Update #9...Waterlily-ily-ing
I have loved waterlilies since I was a kid about 10 years old. We had a class trip to the Houston Zoo and in the lily pond, I plucked a waterlily bloom. I took it home and floated it in my aquarium and it opened and closed for about 4 days. It was magical....beautiful and it smelled so good!
My husband and I were 19 when we got married, and we had the good fortune to buy a piece of land that same year. It was part of an old dairy farm. Had a huge red barn, although the house and hired hand's house had been sold separately. Later we were able to buy an adjoining 10 acres.
There were 3 concrete water troughs on the property. My friend, who also had horses, had goldfish in her water troughs...they ate the mosquito larvae. I bought some goldfish for a nickel apiece at a bait place and she gave me a handful of anacharis...an underwater plant. Then, I found out about the many different varieties of goldfish, and I went off on that tangent...eventually ending up with 16 varieties of fancy goldfish that I kept in 22 aquariums, in a fish house in my back yard. I showed goldfish, taking them as far away as Akron, Ohio. And I found out about koi, and when we had to clear some land in order to plant hay, to keep our place with an ag tax deferment, my husband dug six mud bottomed ponds for me, and I bought koi from California, and then spawned them and raised koi. I planted lilies in the ponds and Louisiana irises around them, and hatched the baby koi in the ponds. I had so much fun doing it.
When we sold that place in order to buy this one, I didn't have a good place to keep the koi. I ended up giving them away to someone who had a 20 acre sand pit. That is where they dig out sand to sell for construction, etc., and the pit fills up with water and makes a big pond. The man who owned the sand pit had some koi in it already and he was very fond of them, and I knew that would be the best home I could find for them.
Once I moved here, and had internet, I found many people who shared my love of waterlilies. I was already a lifetime and founding member of the Waterlily Society...since changed to International Water Gardening Society...and attended some of their symposiums around the country. I started trading waterlilies on the internet.
I ended up with about 200 varieties. One of the largest private collections in the USA. Came home one day to find my horses had gotten out, and had destroyed virtually all of my waterlilies. At the time, my mother was very sick and I was taking care of her. We had some other events going on in our lives that were very depressing....and I was very depressed about the lilies. I couldn't salvage them all....and I didn't try very much to salvage any of them. After about a year, I had maybe 40 varieties left, but as our problems took most of my time (and money), I let them go.
After about five years, I probably had less than 20 varieties left.
Last year I started replacing them. Some that I lost, I will never be able to find again. They are from Thailand and were very hard to come by. But there are enough that I can replace to keep me more than busy. I can't take care of so many again. I had excellent soil at the old place, and it is so hard to pot them here. I have to make myself do it. But, I love them. I especially love the miniatures.
I also miss my koi. I decided to put together a collection of koi, buying only very cheap ones. I gave myself a limit of $10 per koi, but usually spend about $5. I culled better fish than these, back when I was raising them. But, even though they aren't the quality I used to strive for, it doesn't matter...they are still pretty and I love to see them.
One of my husband's friends owned a bait business and when he went out of business, he sold him the tanks very reasonably. I have a 1400 gallon tank that I keep some of the koi in...they are still small, and a few scattered in three of the lily tanks.
When we sold the place that had been a dairy, we moved one of the concrete troughs here. It is one of my all time favorite things. It was poured the year I was born. I also have been able to find 3 other concrete troughs. I just like the rustic way they look. Here is the big one moved from the old place. I think my husband was just super to go to the trouble to move this big trough for me.
When we fence the house, he is going to move the trough back a little so it will be inside the yard. It needs to be leveled up.
Here are some of the mini waterlilies.
This is Graziella.
This is Aurora.
Laydekeri Lilacea
Helvola
Pygmaea Rubra
And Walter Pagels.
I still have a few big varieties...including this one named Wanvisa that won the award for the best new waterlily in 2010. It is very unusual with flecks of variegation in the petals.
Another one new to me is Bulls Eye.
And, there are many, many more. I will never have the big collection I once did, but have concentrated on the small ones and some of the more unusual hardy and tropicals.
Hope you enjoyed seeing them.
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