I've had mine 'in situ' for three years, and they take awhile to get going each year. I would guess temprature may have something to do with it. Once they get growing they develop rapidly when the weather warms up.

Mind you, mine are getting shorter each year, more shoots just short!

A typically daft question from moi, but that waterlily that Terry popped into my pond last November... for the past couple of weeks the pads have been coming up. There are 22 on the surface now and I can see loads more rising up. My question: All the pads are a dark red colour. Is this normal? My last lot of lilies had new green pads.

Many thanks - Kaz

quite normal

I bought one about two weeks ago Sean,
I have put it in a water tub by my drive so I can check on its progress each day.
It appeared to be healthy when I put it in
Dave

I don't think any of the plants that I bought from B&Q ever did anything. Maybe if they had already been growing they would have done but none from the dry packs ever materialized. No I tell a lie- I've just remembered that the pickeral weed did okay with one of the ryzomes but the other didn't do anything. But all in all I guess I lost a bit of money and it's okay saying they are guaranteed, but it's a bit hard to prove what plant you have in a bit of gravel if nothing is there to prove it.

Kazzie - mine come up with red pads as well.
Alison

Kazzie, "Attraction" has red leaves when they come up.

I guess I must have been lucky! I bought a Pickerel Hyacinth and a Sagittaria Latifolia when they were reduced by 20% - and got another 10% being a senior citizen. There were two corms/rhizomes in each pack and they are all doing well.The Hyacinth is down at 50cm depth and growing. The Arrow Head is on the deep ledge; the growing tip is already above water level.

I was given an Arum last Autumn. It was in a plastic bag and it got forgotten under a camellia bush. Some weeks ago I noticed lots of green leaves (that weren't camellia!) and hauled out the plastic bag to find that the plant had been in water all winter and was just about to flower! It was a nice surprise and the first plant to grace my new pond. It is still in flower and another bloom will soon be opening.

Tricia

I have a few 2" Arum Lilliy seedlings on the go, nieghbour has a huge Arum and it seeded a few years ago, I used most of the seeds, found a dozen that got left, but seems most were still ok.

they are a good plant for the summer months, shame thay int so hardy!

Sean,
I've got a dozen or more Arum lilies, most in the pond at depths ranging from 4"-12", the rest planted in the ground. The in pond ones don't grow very big or vigorously and have only ever produce two small flowers in total. The ground planted ones have grown much larger and produced many flowers. As my pond is primarily a koi pond I keep the nutrient level very low in the water and I thing this starves the Arums (and my water lily). The in pond ones I bought from an aquatic plant supplier off the internet. They arrived as bare, wet, rooted and shooted rhyzomes and probably 80% survived planting in the pond.
Chris.

Hi Sean,

I bought a couple last year from B&Q - the first one rotted last year and then this year I removed the second one (the smell was a dead giveaway).
I ordered a couple from Crocus this year and they are fantastic plants - in flower now and really healthy

shoot, if I had known about the 10% OAP discount I would have got my mum to get the B&Q plants darn it.

What I want to know is how the B&Q dry packs are growing..

Please Sean - not OAP - senior citizen is a much nicer name. I don't consider myself old by any means - I'm only 71!!...........Tricia :)

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. :-))) or in this case water hawthorn.

Chris, thanks I think you might have pinpointed the problem with why mine are getting smaller. My pond has more nutrients being a rather green wildlife pond, but probably not enough for them. Might need to plan them next to the pond for a good show--or even in a boggy bit?

As for B&Q Sean, one pimpernel pack is doing fine the other had one dud. The waterlily is making its way with loads of tiny red leaves. Lets see if they get any bigger.
Still £5.00 for a waterlily thats growing, is better than £16.00 for one that isn't!