A large creamy white flower with purple tips, as well as a strong fragrance, is what you can expect from the Empress water lotus. Growing 3' to 4' tall the Empress water lotus can be considered a Medium to Large Lotus. If you are going to choose the Empress Lotus for your water garden you will want to make sure that you get plenty of sunlight and have room for a 4 1/2 gallon or larger planting container.