Aquatic plant picks

Thursday, 24 January 2008

To find out which aquatic plants will be catching eyes this year, Garden Center Magazine talked with Craig Presnell, water lily hybridizer and owner of Luster Aquatic Nursery in Zolfo Springs, Fla. Here are his top picks for this season.

For more: Luster Aquatic Nursery, (863) 735-2400; www.lusteraquatic.com.

1. Nymphaea ‘Avalanche’

‘Avalanche’ will be offered for the first time in 2008. This large, day-blooming tropical water lily features light clear-blue petals. The color is enhanced by the white petaloid stamen surrounding the nectar cup. Pads are deep maroon with green marbling.

‘Avalanche’ was selected as both Best New Tropical Water Lily and Best New Water Lily in the 2006 International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society competition.

2. Victoria spp.

Improved offerings of Victoria amazonica and V. cruziana should also prove popular this year.

“These giant showstoppers from South America are rarely imported any longer, so to protect the breeding lines the folks at Victoria-adventure.org breed and maintain pedigreed lines of Victoria,” Presnell said. “In the past these plants have largely gone to public gardens, but we’re proud to be able to offer them this year to the water gardening industry.”

Victoria spp. feature large pads with tall, upturned rims. Flowers start out white and gradually change to pink and maroon.

3. Colocasia esculenta ‘Tea Cup’

One of the newer marginal plants to be offered this year is Colocasia ‘Tea Cup.’

“Being a Colocasia, it’s at home in a wet environment,” Presnell said. “It’s a tropical -- hardy to (USDA Hardiness) Zone 7b -- and grows 6 feet tall.”

The stems of ‘Tea Cup’ are cranberry colored. The olive-colored leaf is cupped so that it will actually hold water.

4. Hydrolea corymbosa

H. corymbosa is another marginal expected to be popular in 2008. It’s commonly known as sky flower. It’s a beautiful small perennial shrub native to Florida and the Gulf Coast.

“The glossy green leaves are attractive in their own right, but this plant starts to flower in midsummer when most marginal pond plants have stopped and continues blooming through the first frost with beautiful blue flowers,” Presnell said.

Award winning water lilies

The International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society named the winners of its 2007 competition. The specimens were grown at Sarah P. Duke Gardens in Durham, N.C. Judges reviewed the plants in August 2007. Visitors to the garden also got to pick their favorites, which received the People’s Choice Award.

Best new water lily and best new tropical water lily

Nymphaea ‘Suwanna’

Hybridized by Kanchana (Kathy) Kokhakanin

Second best tropical water lily

Nymphaea ‘Pam Wilson’

Hybridized by Charles Winch

Best new hardy water lily

People’s Choice Award for best new hardy water lily

Nymphaea ‘Miss Siam’

Hybridized by Pairat Songpanich

People’s Choice Award for best new tropical water lily

Nymphaea ‘Margaret Edwards’

Hybridized by Charles Winch

Truthful labeling program ensures quality cultivars

Aquatic plant knockoffs have proliferated on the Web in recent years. It’s hard for consumers and retailers to be sure they’re getting the plant they paid for.

Water Gardeners International (WGI) is battling this disturbing trend with its Truly Named program. Several WGI wholesale and retail members have joined to create this truth-in-labeling initiative.

Participating members pledge that their named water lily hybrids are grown only by vegetative means. Unknown plants and seedlings of hybrids are offered unnamed or in color groups such as pink or yellow.

Certifying members pledge that specific cultivars are true to name and provide detailed descriptions and images of plants to WGI. Cultivars meeting these requirements can have a Truly Named tag attached to plants verifying authenticity.