Right now 3 water lilies (out of 1000s) are approved for year one.  Given that hundreds exist in displays around the state including the famous International Waterlily Collection in San Angelo. All other varieties must be destroyed by Dec 31 2010 even though they pose no invasive threat.

Why is this going on? What happend to black listing invasive plants? This very quickly will destroy nursery, garden center, produce, farming, and other jobs. Who gets to pick what plants are legal? A panel or appointed board.

Moving on to Iowa, a new city law will require certified plumbers to install ponds and must include bottom drains to sewage (raising the cost of installations probably 50-400%).  Is every landscaper and pond builder going to have to school to become a certified plumber or will they be put out of business?

A jog north to Wisconsin, a state law is on the table requiring homeowners to register, get a permit, and inspection for all water garden installations. This again will increase the price of having such a hobby outside. Do you want to be bothered with permits, inspectors, regulation for a 6×10 area of your garden?

Meetings are underway to develop a team of watchdogs, state by state, to identify this kind of legislation and work with legislatures to avoid damaging the industry. As soon as some watchdogs are assembled we will post them here so that they can remain in constant contact should you hear of anything in the works. Now is a great time to join the IWGS or other affiliates as there will be strength in numbers.

100’s of Pond Plants and Waterlilies

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.

    The Journals of the IWGS were in great part the way in which up to date information was distributed about the happenings of the Aquatic plant lovers and the industry from 1985 until the modern day. Though the Internet has largely taken over as a quick way to transmit news Journals are holding there own in the new age. Concise and relevant content and distributed in a manner that is still largely more efficient than blogs or magazines which too often focus on product content.

     When the Waterlily Journal began in March 1985 Vol 1:1 ,  Steven Davis, MS, CAE, was the original editor, who at the time was Director of Horticulture at the American Horticultural Society (AHS). He worked with the societies first President Walter Pagels, Vice President Kirk Strawn, Secretary Charles Thomas, and Treasurer Peter Slocum. Davis’s work also includes but are not limited to Executive Director of the American horticultural Therapy Association, and Botanical Editor for the  AHS’s Plant Services Data Center, a long list of publications, many years as a lecturer and instructor. He recieved his MS in Botany.  

     In 1988 Philip Swindells became the second editor from 1988 through 1995, as well as the first IWGS Registrar for Nymphaea (Waterlilies). He had been involved throughout the formation of the IWGS back to 1984 and spoke at the first symposium in 1985.  Like many involved in the water garden world at the time his experiences was expanded into much of horticulture and he was well known in the United Kingdom as an expert on TV and radio. He became a hall of fame member in 1994 and began the infamous and still active yahoo message group. More on Phillip can be found at the IWGS, including his role in reprinting the famous, 1905 book, “The Waterlilies”.

    James Allison took over as editor in 1996 and was a long running editor into 2004. In 2005 Paula Biles, the IWGS first Executive Director Wrote the following on James.  

“IWGS Hall of Fame 2004 Inductee James Allison

      James Allison became a household name for countless water gardeners in 1991 after publication of his book Water in the Garden, which has been translated into 5 different languages and sold over 100,000 copies. The book is still in print and continues to serve as one of the foremost reference works for water gardeners from beginners to experts. James writes a column, as he has since 1986, for the United Kingdom’s best-selling fishkeeping magazine. His articles and photographs appear often in numerous magazines and books.

      For many years James was on the IWGS Board of Directors, often doing double duty as our European liaison. However most members know him as the Water Garden Journal editor, a position he held for seven years. During that time he wrote many of the articles, instituted many changes, did layout and design, and updated many systems to make use of new technologies. James was the Society’s public face to our membership and the outside world.

      James’ encyclopedic knowledge of aquatic plants, fish, water quality, photography, European invasives, and information related to the UK’s water gardening businesses is legendary. He willingly, thoroughly, and expertly shares what he knows, often in the form of a presentation at annual symposia. James’ enthusiasm to continue to learn and try new things, from the latest H₂O testing procedures to unusual restaurants, is also legendary. His water gardening friends greatly value his opinions and definitely enjoy his company.

      As his Hall of Fame award plaque reads: James Allison was inducted in recognition of his exceptional work with the IWGS as a member, a member of the board of directors, and the editor of the Water Garden Journal. These efforts, in conjunction with his extensive publishing and other endeavors have significantly influenced water gardening worldwide.”

 Written by Paula Biles, Water Garden Journal (20:3) Fall 2005    Jame Allison’s website is www.aquapic.com.

     Fred McCorkle took over after James, a south Florida resident and basically local friend of Paula Biles, she recently wrote about Fred as a Koi lover who eventually fell in love with the plants. The two not only worked together in the IWGS as Executive Director and journal editor but developed a local pond club focused on education of properly caring for fish and plants. “Fred also created and edited another publication to support the brand new All Florida Koi & Pond Show (AFKAPS)”. The world just recently lost Fred, Paula shared her experiences with Fred here at the IWGS.

     Tim Davis is the current editor of the Water Garden Journal. Under his tenure the Journals have become available online in PDF format. Members of-the IWGS can see all up to date Journals the minute they are published as well as receive hard-copies if they so choose. Tim is also responsible for the updates to the IWGS site as the web designer. Tim is a lover of water lilies and helps his friend Ken Landon manage the online verison of the San Angelo Texas International Water Lily collection, and each annual LilyFest at the collection in San Angelo (Home of the 2010 International Waterlily and Water garden Society Symposium). Tim is also a great Photographer of the waterlilies.

       To learn more about the Journal, the IWGS. Join at IWGS.org or sign up for a symposium and you will meet a number of great people.

The Journal and Society have altered titles a few times over the years. The Journal has much more information than is even available on the web (at this time, until the articles go online) so joining and reading the articles on all sorts of aquatic plant and water garden information is worth the annual cost. Each continent you will find a great difference in plants, styles, people, methods, and more and the Journal has a great way of collecting all of the international happenings. A very worldly publication.

From IWGS.org:   From Seed to Blossom: A History of the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society

When people become serious about a subject, they acquire a never-ending thirst for additional information while looking for others to discuss common interests. Dedicated waterlily folks are no different. Back in 1982 there were few people in the profession and even fewer avenues for sharing mutual concerns. Something as simple as determining a waterlily’s correct name was extremely difficult since there weren’t standard descriptions or accurate live examples for comparison. News of recent hybrids and introductions was almost non-existent. Even the most basic water gardening information was scarce in print. There were no waterlily or water gardening groups at any level – hobbyist, academic, or professional.

In 1982 Charles Thomas planted a seed among other waterlily enthusiasts for creating a society. He fertilized it relentlessly. Luckily two events heightened interest for forming the organization. In 1983 the first local water gardening group formed in Colorado (Colorado Water Garden Society) and the following year one of the few water gardening writers visited the US from Ireland. Thomas capitalized upon the occasion, inviting him to visit and to help launch the new Water Lily Society. Hundreds from the US and many from Europe attended a well-planned affair where the organization was officially announced on September 22, 1984. …” 

Continue the History at IWGS.org

The original edition of Botanica Magnifica, consisting of five lavishly hand-bound volumes, was limited to just ten copies, the first of which was recently donated to the Smithsonian Institution. The extra-large “double-elephant” format of that edition was chosen in homage to the famous double-elephant folio of The Birds of America, and indeed, Botanica Magnifica is one of the few works of natural history ever to rival Audubon’s magnum opus in its scope and artistry. In praise of the double-elephant folio of Botanica Magnifica, the Smithsonian’s Chairman of Botany attested, “Everyone who has seen the photographs . . . has been tremendously impressed with the power, scale, and depth of the work.”

Botanica Magnifica features two hundred and fifty stunning photographs of rare and exotic plants and flowers by Hasselblad Laureate Award winner Jonathan Singer.

The original volume hand sown by Kerstin Tini Miura, is hand bound in goatskin, by German master bookbinder who now has ateliers both in California and Japan.

Each plant pictured is accompanied by a clear description of its botany, geography, folklore, history, and conservation. The species included are rare plants, historically significant flowers, gold medal winners, newly discovered plants, and plants that are just beautiful.

A podiatrist photographs some of the world’s most endangered flowers with remarkable precision and artistry, hoping to raise the plants’ profiles before it’s too late. — Audubon magazine

…its his [Singers] flowers, in Botanica Magnifica, that have caused quite a stir. Art aficionados marvel at their painterly quality, and botanists are in awe of how Singer manages to capture them so true to form… — Smithsonian.com

Botanica Magnifica is truly one of the most amazing natural history publications that has ever appeared… — Zoom magazine

As rare and sublime as the marvels surveyed within its broad covers, Singer has produced a work to rest alongside some of the great botanical codexes in history, one for connoisseurs of the still-life, natural phenomena, and the photographic art. — Library Journal

John Kress at the Smithsonian

                             To use in a water garden simply fill a cheese cloth sack or some stalkings with a couple pounds of activated carbon or charcoal, tie it, rinse very well or your pond will turn black in seconds. Once you rinse until clear place in a skimmer, filter, or where the water is moving and your pond will be rid of toxins very quickly. Remove before treating with a chemical or fish medicine as the carbon will absorb it in its entirety. Change the charcoal every 6 -12 months, you can rinse a few times during the year with clean pond water or well water.

Update January 28th 2010: 2500 gallons of clean water has been delivered to the Rose of Sharon School.

Learn more about the Aquascapes Foundation here.

Next we have more state aquatic plant restriction news. Texas we hope to know more about the potential white list or if that can be prevented.  Both Warner and Paula are wonderful watchdogs, I got a note from Warner this morning.
From Paula, this ruling will prohibit the control/elimination of Nelumbo lutea in Minnesota
http://www.pineandlakes.com/stories/123009/sports_20091230052.shtml.

          I should start by saying that this works in properly maintained water gardens. If you refer to your water garden as fish pond or koi pond that is the first signal you might lean more on the fish and less on the garden. In the spring remember not to begin feeding your fish until your plants are well established. You can throw off the balanced ecosystem with a single feeding and can cause some damage to fish if its real early. After winter a fish’s stomach is a little fragile. It has not had a good amount of food in many months perhaps, floating pellets or other fish-foods can cause a fish’s stomach to swell and lead to bleeding & even death. You want to introduce feeding slowly (but that’s more for a blogging fish day, you want to know about the Iris’s secret to preventing the spring algae bloom. Iris are one of the first plants to come alive in the pond, perhaps the very first. This plant and Marsh marigolds can suck the excess nutrients out of the pond beginning around the time of the final few frosts. Having a few areas of iris can dramatically reduces nitrites in the water and begin the process of cleaning the pond months before hyacinths or other plants can begin filtering the water. Iris also add a nice spring flower when hardy lilies are just beginning to send up leaves.  In the spring, if you have a few areas of established iris (Flag Iris, Japanese Iris, Louisiana Iris are all partially aquatic and can handle a couple inches of water), dont feed the fish, and do not have dead leaves and debris in the pond the chances of a spring algae bloom or green water are greatly reduced. A good water garden is a biologically correct water garden.

Available Spring 2010!

 New for 2010! Buy this pond plant and others at Pond Megastore

• A broad, round base.
• Round stems with tiny hairs.

Hibiscus flowers bloom on the plant from late spring through early fall. Flowers are 6 to 8 inches in diameter and have: .

• A brilliant yellow central stamen.
• A deep pink to burgundy center.

Tim Davis, who runs the International Waterlily Collection website and the IWGS.org site has added some great new additions for 2010 for the IWGS site. A step by step revamp of the International Waterlily and Water Garden Society is underway. Executive Director Larry Nau and fellow IWGS members are looking into getting permission from authors of the early IWGS Journals to issue the articles once again but this time for the IWGS website. They may need some help as to some of the early Journals and for what is not stored into the computers the process of retyping stories and articles will take some time. Images if permission is granted can also be scanned and stored. Larry is working on sending the table of contents to Tim right now and if you have some of the earlier Journals stay up to date as it is possible they may need your help.

As discussed in an online chat last night many articles are still of great use today. 

As of Tuesday a new Aquatic Resources Directory was launched where more than just aquatic plant companies can be found. It is the hope of the IWGS that this can become a great resource for the 1500 unique water garden visitors each month to the website to become business traffic. Categories include Aquatic Plants, Koi & Pond Fish, Online E-tailers, Retail Stores, Manufacturers, Pond Supplies, and Lake and Pond Management. New ideas and listings are welcome. IWGS members depending on what level member you are may be entitled to free listings and non-iwgs members can partake in the directory as well.

On a lighter note, Paula Biles, notified the IWGS of some sad news last week, Fred McCorkle has passed away. Fred was an IWGS Journal editor during Paula’s tenure as Executive Director and also worked with her on local activities in Florida. To read more about Fred please follow the IWGS link here.

.

2010 Eastern China Lotus Exploration

& Water Garden Tour

With Grant Mitchell and Warner Orozco-Obando

July 15-30 and Aug 3-17th 2010

Please contact if interested!   

Day 1 : Arrive Guanzhou Bai Yun Airport transport to hotel   

Day 2 : Day excursion to Lotus Mountain gardens. This garden is about 100 acres and includes many different parts. It overlooks the Pearl River estuary and is built around a 2,000 year old red sandstone quarry. This stone was only for use on the Emperors projects. In the old quarry there are high cliffs and ponds filled with lotus and waterlilies. On the top of the mountain is an old fort which controlled river traffic and a Buddhist complex with pagoda, huge traditional buildings and the biggest gilded bronze Guanyin in the world. There is also a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant.   

Photos Courtesy of Grant Mitchell

Day 3 : Visit several gardens and parks in Guangzhou. There are several different parks and gardens to visit with water-plants, orchids and other trees and flowers. [Soft sleeper class is a wide berth with 2 upper and 2 lower bunks with a door. The cabin is air-conditioned and there is a western style toilet and washrooms at the end of the carriage. Soft sleeper class is close to the dining car]  

Day 4 : Arrive in Fuyang. Afternoon visit to small lotus lake. 

Day 5 : Visit an incredible private lotus garden with over 1500 varieties of lotus. Mostly medium sized lotus grown in pots. There are many unique lotus in this private collection and can only be visited on this tour. Afternoon train to Hefei. 

Day 6: Visit Hefei lotus park. Check out the large lotus collection in this park setting. Afternoon bus to Pukou. 

Photos Courtesy of Grant Mitchell

Day 7 : Tour of the famous Yileen Water-garden. This well known water garden of several acres is incredible. There are hundreds of varieties of lotus as well as waterlilies and other aquatic plants. Yileen is responsible for the creation of many wonderful new hybrids and is a regular prize winner at the annual China Lotus Association convention 

Day 8: Bus to Hangzhou. Afternoon boat trip on the iconic West Lake. West Lake has been a famous beauty spot for hundreds of years. There is a classical Chinese saying…up above you have Heaven and below you have Suzhou and Hangzhou ! Every year the area around the lotus lined West Lake becomes more and more beautiful due to ongoing landscaping by the local government. 

Day 9 : Visit the scenic sites of West Lake and Hangzhou Botanical Garden. There are many different parts of the West Lake area with many separate parks joined by a variety of bridges. There are towers, causeways and pagodas along the way. In the evenings locals gather at the lakeside and play traditional instruments and sing and dance as they have done for centuries. Evening spectacular buffet dinner and variety show. 

Day 10 : Stroll around Lotus Swaying in the Breeze Park and the ancient Lin Ying Buddhist temple. Qu Yuan Feng He park was originally a brewery but has a history of several hundred years a park. There are bonsai and several small lakes with different varieties of lotus, waterlily and other waterplants with various bridges and lakeside pavilions, gardens and metasequoia forest. 

Photo Courtesy Grant Mitchell

Lin Ying temple complex is set in a lush forest not far from the lake.It also has a long history and is one of the most famous temples in China. Night sleeper train to Unesco World Heritage Mountain Park 

Day 11 : Rest in hotel then ride the cable car to the spectacular Heaven’s Gate mountain and Daoist temple and climb the stairs to Heaven’s Gate. This cable car ride travels several miles across the farmlands and foothills before a dramatic ascension to the mountain top. The views are incredible and the mountains are covered in a variety of trees, shrubs and other local flora. Another short trip brings you to a large Daoist temple and the walk back is on a pathway winding around the side of the mountain. On the return journey, a side trip in a bus takes you up a zig zag road to the base of Heaven’s Gate. A walk up the stairs takes you to a huge spectacular opening in the mountain. 

Photos Courtesy Grant Mitchell

Day 14 : Arrive in Guangzhou then a short bus trip to three Waters. Afternoon visit to Three Waters park with a huge brass reclining Buddha, Tibetan temple and Daoist temple complex.

Day 15: Wake up in the Ever-profit Lotus Hotel. Spend the day in the amazing, Lotus World, the biggest water garden in the universe ! Absolutely stounding! Farewell dinner in the evening.

Day 16: Depart from Guangzhou Bai Yun Airport. 

 TOUR INCLUDES: local transportation, entrances to the parks and locations, accommodation and all the meals. Total cost: $3,500 American dollars

(airfare it is NOT included). Maximum of 9 people. For small groups that can not make it during this time, we can customized the dates.

Contact Us for Information on Joining the exploration July 15-31 2010, or Warner Orozco-Obando Auburn Lotus Research Project Department of Horticulture Auburn University.

UPDATE Jan 17th 2010. More new Photos added.

Again, 

TOUR INCLUDES: local transportation, entrances to the parks and locations, accommodation and all the meals. Total cost: $3,500 American dollars

(airfare it is NOT included). Maximum of 9 people. For small groups that can not make it during this time, we can customized the dates.

Contact Us for Information on Joining the exploration July 15-31 2010, or Warner Orozco-Obando Auburn Lotus Research Project Department of Horticulture Auburn University.