Texas Dawn has been an incredible waterlily for nearly 30 years, the wonderful yellow flowers on this hardy lily are held high above the water and blooms in profusion. Hybridizers also enjoy working with the cultivar by Ken Landon. Here are some videos from Ken Landon, Drew Darby, and Tim Davis.

Ken Landon

Drew Darby

Tim Davis

Texas Dawn waterlilies are available for purchase here.

Here is just a peek at what Mike will be bringing to market in the next 2-3 years. Also our friends in Florida have followed in the footsteps of Pairat Songpanich and Mike Giles with more urple hardy waterlilies. Both the blue and purple hardy lilies have been slow too reproduce so they will probably become available 1 or 2 years more slowly than a normal hardy lily. Many of the pink and red lilies multiply faster and could be available sooner.

Mike also has some lilies with blooms nearly the size of a gallon container and in cool weather stay open 6 to 12 days.

More information coming here soon and more waterlilies coming to Pond Megastore.

Kayaking through the native Nelumbo Lutea was incredible and by far the coolest experience of our 2011 adventures. More on that in an upcoming post. Here is a video of Mr. Mel Yoshimura who brought his pickled lotus root, or lotus root salad to the Sarasota Lotus Festival in July.

Enjoy.

We have Emily Grant Hutchings. One of George Prings most incredible night blooming waterlilies, this video though not narrated will stun you! Plant night bloomers only after water is well into the 70s constantly or you will put them to sleep for many weeks. They multiply easily so keeping some over the winter as tubers is no problem if you have watched our tuber storage videos from Ken Landon. Emily Grant Hutchings is pink with green pads, flowers open around dusk and stay open well into the next morning ot even noon if it is overcast.

Next, James Brydon is a red moderate to heavy blooming small to medium waterlily. The shape of the flowers is very pretty and this like most reds does well where summer temperatures are not too hot. If your average high in summer is above 92 degrees then red hardy waterlilies are to be avoided as they tend to turn black and get a cooked appearance after opening.

Finally we have Wood’s Blue Goddess, a favorite large blue waterlily created by Jack Wood in 1989. Flowers stand high above the water and the pads are green. The flowers are moderate to heavy depending on pot size and fertilizer.

This waterlily is currently for sale at http://www.pondmegastore.com

Beginning in 2012 PondMegastore.com will have exclusive sales rights to the first of Mike Giles hardy waterlilies hybrids. Myra, Sunfire, Fairy Skirt, Yellow Giant, and Hunneycup. In 2013 as long as production goes well we will then bring you the first Purple and Blue hardy waterlilies from Mike Giles.

More Soon….
Zac – water-garden-blog.com / http://www.PondMegastore.com

Day 17, Three of the new Chinese Lotus, ‘Drunken Concubine out of Bath’ (left), ‘Red Lantern’ (right), and ‘Dasa Jin’ (back). Each is growing faster as return to warm days in the 80s and lows in the mid to upper 50s.

Our lotus tubers ship with excellent growing tips. Only Lotus and water hawthorne are shipped as tubers. Our waterlilies and marginals arrive as adult sized plants usually with buds.

Lotus can be blooming in just 6 weeks from planting in warm weather. Plant shallow and wait to fertilize until you have a leaf standing above water. This is a tea-cup lotus in a 7 inch pot. The photos are taken during only 6 days from left to right. Medium and Large lotus need much larger containers.

Above is a larger 16 inch

Here you can see a tea cup lotus (front right), a small lotus (left), and a medium lotus (back). Each will need a little water each day in the summer as they will be heavy drinkers.  They will also love miracle grow once they have standing leaves.

This summer we will be documenting, Dasa Jin (large versicolor), Red Lantern (small / tea cup), Red Bowl, Loyalty Son, and Drunken Concubine out of Bath.

From Expert Growers Laura Bancroft, Bill Bancroft, and Dr. Ken Tilt:

“Put several inches of good topsoil – just plain dirt – into the pot. This topsoil can be purchased in bags at a garden center or dug from your pond bottom or yard. Do not use potting soil; it is too light and will float and foam when water is added and the lotus rhizomes tend to float when planted in it. Add enough water to raise the water level to about 2-3” above the soil. Place the tuber into the mud with the growing tips pointed up. Chinese growers leave the ‘tail’, the cut end, of the lotus root above water for a few days. Try not to cover the growing tips completely with soil. In a few days the true roots, small hair-like projections, will grow and anchor the tuber into the soil. Place the pot in a warm, sunny area. Be sure to replace the water as it evaporates.

The growing tips will soon give way to the first small leaves, called coin leaves. These leaves will float on the surface of the water as they begin the process of photosynthesis to help provide energy for the plant to grow. Within a few days the first aerial leaf will emerge from the water. At this time you can begin to raise the level of the water in the pot. When the weather outside has warmed up and chances of freezing have passed your lotus can be placed on your patio or put into your pond, preferably in full sun. Remember to plant the smaller varieties of lotus in shallower water than large varieties.

*Planting Lotus in Containers
Any water-tight rounded container with no holes is acceptable for growing lotus. The size of the pot is determined by the type of lotus you are growing with larger varieties requiring larger pots. The mature size of a lotus will be affected by the size of the pot in which it grows. Using a bigger pot allows more room for rhizome production, thus resulting in more and larger leaves and flowers. Larger pots will encourage the lotus to grow to the larger extreme for their variety. Planting the same lotus in a healthy pond environment will allow it to reach its full potential resulting in a plant much larger than if it had been planted in a small pot. Lotus classified as Exquisites of Bowl Lotus are prized for their ability to grow in the smallest pots, producing miniature lotus that can be brought inside easily for a day or two when they are in bloom.”
*Suggested pot sizes are:
Tea Cup or Exquisite of Bowl lotus: pot less than 11″ in diameter
Small or Bowl lotus – pot 12-15″ in diameter
Dwarf lotus – 16-20″ in diameter
Medium lotus – 18-30″ in diameter
Large lotus – 24-48″ in diameter

Let us know what you think – if you have questions – all these pond plants and waterlilies are available to buy (blooming size) at http://www.PondMegastore.com  

We should have new videos up and some big new features in the next 3-5 weeks. The biggest announcements in 4 years or more, some waterlilies we know you have never seen before. And that is how I will end this post with you wondering what is about to show up here.

Miami Rose:

“Miami Rose Growing Pool” waterlilies growing in the southern nursery. A full star shape with more than 50 petals when mature.

The foliage is uniquely mottled and is a vigorous bloomer. Miami Rose waterlily is truly one of the all time favorites and is very popular. For sale now at http://www.pondmegastore.com/

Clyde Ikins:

Peony shaped peach blossoms are held well above beautifully slightly mottled to green leaves with age. One of the most prolific blooming hardy lilies.

Other hardy prolific bloomers include Texas Dawn, Colorado, Perrys Baby Red, Helvola, Mangkala Ubol, Moondance, Laydekeri Fugens, Laydekeri Lilacia, Bernice Ikins, Joanne Pring, and more.

Clyde Ikins is available as a full grown adult blooming plant at http://www.PondMegastore.com

Crystal: Crystal is a very heavily blooming white waterlily.

“Crystal” waterlilies growing in the southern nursery. Crystal is a great white… waterlily – an excellent bloomer and will fit in most any size water garden or pond.

This waterlily has the added benefit of being viviparous, plantlets form on the pads.

This waterliy is readily available now and should be into the summer months at
http://www.pondmegastore.com/ for delivery to homes or garden centers.

seem more at http://www.PondMegastore.com 

The reason they are called Tea Cup lotus is that some varieties are small enough to do well in a container the size of a cup. Don’t Believe me? See N. Nopchai Chansilpa’s photo, Mangkala-patum, a bowl lotus growing in coffee cup!

Mangala-patum,a bowl lotus growing in a coffee cup!

Mangkala-Patum is not yet available in the United States, however two new selections from China are available. Glowing Clouds in Evening, a Small Tea-Cup lotus with often multiple blooms, Laura describes this as of the most beautiful pink lotus, ‘Glowing Clouds in Evening’ has a perfect cup-shaped blooms. The color is a brilliantly clear pink on the first day flower. Do not plant under more than about 4″ of water as this is a small lotus. ‘Ye Xia’ Chinese lotus.Glowing Clouds is pictured below with Golden Horse with Jade Belt on the right side with many flowers. Golden Horse with Jade belt, yet another Chinese import, look for multiple blossoms on this small tea-cup lotus throughout the summer.  This white flower can have either bright green petaloids or a green receptacle in a large double flower on a small plant. The newly opened bud has a greenish tint to the petals. ‘Yutang Jin Ma’ Chinese lotus import. Likes shallow water no more than about 4 inches over the roots. Does well in bowls or pots. Fertilize only after standing leaves. These lotus and many dozen more can be found at http://www.PondMegastore.com from February-July or until supply has run out. Glowing Clouds… (Left), Golden Horse… (right)

Glowing Clouds... (Left), Golden Horse... (right)

The first is Colorful Brodcade,  is a beautiful oriental versicolor lotus with dancing petals that swirl around a bright green center. The first day flower has petals that are cream at the base to pink on the outer edge. The flower changes to a rich creamy white and the inner petals are arrayed around the center in a particularly fancy pattern. 

Colorful Broadcade

 This is a small “exquisite bowl / teacup” lotus and should be in a very shallow container in the pond or up on your sun porch or patio. An 8-12″ round shallow container deep enough not to dry out.

Second we have Dasa Jin, A larger variety with massive creamy white flowers with a jagged picotee of purple along the outer edge of the petals. The inner petals are tipped with green. Even the bud carries a splash of purple making this a favorite new Lotus. One of the most striking pond plants held tall in the water garden or patio container, plant in a large shallow container 16″ or more across.

Dasa jin (large versicolor)

Third a wonderful heavy bloomer, Li-Ya small Chinese lotus. Enjoy many multiple blooms on this pond plant! Li-Ya Chinese Elegance is a light lotus with floating outer petals that begin to drape after the flower fully opens. Opening very light pink to white, A well named Chinese Lotus! Plant in a shallow container 12″ or more across in water gardens, pond, or patio tub. Lower to a few inches below the water surface and only fertilize after standing leaves. Hardy to zone 3. 
 All three available at http://www.PondMegastore.com in the Lotus section.

Li-Ya Lotus

Jennifer Rebecca is a very deep red nightblooming waterlily that can stay open very late each morning and will not wilt as other deep red waterlilies do in the summer heat. Ken used Trudy Slocum and red flare in multiple crosses to get this very tolerant and high performance night bloomer. If you ever want to try a red night blooming pond plant this is the one.

Night bloomers often begin blooming a couple weeks later in the summer than tropical day bloomers so give it a couple weeks to establish but the blooms will last until frost. They also tuber easily and can  be overwintered as tubers indoors!

Click the video to see the flowers and story of the Jennifer Rebecca waterlily by Ken Landon. This waterlily is for sale at Pond Megastore.