How do you plan on growing them ,I grow mine in large plastic tubs,and half wine casks,you can put them out any time they wont freze they are really hard to kill,more often indoors than out,I put a half bag of black cow(get this from lowes or home depo) then some hevey dirt couple inches, then lay the tuber on top of the dirt with a rock over it so it dont float out,be carefull of the growing tips,then put about six inches of water over them,and wait, A good site to check on growing them is Teaxas Water Lily hightider

Waterlilies come onto the market in all sorts of places. Buyorsell tries to plug her own self interest, Americanponders, ebay listings and merchandise from a local garden centre by advertising, using the ebay name buyorsell on gardenweb Needless to say, if you want cheap plants being dumped at the cheap end of the market, credit where its due, cheap can be found. But, it might turn out to be something very nasty. Not to detract from the folk who do have good stuff, and offer it fair and square Which is why I like shopping on ebay, a market that is open and not subject to iffy resellers pushing iffy plants from iffy ponds or moderators condoning rackateering. I can find experienced folk offering interesting stuff, some great collectors have listed on ebay and offered goodies such as darmera, ensata iris, vastly superior choice of hardy and tropical waterlilies, lotus, marginal plants at very modest prices. Direct. There are some great nurseries, out there too, Bennetts, Stapeleys, Perry's, all rather few and far between, well worth a once in a lifetime trip. However here and now, ebay makes life a lot easier, where folk who really do know them and grow them, can list their stuff. I don't mind buying stuff there, especially among folk who have proven to be reliable

You can put it at the bottom as long as you're within the lilies depth range, usually 18 - 40 inches of water a top the lily; at least, that's what I've seen for most water lilies. I've always had luck with lilies as long as sunlight reaches the bottom, but I don't think it is a prerequisite. Hopefully your pond gets at least 8 hrs of sunlight a day; that's important for blooming. And yes, your pads can be suspended up from the pot below the waterline and the plant will, quite amazingly, extend the chords to the appropriate length. Plant the crown and tuber at a slight angle. Poorer soils with a little rock over the top... you could do a search and find lots of advice on the actual planting. Definitely fertilize with the special fert tabs made for water lilies if you want to maximize blooms. Good Luck! Here is a link that might be useful: A great link for what you want to do

Kat, I would be interested in doing some trading with you if you would like. I would be interested in JoAnne Pring, Mrs. George C. Hitchcock, and Afterglow (2 of Afterglow if you have them). I have a very extensive list of plants so you can check them and see if I have anything that you want. The only tropical I have up for trade right now is Albert deLestang. If you are not familiar with this tropical, it is an Austrailian waterlily that I have had much success growing. If you are interested in seeing what this lily looks like, go to http://www.victoria-adventure.org/waterlilies/anecphya_galleries/gigantea_albert_de_lestang.html where you can find a photo gallery of it. Though none of the pictures show it, Albert has a pretty icy blue tone on the first and second days. The flowers on this lily last a week compared to the four days of other tropicals. The plant that I have to send is a smaller plant but has TONS of growth on it and will be blooming size in a few weeks if given the proper care. It got a later start than all of my other tropicals. I also have Almost Black and then you can check my trade list and see what all else I have that you are interested in (go to www.geocities.com/lucasdalderson/myplants.html). I have most of the hardies up for trade but a different story on the bog plants and tropicals. I would be willing to trade 2 hardies per tropical with the exception of Almost Black because it is slightly rare. All plants will be good sized though Almost Black is a start but has very nice growth on it like the Albert deLestang. Let me know if you are interested in doing some trading. Happy ponding, Lucas D. Alderson