I HAVE A PINK GRAPEFRUIT HARDY WATERLILY,AND SOME WATER POPPY. DO I HAVE TO CUT THESE DOWN OR TAKE THESE OUT OF THE WATER FOR THE WINTER?

I don't know about the poppy; but the water lily, if hardy you can leave alone. I usually trim off the pads during my winter prep. If they're in shallow water, in containers, I'd move them to deeper water.

My pond is 18inches to 2ft. I did trim and move my lilies, parrot, and iris to the 2ft. end. But this year, they're all stuck at the 18inch end. I need the deep end for the fish population. 18 inches isn't all that much of a difference so I don't expect any trouble with them. I'm in the process of killing my 4th batch of hyacinths in my aquarium. Last batch!!! Come spring, it'll be Ebay calling me. BTW..if there's a pond emergency, I have clear tubs I can daily water change faster than that aquarium.

Here's a link to my page on overwintering pond plants:

http://www.fishpondinfo.com/plants/overwinter.htm

The hardy waterlily should have the leaves cut off once they die back from the cold. The pot needs to be below the level to which the water will freeze. So, you may or may not need to sink it.

Water poppy is tropical. It can only be overwintered if kept inside and warm. Ideally, the water would be at least 70 degrees F, and there would be full spectrum lighting. A warm window might work.

Well, here is how NOT to overwinter a lotus. lol I brought the bowl with the lotus tuber into the basement and set it on the floor. Went back outside to get the other one and the cats quickly found it, fished it out, and had a good ole time dragging it all over the floor. Of course they HAD to get the one with the double white flowers that I started from seed :( . The fat white tip doesn't look like it got damaged so I hope it will be ok....keeping fingers crossed!

Ut oh!

Outside, the raccoons kept digging my lotus tubers out of the ponds and playing with them like toys! Needless to say, all those lotus eventually died as they did that over and over. I have only one lotus alive in the middle of my big pond that is 10 years old.