Languorous Water Lilies: Langorous?

» Carol Wallace - Langorous?

Mine are among the most ammbitious plants in my garden. Now that they are established, they seem ready to stage a takeover - we can no longer see the fish for all the floating lily pads and flowers - but what a glorious sight they are!

I wish our climate allowed me to grow the tropical water lilies easily. For us they are annuals unless I want to go through an elaborate routine with aquaria and water heaters all winter. But they are my favorites - especially the blues.

I've been unlucky with lotus as well. I've tried four times, and once managed to get a magnificent yellow bloom or two (and aren't the seed pods wonderful?!) But the second one fell victim to a raccoon, and I lost the third when my husband's dog decided to go for a swim and knocked the pot over damaging the growing tip. My husband beat the poor fourth one to death - inadvertently. He was trying to get some sun bass out of the pond, tossed in by a neighbor kid, and which were busy devouring our goldfish. So I have given up on those as well.

-- posted by Carol Wallace