It's that time of year again. Summer is right around the corner and our waterlilies and lotus are gearing up for another show-stopping season. Our hardy waterlilies are already beginning to bloom in the display ponds, with 'Red Queen', 'John Wedgwood', and 'Niki' leading the pack. Karen Webbink took this photo of 'Red Queen' while we were in the ponds cleaning and fertilizing today.
There's only one problem - actually, make that three problems... turtles, ducks, and koi.
Yes, our wild neighbors are once again wreaking havoc in the ponds this year. Today alone, we found about a dozen waterlily leaves floating freely on the water's surface after being snipped off one by one by a large red-eared slider. Our floating turtle trap is in place, but so far the newly leafed out lilies are proving far more tempting than the trap's two sunning decks.
Joining the turtles were two muskovy ducks and two mallards. So far our feathered friends have not been too destructive, but from past experience we know it is only a matter of time. Rounding out the group are the few large koi in our ponds. These guys love to dig around in freshly planted waterlily pots, uprooting any waterlily rhizomes that happen to be in their way. To combat this, we have been placing large flat stones on the surface of the soil in each pot. It appears to be working so far!
If anyone out there has other tips on how to deal with any of these troublemakers, please let me know!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Turtles, Ducks, and Koi
It's that time of year again. Summer is right around the corner and our waterlilies and lotus are gearing up for another show-stopping season. Our hardy waterlilies are already beginning to bloom in the display ponds, with 'Red Queen', 'John Wedgwood', and 'Niki' leading the pack. Karen Webbink took this photo of 'Red Queen' while we were in the ponds cleaning and fertilizing today.
There's only one problem - actually, make that three problems... turtles, ducks, and koi.
Yes, our wild neighbors are once again wreaking havoc in the ponds this year. Today alone, we found about a dozen waterlily leaves floating freely on the water's surface after being snipped off one by one by a large red-eared slider. Our floating turtle trap is in place, but so far the newly leafed out lilies are proving far more tempting than the trap's two sunning decks.
Joining the turtles were two muskovy ducks and two mallards. So far our feathered friends have not been too destructive, but from past experience we know it is only a matter of time. Rounding out the group are the few large koi in our ponds. These guys love to dig around in freshly planted waterlily pots, uprooting any waterlily rhizomes that happen to be in their way. To combat this, we have been placing large flat stones on the surface of the soil in each pot. It appears to be working so far!
If anyone out there has other tips on how to deal with any of these troublemakers, please let me know!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Plant Sale, Pond Prep, and more!
Our spring plant sale at Duke Gardens is just hours away! Staff and volunteers are busy making preparations for the big day, and it looks like the weather will cooperate, with a toasty 87 degrees forecast for Saturday. As far as aquatic plants go, the sale this year will feature bareroot lotus tubers that are ready to plant now, along with hardy waterlily rhizomes divided from our display plants last week.
In the ponds, the volunteer waterlily team has been busy preparing for the busy s
ummer months. John Wyman and Jean Reniers finished up their work on the waterlily stands yesterday, removing any rust and adding a fresh coat of rustoleum to keep them sturdy for this season. These stands allow us to grow our waterlilies at depths necessary for optimum growth and blooming - generally 12-18" below the water's surface. Without the stands, we would be unable to grow these plants in many areas of the ponds that average 4' deep.
ummer months. John Wyman and Jean Reniers finished up their work on the waterlily stands yesterday, removing any rust and adding a fresh coat of rustoleum to keep them sturdy for this season. These stands allow us to grow our waterlilies at depths necessary for optimum growth and blooming - generally 12-18" below the water's surface. Without the stands, we would be unable to grow these plants in many areas of the ponds that average 4' deep.Karen Webbink 
was hard at work again this morning in our propagation greenhouse. A water change was done in each tub and the Victoria and Euryale seedlings were fertilized. She also assisted in transplanting many of our tropical waterlily starts, which were ready to be seperated from the tubers we saved from last year's plants. We have a good collection of tropicals started, and can hardly wait to get them out into the ponds!
was hard at work again this morning in our propagation greenhouse. A water change was done in each tub and the Victoria and Euryale seedlings were fertilized. She also assisted in transplanting many of our tropical waterlily starts, which were ready to be seperated from the tubers we saved from last year's plants. We have a good collection of tropicals started, and can hardly wait to get them out into the ponds!Lastly, we are continuing to receive entries to the IWGS New Waterlily Contest, with a hardy waterlily entry set to arrive early next week from Thailand! The tropical entries will begin to roll in next month, and all of these will be placed outdoors starting in early June. Stay tuned!
Thursday, April 2, 2009
April Showers
It's a gray, drizzly day here at the Gardens, but inside our greenhouses the climate is decidedly tropical. Our Victoria seeds continue to make progress, with the largest seedling bearing leaves that are 4" in diameter - a far cry from the 6' breadth they will reach by late summer, but exciting none the less. Our Euryale seedlings continue to inch along as well, though at a slower pace then the Vics.
Also jostling for space in our heated greenhouse tubs are the entries that have started rolling in for the 2009 IWGS New Waterlily Contest. These new hardy and tropical waterlily hybrids are sent in from hybridizers around the world, with the most recent entries arriving from Cyprus and Hawaii. Our waterlily team is looking forward to growing these brand new plants in the Fish Pool again this summer. The lilies can be viewed beginning in June and running through September, with the peak bloom time occurring in mid-July through mid-August. Visitors will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite hybrids once again this year - both on our website and pond-side. More details, along with photos will be posted soon.
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