Water Garden Blog Water Lilies and Pond Plants » Proper Planting

Lotus Seedling with Tony Moore

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 18:10:16 +0000

Today Tony Moore, creator of such new waterlilies as the incredible Ruby Star and Black Cherry shares a lotus seedling growing out of the seed. Enjoy in full screen.

Waterlily and pond plant nursery!

admin — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 21:46:57 +0000

Everything is ready to be shipped to homes, the lilies are bright and lively. Today we have a video of our packing of pond plants and waterlilies and a look at some plants growing in the Nursery. You will see dwarf papyrus, society flower or socity garlic in bloom, Louisiana Iris, frog bit, waterlily growing pools and some more.

quickly view lots of waterlilies in bloom!

admin — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:20:01 +0000

We stiched a video together quickly yesterday morning of many many waterlilies in bloom. In the video you will see both hardy and tropicals that we sell. Since not all are marked as (like you will see ‘Star of Saim’, and ‘Panama Pacific’) you can ask us what the waterlily is at a certain timeframe in the video. For instance at 5:19 in the video we are looking at Colorado, a peach colored hardy waterlily. In this video you will see the two I named above, Clyde Ikins (yellow hardy), Virginia (white hardy), Mel Bel (pink annual), Lindsey Woods (last video – purple annual), Starbright (hardy white), MME. Wilfron Gonnere (pink hardy), Gonnere (White), Barbara Dobbina (peach hardy), and MORE!

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.

Waterlily Growing Area

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:57:34 +0000

Nearly 80% of the waterlilies are now entering blooming size at our southern growing facility where most of our plants are shipped to homeowners and nurseries. Below are a few of the beds where the waterlilies are grown. We will post more in coming days but here are a few so that you can see the plants that you order from http://www.PondMegastore.com

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.

: Head on photo of “Crystal” waterlily

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

Chinese Lotus: Glowing Clouds in Evening & Golden Horse with Jade Belt…

admin — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:35:08 +0000

Two more small (tea cup) or exquisite of bowl lotus have been added to the Pond Megastore 2011 Chinese Lotus Collection. Both being small you want these in a small container with only about 4 inches of water over the root system. These make wonderful patio gardens and even tabletop gardens.

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)

Well Fed Waterlilies…

admin — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:39:16 +0000

How do your waterlilies perform? Most comercially available new varieties of waterlilies are pretty good bloomers, as are many old ones. Many tropical waterlilies will have an enormous amount of blooms when properly planted.

1. Do you have the right size container?A two gallon container is pretty standard for medium water gardens but most lilies would like more space. Hardy lilies like a lot of horizontal room, consider a 12-20″ across if you don’t want to re-pot them every year, it does not need to be deep, something the size of a sturdy dishpan is great or a black colored kitty litter pan will last a couple years. A tropical waterlily can enjoy a pot 3-20 gallons in size. Lots of soil and fertilizer to boot. Let us take a look at a few plants,

a new variety available for the first time in 2011 is Ken Landon’s ‘Rhapsody In White” (video below) Tim Davis sent me a tuber last summer after I fell in love with it at the International Waterlily Collection and is now probably my favorite star waterlily (flavovirens hybrid). It is very cold tolerant, possibly more so than some viviparous tropical waterlilies and can survive winters with ice on the pond. Chocolate pads surround a bouquet of wonderful white flowers standing high above the surface. Six blooms per day is not uncommon and plant 2 or more in a large container and you can have over a dozen flowers each morning.

Click on Video below to Play in HD

2. During the growing season waterlilies need fertilizer (and please plant them in SOIL). Though you can plant these plants in kitty litter trays don’t buy overpriced cat litter sold as aquatic plant medium (black kitty litter trays are preferable but after 2 weeks any dark color will be hidden by the pond film). Real soil, a heavy clay/topsoil or loam is perfect (potting soil is light and will float, avoid that as it is disaster). If you add a good fertilizer like Ken Landon’s waterlily fertilizer or osmocote 180 day granulars (or both) to the soil you may not have to fertilze again all season. In the south where growing season are longer you can start with granular and add pond tabs the second half of the season if your fertilizer begins to run out.

In June 2010 I visited Nelson’s Water Garden in Texas where you can see how big lilypads and flowers actually can get when you feed them, this is Foxfire which had been growing in the pond for a couple months. Mike Swize puts his hand on a pad to show the relationship in size. Note I also grew fozfire and kept with less fertilzier in a smaller pot can keept the plant blooming just as much but stays about 1/3rd the size of this giant.

Click on Video below to Play in HD

3. Sunshine and warm weather. Waterlilies actively grow when water temps are in the mid to high 60s and like lots of direct sunlight. Full shade is not helpful for blooming even on shade tolerant plants. Planting your plants when its still early is not great either. Cold water can make tropical waterlilies go to sleep. Just because it was 82 degrees yesterday does not make it good planting weather if the bottom of your pond is 55. You want low temps to be nothing below 55 or so for 2 weeks straight before getting the plants in the pond from actively growing in waters elsewhere. You can plant dormant plants in water as cool as 45 just dont expect them to grow much until warmer weather.

Here is a look at hardy Helvola after a few week in the sun in a 20″ wide container. Each flower is only about 2″ across as this is a hardy dwarf waterlily.

Click on Video below to Play in HD

All three of the waterlilies shown are available at www.PondMegastore.com

‘TANZANITE’ Waterlily Has Arrived

admin — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 10:59:57 +0000

Would you like to have some nice waterlilies sold locally?

Pond Megastore and Champion Bay Aquatics will be adding Tanzanite and about 8 other waterlilies to a list close to 200 other water lilies this spring which are shipped wholesale grown / blooming size to Garden Centers and Landscapers all over the United States.

Tanzanite was voted as the Best New Waterlily overall in 2009 and this is the first year of production. Developed by the McLane family at Florida Aquatic Nurseries in Florida they have worked quickly to build up supply and should have a good quantity at the beginning of the 2011 season. Tanzanite waterlily is the deepest purple on the market, very similar to the depth of ’N. capensis var zanzibariensis forma purpurea’ in my opinion.

Waterlily "Tanzanite" brand new, deep purple like no other on the market

This lily has slightly lower petal count than last years blockbuster hit “Ultra Violet“ which I feel is still a superior waterlily though this is a close second in the purple waterlily category. From my two weeks this summer in San Angelo Texas (June & September) I did not notice the slight color change from day to day that Ultra Violet did seem to have. On hot sunny days I noticed Ultra Violet sometimes seemed to become almost a dark blue by the second or third day of full sun. If conditions were not completely sunny the flowers stayed purple all 3 days of each blossom.

Ultra Violethas about 70 petals on adult flowers and Tanzanite about 50. The larger the plant the more petals so fertilizer and pot size is key to performance. The pads on the Ultra Violet changefrom red/green camouflage pattern to an almost full red during the summer which is a second benefit for a pond plant like no other.

Contact either customerservice@pondmegastore.com or info@championbayaquatics.com for prices lists and minimum order requirements. “Tanzanite“ is also now available direct to home purchase in the Annual Waterlilies listed on www.PondMegastore.com .

Help keep the Water Garden Plants safe

admin — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 23:26:08 +0000

The water garden industry is moderately regulated due to some invasive plants that have a tendency to invade native waters when hobbyists and collectors discard them in waterways. The “former” aquarium trade which is more widespread helped to release many submerged aquatics across North America for more than a century. Today with the internet most hobbyist are well aware of the dangers as are lawmakers who in some instances now ban everything.

This makes interstate sales of plants more and more difficult. Most US growers of aquatics are quite responsible. There are a few who sell invasive species to states that have banned certain plants. There are also growers that are selling non-inspected plants and waterlilies from the asian-pacific region that may be bringing in pathogens, viral or fungal, as well as other pests attached to the plants. It is good to know exactly where your plants came from or are being grown. Many good honest growers can let you know where the plants are grown.

Shipping aquatic plants in soil to California should only be done with companies certified nematode free per law. Companies selling water hyacinths as “Blue Shellflower” are breaking the law sending the plants to CA, AZ, NM, AR, ID, TX, LA, SC, MS, the City of Chicago and should be reported to the USDA or state Agriculture Leader. If this practice can be stopped we can stop bans on all aquatics such as the proposed White List in Texas and now possibly NY and MD.

This week Los Angeles inspectors discovered a khapra beetle in dry rice (food) which is one of the 10 most dangerous non-established pests in the United States. Not a problem for aquatic garden industry person however we are are risk of introducing similar product when shipping in overseas and can quickly spread state to state before its ever noticed.

Most growers are honest and most inventory in US grown however it is always best to check especially when ordering online.

Some safe retail sellers include:

Online: PondMegastore.com, MarylandAquatics.com

Texas: Nelson’s Water Gardens

New York: Bergen Water Gardens

Virginia: Springdale Watergardens

Utah: Desert Water Gardens

Washington: Hughes Water Gardens

Canada: Burns Water Gardens

more can be found on the IWGS and WGI websites. The IWGS website also lists all BANNED varieties/species by state updated often by Kelly Billing who keeps track for the industry.

Winter Hardy Waterlilies: Helvola, Andreana, and Gloriosa

admin — Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:01:39 +0000

It has been some time since we took a look at some hybrid waterlilies. Today we are going to look at three more.

The first is N. Helvola. A wonderful dwarf variety. Dwarf waterlilies should not be planted too deep, they can do just fine from a few inches to close to two feet deep. The containers I could tell you can be smaller than the small, medium, and large lilies however remember that all hardy waterlilies have rhizomes and grow across the top of your container of soil so width is more important than depth.

Helvola is a yellow dwarf waterlily that can overwinter in most of the United States where the pond wont freeze to the depth of the root. Zones 4 and higher should be fine. If you have a small deicer for your fish they should survive in zone 3 as well. Helvola is an excellent bloomer with yellow blossoms on the waters surface sitting on top of the green lilypads. If fertilized well and kept in sun you should have many blooms every day of the summer until frost. See the video of a well planted and fertilized Helvola below. These three pond plants and over 70 more hardy waterlilies are available at Pond Megastore.

Andreana is a small burnt red to almost orange small waterlily. Slightly larger than dwarfs like helvola. Similar lighting and planting requirements. I should mention at dollar stores this spring I found small black trays for dish-washing which were of course shallow but wide and I thought, heck that’s twice the width of my pots and not as deep. Perfect since they were black though most any color would get discolored by algae film under water and would be covered by lilypads in a week or two. Also the trays have grips on the sides which make them easy to pull up or set down. Being so shallow the dirt wouldn’t make the trays heavy for any person of any age.

In the video below Andreana had begun to close a little as it was late afternoon and about 95 degrees in July so imagine them slightly more open. This plant is hardy and will survive well throughout the United States year after year. Fertilize until late summer and repot as needed when the growing container becomes overgrown to encourage more blooms.

Gloriosa is a nice compact to medium red waterlily with 3-5″ blooms. Developed back in 1896 it has been a proven winner for more than a century. Growing conditions are again similar, I would plant in at least a 2 gallon container or larger. If using fertilizer tablets add 3-5 per month for great blooms or a summer long granular fertilizer like Ken Landon fertilizer. Again this video was taken in late afternoon so they have begun to close for the day but this is a great example of how healthy happy waterlilies grow.

All hardy pond plants and waterlilies available at http://www.PondMegastore.com

LOTUS removing an established area.

admin — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 02:57:31 +0000

Bill Bancroft brought “Peach with Raindrops” a hybrid lotus to a farm pond on his property that had not had any lotus introduced to it. The lotus began spreading quickly along the shore and by the following summer had established an area a couple hundred feet in diameter.

Luckily he told me there was nothing to worry about when I asked if the lotus would overtake the pond. RoundUp, which is a common weed killer found in any big box store and hardware store in the country carries most of the year can be applied to kill lotus without harming other aquatic life.

Lotus are connected through long rhizome like tubers often many many yards long. A siple spritz should kill most of the plant connected by the root. It may take more than one application on long growing areas but the method is quick and simple he explains.

After the lotus is browned you can clean up the area or reintroduce perhaps a new color to the area. POND PLANTS such as Lotus are available seasonally at http://www.PondMegastore.com .

Water Garden Cannas

admin — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 10:39:00 +0000

Canna come in so many colors (white, pink, peach, orange, red, yellow) including multi colors and variegated. A tropical plant that can easily be taken care of from year to year by simply keeping the root dry in your basement or garage.

Many canna such as the Longwood hybrids can be used as bog plants in the water garden. In fact they love the water and nutrients and bloom quite a bit. Plant only after the earth is warmed up probably in the upper 60s, the air temperature would have been in the 80s for 10 days or so a couple weeks after the last frost, you can also start them inside. If planting in water remember wet feet dry ankles, canna wont want to be submerged any deeper than the root.

Canna’s love sunlight and when planting in a pond make sure the container is big enough the plant wont blow over in a strong wind as some varieties get tall. I like to plant them in built in pockets along the edge of the ponds shelf.

There are dwarf canna that grow only to about 24″ or taller ones that can grow from four to sometimes seven feet under the best conditions.

Here we have some pink and yellow cannas planted along a stream bed. Cannas for the pond can be purchased already well established from places like www.PondMegastore.com .

EXCLUSIVE CONTENT – World introduction to Ken Landon’s Tropical Waterlily Tuber Storage up to 10 years.

admin — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 21:16:14 +0000

This video is exclusive, it can be shared with permission. Ken Landon recently (Sept 2010) shared his way of tropical lily tuber storage. For years the jar sand method over 1 season has resulted in about 20% mortaility. That of course is not good especially when you have nearly 2000 lilies and 90% of the worlds species material.

Ken explains that for hybridization you need species plants as eventually you run into crappy mutation or genetics just break down and you stop getting nice plants.

Ken still intends on traveling the world to grab some more species material like ‘burtii’ which was lost after Dr. George H Pring’s work with it.

Please watch the 4 part series in FULL SCREEN (720p High Definition) with sound on. Please if ever writiing about the technique be sure to give Mr. Landon credit for bringing this revelation to the public. Enjoy!

Part 1 of 5

Part 2 of 5

Part 3 of 5

Part 4 of 5

BONUS Question & Answer with Ken Landon (Part 5)

Mayla – A wonderful easy growing waterlily

admin — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 19:31:44 +0000

Mayla is a favorite hardy waterlily. Free flowering and for years one of the brightest and larger waterlily.

Grow easily in zones 3-8. It will also grow in zones 9-11 but may burn a little in deep summer and under heavy fertilizer. I would suggest a pot 3 gallons or more in size (at least 10″ across and 14″ or more is even better.

Ultra Violet: The Summer Videos

admin — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:40:18 +0000

The 2008 Best New Waterlily is a remarkable plant. Ultra Violet has grown so quickly and within weeks of fertilizing has big pads and up to 8 buds each day on the surface here in Ohio. I am using Ken Landon fertilizer 7802. The pads and flowers as you will see are just incredible. The price on this plant will be lower in 2011. If you are not getting 4 blooms each day on your waterlilies please email us at Pond Megastore for some more help. A 3-5 gallon container and fertilizer better than tablets should be used. Remember tablets are usually 50% clay. Granular fertilizer is much better!

ENJOY IN FULL SCREEN HIGH DEFINITION!

find this waterlily for sale and more at www.PondMegastore.com

pondmegastore.com

FOXFIRE: The amazing tropical waterlily. Can bloom 3 days and up to 36hrs without closing.

admin — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 21:06:22 +0000

The amazing Foxfire, loved by most who have seen her was developed by Craig Presnell, one of the parents being Ampla, a large species waterlily. Grown very large in the south the adult plants can get 15 feet across easily but only after many months of growing, lots of sunlight, and about a 20 gallon pot. Smaller and just as amazing plants can be grown in a 2 or 5 gallon pot. I recommend Landon Fertilizer. Use 1/2 of the recommended dose as its very hot. The leaves are bronze with mottling. Some can appear green with mottling but its rare. The plant can easily be contained to 5-8 feet by simply trimming pads once a week. Make sure you water temp is above 70 all the way to the bottom of the pond for tropicals to bloom properly. If using plant tabs I now add 6 tabs per 1-2 gallons of water every 25-30 days. 1 Tab does nothing.

Enjoy Foxfire in High Definition (Available in Full Screen)

They are available to purchase at www.PondMegastore.com

Blooming Tropical Waterlilies in Indiana, during APRIL?

admin — Sun, 30 May 2010 17:28:03 +0000

Update to Matt Garver’s overwintering of tropicals in Indiana, his plant (Panama Pacific) not only overwintered as we shared with you a few months ago in the Thermoplanter but it began blooming in April. He sent me these photos on April 24th but I have not had much time to update the blog. It is an amazing sight and makes the relatively low cost of the thermoplanter worth while.

Winter care of Tropical Waterlilies 2009-2010

admin — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:34:31 +0000

In any given year you would consider water gardeners overwintering tropical waterlilies likley in Northern states. With such short growing seasons in the north its actually people in hardiness zones 6 and south that have more luck overwintering. This winter was long and hard all the way to the Gulf Coast. Darren, a good water garden friend in Austin Texas, recently shared photos of two places indoors he overwintered some really special tropical lilies.

The first is the wonderful ‘Infinite Love’ (aka Daisy), developed by Ken Landon. Since there are probably less than a half dozen of this variety in existence it is great news that the lily is finishing up its indoor stay in very good condition.

In the fall Darren brought Infinite Love into the house in a small container and it has been living without moving water (though partial water changes) in a container in the Kitchen. The big leaves from the summer come off and the plant has gone dormant with little shoots remaining.

The collection in Austin includes a few more tropical lilies including some special varieties from Thailand. Darren has these potted in a similar fashion an kept in the Garage with frequent partial water changes. So far the lilies are doing well and are just a couple weeks away from going back outside. Be sure to let the lilies go without fertilizer while indoors. The plant will have slow if any growth and will focus much of its effort on the tuber under the soil rather than leaves or buds.

Below is the summertime Photo of Nymphaea: Infinite Love which is now in the house.

internationalwaterlilycollection.com

If overwintering lilies is not worth the trouble you can find full grown blooming tropical waterlilies here. Or for lilies that survive all 12 months outside all the way into Canada check out the Hardy Waterlilies.

Cold Nymphaea? Overwintering Tropical Waterlilies

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 08:19:48 +0000

There are multiple methods used to overwinter Tropical Waterlilies. A few varieties seem to be able to grow indoors with some sunshine and care. A heated greenhouse works very well but few people have access to these. Learn how to locate and store tubers, keep some tropicals in well lit fish tanks and more in the cool articles below (pun totally intended).

Charles Leach wrote a nice piece for Water Gardner’s International using and testing mini thermoheater. You have to be a member of WGI to view the article however its free to sign up! See here.

Another article from the sister site Victoria-Adventurer looks at storing the tubers safely over the winter. See Here.

A third article also from the Victoria Adventurer, by Bob Meyer, looks at overwintering specifically in plant zones 5-6. See here.

A fourth detailed article by Rich Sacher of American Aquatic Gardens, (found also on Victoria Adventurer) talks about overwintering tropicals in the south. See here.

Hardy Lilies should be left where they are in the pond or water garden and will send up new shoots as the waters warm in the spring.

Natural Shoreline Restoration

admin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:16:00 +0000

Recently I was asked about deteriorating shoreline on a lakefront property. Natural shorelines whether it be the ocean or a simple farm pond seem hard for us humans to keep exactly where we want them. Erosion can be caused by many things from wave movement to animal invasion. Often shoreline problems are caused by what we fell are solutions though.

From the IWGS Chicago Botanical Tour, this past summer we learned much from the shoreline redevelopment project of the shorelines of the lakes in the Chicago Botanical property. In one case they discovered former steel piling meant to maintain the shoreline created a horrible shock-wave from very small waves against the shoreline which lead to an area in front of the pilings where no plants could grow or thrive. Many factors including slope/gradient well into the water and above the water line affect plants growth. A strong healthy planted area into and above the water into the flood plain are required for a healthy shoreline that will hold stable and not move or erode. In Chicago the old steel pilings have been removed and the steep gradient was replaced with a proper contour. A geocell shorelines was put in place that would give dozens of species of properly planted species at multiple depths hold strong and begin to grow as they refilled the top of the lake.

New correct planting (Above) vs Old improper (below)

old piling shorelines create disaster, prevent plant growth

Chicago restoration pics fron symposium 2009

The shores will now be able to handles small swells, high and low water (floods) without worry of erosion and also look much nicer than pilings.

Waterlily vs Lotus … please read the guide

admin — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 13:20:42 +0000

HERE IS THE PLANTING GUIDE: ” ”
Lilies and Lotus are different. Beginning water gardeners may not know this. To those of us who grow its simple. The roots are different, the leaves, the planting, the tubers, the flowers. For beginners remember lotus stand high out of the water, the leaves and flowers can grow 6-8 feet above the water in proper conditions, some people I have talked to people like Warner from Auburn University in Alabama study lotus and have traveled the world and seen lotus bigger than that. Lilies are much more common than lotus in the united states. Lets take a look at both lotus and lilies in this video.