What’s in a name?

Bog Plant Ponds and floating plant ponds

How are the water garden plants you get in the mail or FedEx to your home grown? Where are they grown? Well it depends on where you purchase them. There are many growers in the United States. The safest place to look for water plants would be anyone listed in the international water garden society “Truly Named” participants. Some growers over the last few years have begun importing water lilies and other plants from countries like Thailand and other parts of the South-Asia Pacific. This can be problematic for a number of reasons. First off the water in these countries is not likely drinkable out of a faucet rather than the fields the water lilies and aquatic plants are grown.

MIAMI ROSE WATER LILY POND

 The risk of infectious diseases and parasites is very high and once a grower imports these plants the rest of the ponds could become contaminated with disease or parasites quickly as planters have their hands in ponds all day all over the facility. Another poor condition is that plants in other countries may not be taken care of in quite the same condition. In a conversation I had last year with award winning Water Lily grower Brad McLane of Florida Aquatics, he noted that every third day for decades now his team has cut the flowering heads off of the water lilies at the Florida Aquatic growing facilities. Why? To prevent cross pollination and growing unnamed species. This kind of dedication is not seen in other facilities. Brad took the time to gather actual proper plant specimens from botanical gardens and other resources of truly named varieties. As he collected these he cultivated them by tuber separation and now tissue culture as well. This is the proper way to carbon copy the species. If the plants are cross pollinated and go to seed new unnamed varieties will grow. Perhaps the same color (or close) but not an identical plant. This dedication has lead to probably the largest collection of truly named plants anywhere. All the lilies grown for Pond Megastore are grown from Brad and Brandon McLane as of 2009 and future years and we are truly proud to provide homeowners with the absolute best quality plants even seen in backyard ornamental water gardens.

Bog Plants, Pink Aquatic Canna Blooming, Rushes & Reeds Nicely Grown

There is a link to the Truly Named organization here. We provide more species to the homeowner than anyone else but we do not provide every species available so I want you to take a look around and order from anyone on this list. You will note your plants are safe from foreign pests and truly named.