Gardening Plant Encyclopedia Water Plants Water Snowflake By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Instagram Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on September 28, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Water Snowflake Overview Description Delicate flowers and glossy leaves make this easy-to-grow water garden plant a favorite. The yellow form is also called floating heart, thanks to the heart-shape leaves that float like water lily leaves on the pond surface. Add water snowflake to in-ground water gardens or container gardens. Unlike some water garden plants, water snowflake is generally well-behaved and doesn't overtake nearby plants. Genus Name Nymphoides Common Name Water Snowflake Plant Type Water Plant Light Part Sun, Sun Height 6 to 6 inches Width 1 to 2 feet Flower Color White, Yellow Foliage Color Blue/Green Season Features Summer Bloom Special Features Good for Containers, Low Maintenance Zones 10, 11, 8, 9 Propagation Division Using Water Snowflakes Combine water snowflake with other petite water plants for a texture-rich water garden in a dish or large pot. Great plant partners include water lettuce and water hyacinth. Both water lettuce and water hyacinth can spread aggressively. Remove vigorous plants to prevent them from overtaking water snowflake. Miniature water lilies are also wonderful companions for water snowflake. Check out these tips for planting nursery plants. How to Care For Water Snowflake Water snowflake grows best in 1 to 2 feet of standing water and planted in rich, sandy soil. It will also thrive when planted in submerged containers. Water snowflake doesn't tolerate moving water, so place it away from waterfalls and fountains. Watch for the fringed flowers to emerge from short stalks in midsummer. Water snowflake is hardy in Zones 8 and above but can be overwintered indoors in a greenhouse or an aquarium equipped with a grow light. To overwinter, bring plants indoors before the first frost. Most gardeners choose to grow it as an annual plant in areas where it is not winter hardy. Water snowflake is easy to divide. Simply dig up the plant or lift the submerged container from the water. Using a sharp spade, divide the root ball into sections so each section has at least 3 or 4 stems and leaves. Then replant divisions. Read this guide for easy plant division. More Varieties of Water Snowflake White water snowflake Nymphoides cristata bears heart-shape and star-shape flowers that resemble snowflakes. The plant grows about 3 feet wide. Zones 8-11 Yellow water snowflake Nymphoides peltata features heart-shape leaves and small 1-inch fringed yellow flowers that float on the surface of the water. Zones 6-11 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit