on bricks at half the level of its intended depth until it starts into full growth. This may be sometime next year.