Question
We live in MI with cold winters.  This year we want to take our water lilies out of the pond and store them,  then drain the pond for the winter.  How do we store the lilies?  They are presently potted and just set on the bottom of our garden pond.

Answer
Trim the pads and flowers off about 2" above the dirt.

Place inside of trash bag or bucket.

Bring it indoors.  Avoid sunny areas.

Keep it from drying out by watering it about once a week.

(Don't use any fertilizers.  You want to cause as little growth as possible.)