While tropical 
water lilies do best in full sun, there are a good assortmentthat can also thrive in a shady pond or water garden. This is also known as part sun which means at least 4 hours of sunlight per day. Depending on how shady your water garden is you can enjoy tropical water lilies in colors of autumn, blue, chartreuse, pink, purple, white, and yellow! Generally speaking, this is the order of tropical water lilies from strongest to weakest:
Viviparous blues and purples > viviparous (other colors) > day blooming blue and purples > day blooming (other colors).
Suggestions
- Viviparous blues: N. ‘Anconas’, N. ‘Blink’, N. ‘August Koch’, N. ‘Nora’, N. ‘Paul Stetson’, N. ‘Dauben’
- Viviparous purples: N. ‘Tina’, N. ‘Panama Pacific’, N. ‘Lindsey Woods’, N. ‘Islamorada’, N. ‘Key Largo’
- Viviparous (other colors): N. ‘Carla’s Sonshine’ (yellow), N. ‘Innocence’ (white), N. ‘Madame Ganna Walska’ (pink), N. ‘Ruby’ (pink)
- Day blooming blues: N. ‘Alexis’, N. ‘Blue Aster’, N. ‘Avalanche’, N. ‘Midnight Embers’, N. ‘Laura Frase’
- Day blooming purples: N. ‘Director George T. Moore’, N. ‘King of Siam’, N. ‘Midnight’, N. ‘Midnight Serenade’, N. ‘Star of Zanzibar’, N. ‘Sandra Lynn’
- Day blooming (other colors): N. ‘Green Smoke’ (chartreuse), N. ‘Albert Greenberg’ (autumn), N. ‘Jack Wood’ (pink), N. ‘Golden West’ (pink)
Suggestions for foliage
- N. ‘Manassas’: pads are a dark brown–b
urgundy with small amounts of green. - N. ‘Foxfire’: pads are a mix of green and dark brown–burgundy.
- N. ‘Midnight Serenade’: pads are a mix of green and dark brown–burgundy.
- N. ‘Red Flare’ [night bloomer]: pads are solid mahogany color.
