If you haven't done so already, now is the time to stop by Duke Gardens to see the rainbow of hybrids entered in this year's IWGS New Waterlily Competition. The Virtue Peace Pond is a riot of color with 33 new hybrids on display, including night-blooming waterlilies, day-blooming tropicals, and hardy lilies. Now is their peak bloom time, so don't miss your chance to get some great photos, relax by the pond, and vote for your favorites!
Speaking of voting, you can choose your favorite new hybrids on our website at sarahpdukegardens.org.
The official judging will take place later this month by a panel of IWGS judges, each of whom has over 20 years of experience growing waterlilies. The public voting will run through the end of September. The winners of each will be announced here, on our website, and on the IWGS site at iwgs.org.
As far as our work in the ponds goes, it is business as usual, with dedicated volunteers and staff working in the ponds twice a week to maintain the plants by removing dead leaves and blooms and moving the plants around as needed to ensure that each has enough space to grow. Fertilization is done every other week using specially formulated aquatic fertilizer tabs that are pushed into the soil around the base of each plant.
