It won't be long and summer will be over.  I already notice a difference with the days getting shorter.  It has started to cool off some from the hot weather we've been having.  All is doing well in the pond and it won't be long and the garden will be finished.  I canned the first of the tomatoes last week ending up with about 27 quarts so far.  I'm sure tomorrow I'll be able to add to that.

Finding more time now to do other things since the pond season is starting to slow down.  There is little time during March, April, May and June, but then July things start to slow some.  I notice the waterlilies seem to have to slowed down but when they do bloom are still wonderful.

Enjoy why we can......the tropicals are the first to go.

I'm not certain what happened to Spring here but I think it may have been here but we missed it......yesterday little snow flakes were appearing and in a couple days its going to be in the 70s.  What's up with that???

But even though we're all anxious for the weather to turn nice so we can begin planting our flowers, vegetables gardens and clean our ponds, we have begun sending allot of nice plants to those who have the warm weather.  Lucky them! 

Dragonfly Aquatics has a couple new hardy water lilies to introduce.  Hidden Violet which is a very unusual waterlily.  Large red-violet flowers with pointed petals that catch the eye.  The leaves are a darker green which gives a nice contrast to the flowers.  It requires full sun as most of the red hardy waterlilies do and performs well. 

The other new water lily is Walter Pagels, a very creamy white hardy water lily with with a hint of pale pink.  This water lily is considered a medium hardy water lily and is an excellent choice for small to medium size ponds.  Unlike the red water lilies it will perform well in sun to part shade.  It also is one of the water lilies that will stay open later in the day for more enjoyment.

'Aurora'  hardy water lily is an ideal smaller water lily for tub, containers or small ponds.  This is also a great small lily to put into a stream or bog area as long as there isn't splashing of water.    Attractive purplish and green leaves give this lily a stunning look.  The buds appear cream colored and open to yellow flowers, then turn through colors ending in red.  This transformation takes place over several days so a number of different colors may be seen at the same time.  A truly remarkable water lily.   Place the lily 12-18 inches below the water surface.  It will spread approximately 12-24 inches.

Propagation:  By division of the established crowns during the growing season.  You can replant them right away in their own container and grow more plants.

Buy Aurora, Hardy Water Lily here.

Star of Zanzibar was introduced to water gardening public in 2002. One of my all time favorite tropical day blooming water lilies. Star of Zanzibar has large (5"-6") dark blue flowers with as many as 40 petals per bloom.  Heavily variegated leaves with splashes of maroon can reach up to 14" across.  This tropical lily is extremely vigorous and blooms heavily throughout the season. The leaves are held close to the center of the plant, making it neat and compact, but it can spread up to six feet across if put in a large plant container. If you would like to grow it in a small to medium pond, plant in a 8" to 12" wide container to limit it's spread to about 4'.

Limited time reduced price Star of Zanzibar here.

The Barbara Dobbins is a popular hardy water lily.  Peach from pale yellow with a deeper pink blush.  A truly outstanding lily.  Its goblet shaped blooms are about 4-8 inches and has mottled leaves.  It will grow to 6-8 feet wide in full sun.  It should be planted in 6-24 inches of water and is a good choice for a medium to large pond.

This is one of our favorites!  The 'Green Smoke' tropical water lily is an outstanding color of chartreuse with smoky blue tips.  Its leaves are lightly speckled, bronze-green and the blooms of the 'Green Smoke' are 6-8 inches held high above the water that are platter shaped.It will spread 5-6 feet on the water surface.  This is a good choice for small to medium size ponds.

You can safely place a tropical waterlily in your outdoor pond when the water reaches a consistent temperature of about 70 degrees.  You can stunt the growth or even kill a tropical lily if placed into a cold pond.  It sends the lily into shock, returning them to dormancy.  You should fertilize the lily every two or three weeks to keep it blooming throughout the warm season.

Purchase Green Smoke, tropical water lily here.

The hardy water lily is considered one of the favorites among the red hardy lilies.  It is a deep crimson color with leaves that are large, rounded and plain green.  It can produce flowers up to 12 inches across but usually are about 8 inches inches and is fragrant.

Give it plenty of room to grow so it will spread in your pond giving you more blooms.  Depth can be 24-48 inches deep situated in full sun.  Has a Marliac-type rhizome.  Good for medium to large size ponds.

Buy Aflame, Hardy Red Water Lily here.

A stunning peach waterlily that is a favorite.  It changes during the blooming season, first opening in the spring a yellow with pink and then changing to a smoked salmon color in the summer.  It has cactus-shaped blooms that will get 4-6 inches.  The new leaves on this lily open mottled with burgundy, and then maturing to a green color.  It will grow in full sun to part shade in 6-36 inches of water.  Tuberosa type rhizome.  Strawn, 1994.

A good choice for medium size ponds.