Hardy waterlily seed is produced by species varieties and some hybrids from mid summer. Some varieties are good at throwing interesting plants, most are not. Hardy waterlily seed is best sown fresh, or its germination rates are low if dried, or hit and miss if refrigerated

Yes, Yes.. I do have quite the monoculture going on. :o) There is a small creek downwind from my property.. I would say approximately an acre away from my water barrels/small pond. And.. we have a ton of bird traffic. I am looking for things that will stay well contained in their little homes either on on their own or by clipping flowers before they go to seed. I hear water hyacinth is good at cleaning the water. What is your impression of how well it would behave in this given situation? What varieties of hosta/clematis would you be interested in and where at in the Carolinas to you live?

I already have white as well but have something new that has burgundy leaves. I am told that this means the plant will be either red or a pink. The tuber is average size about 4 inches extremely healthy. I have several of them but demand for them by a few locals. Like yourself, I love lotus. I do have lotus growing from seed and nice pods. I expect to bloom by end of season as they are growing quick. The secret is space. giving them a lake a home. LOL

Patience with starting from seed...takes 2 years, usually, to see blooms. I'm in Z6 so mine must be Hardy to survive. After trading for Hardy Hib seeds on GW last winter, I planted 6 in a 5 gal. pail with 12 holes drilled in the bottom for drainage, lined the bottom with plastic screening to keep bugs out, made up my own non-soil mix (with help from Mimzy's Mix on GW forums--I made a batch big enough for 6 pails--some for patio tomatoes), placed them in full sun, watered faithfully adding two times very light fertilizer when I saw some green, and was so surprised/happy when they popped up the same year...more surprised/thrilled when I planted them after getting BUDS, and I now have 3 out of 6 originally planted burgundy red Hardy Hibs in bloom (7-1/2" blooms across) on 3' stems...I hope they stay that small but unsure. Yes, it can be done and quite simple to boot, but be sure to check out all forums before you start. I'm now praying for their seed to do it all over again...I have people waiting in the wings for the seed. The non-soil mixture was also good/very soft to use inside the hole I planted the hibs in and I even used my humidifier water...waste not/want not when it comes to gardening. I wish you so much luck..go for it! Ginny B.