A lily is a lily is a lily

[Cedric]

I wrote this over on the "hybridising" forum but I really want to know what makes a lily tick for you, so I'm posting it here too.

I am very quickly discovering that there is definitely more to a good tropical water-lily than just colour. There seem to be two definite strains floating around, weak and rampant! Not much in-between. There are a few gems of course.

Flower substance and shape is vital. The double fancy ones can be a mess in heavy rain very hot sunshine and wind, in fact rarely looking fabulous all the time. Taking on a shredded cabbage look, and then flopping backwards like a damp mop. Other tropicals are so weak even rain drops cause bruising on the thin leaves, making lacy holes right through them. Others grow so rampantly they are only suitable for a large public lake and very quickly languish when they run out of food, and then others are so feeble they only want to send out one leaf a month and a flower just when they feel like it.  And then yet others who go into panic the minute the weather drops bellow 86% withholding flowers and sending out silly little leaves as though winter had arrived early with 85f.

So choose carefully and ask questions before you buy. Better still observe carefully how they are growing. What is the perfect lily for you?

For me it must be floriferous, it must have smallish leaves with good leathery substance, it must have strong flower stalks that stand straight and send up sturdy large flowers with excellent substance, it must grow well and healthily but not rampantly, it must open all day for three days in a row while maintaining its perfect lily shape, and it must be a lovely lovely colour of course.

Not too much to ask you would think, but you would be surprised. I am slowly whittling down the competition to see what's left of mine as the winners, I'll let you know. A few are looking very promising. When we eventualy hit the 70%f in our winter I will know everything about them.

Meantime Im off to Thailand to find the perfect white, N' crystal is looking promising on paper, though I've no idea. See what I can come up with. Beware don't just choose on colour of flower or leaf alone no matter how unusual it might appear. There is so much more that's much more important to growing a really good water lily.

[Joyce]

Any of Craig Presnell's Lilies are the finest for me. 

[Cedric]

High praise indeed. So what's your best white tropical and why?

[Joyce]

We've discussed this before on another white topic.
http://www.americanponders.com/forum/index.php?topic=6302.0

In my opinion, if I were to add 2 more tropical whites to my pond, it would be Missouri and Caliente.
Missouri for night, Caliente for day blooms.
I know, I know, Caliente is truly a light yellow, but for me it is pale enough to be 'white'.

Hardy Whites would be 'Moondance' just cuz of Joey's photo,
and then the diminutive N. pygmaea for it's non stop tiny white stars that can grow in a 12" wide container pond.

[Cedric]

Yea the whites are quite difficult. Night flowering ones no problem, they're all good big and attractive, if not a bit rampant. Some of the whites I've seen tend to look a bit ugly when the stamens lie flat, giving a dirty browny yellow stain like ring to the blooms third day. Looking to get the proper sparkling pure white with good substance, and not too rampant veg growth?

I will be able to choose from quite a few of the Americans as well as Australians and Thais of course, so come on anyone else have some suggestions? Anyone grow "crystal" the tropical one. I wonder if it is floriferous or not, it looks like a gem from descriptions anyway?

[Kat]

I was not impressed with Crystal's performance when I had it.

Caliente is a stunning lily.

[Cedric]

Thanks Kat I will look into Calienta, not sure if i will find it outside of America though. Someone here said the flowers spoil in rain with pinkish red water marks is this so? Just we get a lot of summer showers and spots and marks on whites can look a bit off.

What was it about N' Crystal that was not so hot in your opinion? It is viviparous, they are usually quite strong in the main, even though this one is meant o be quite compact. It also has nicely marked leaves and pure white flowers.
 I think Crystal is an American one, though I can get it sent from Australia via "Watergarden Paradise" a member of the truly named nurseries, along with any Charles Winch ones.

The Winch whites are also an option, though some might be a bit too strong growing for my purposes. His "White Delight" looks good though more cream than white. Do you know any of the Winch whites?

[Kat]

I'm not fond of white lilies although I really like Caliente.  Caliente grows light yellow in Florida but for me it is white.  Yes, it will get pink spots on the petals if exposed to water but I find that very attractive & unusual.  The Crystal I had dwindled to nothing over the season & was not a strong plant in my opinion.  Plus if I want a white lily I'm going to want something that really stands out & Crystal just didn't do that.  No other whites in my ponds, so I cannot say what others would be good.

[Cedric]

Our climate is much the same as Florida, but warmer in winter generally and even more humid year round 80-100% so I assume calienta will also grow yellow here in that case. Do you not like white as a colour preference or are you just not fond of most of the whites available? 

I think a good pure white with maroon splashed leaves must look magic. We have many whites here but they are all night flowering and truly rampant. What I really really want is a pure white N 'capenis but with a bit of colour in the leaves, i just love that classic shape. Find one be sure to let me know wont you.

[jclements]

For tropical whites, I have grown Marion Strawn and Innocence. Innocence is viviparous with mottled pads. The tips of the petals can be a bit pink, but it may be something worth looking into.

Here are some of my photos of Innocence. Some were taken when I lived in Florida and some were taken where I live now, in Texas.















For hardy whites, I have a Gonnere. No blooms, yet, but from what I have seen posted in photos here, it will be stunning.

[Joyce]

Cedric, believe me, ALL the times I have been to Florida, the humidity has been 80-100%.

GREAT shots Jessica!

[jclements]

I also forgot to mention that I grow all of my plants in small containers. Here's a photo of the pot I had Innocence in when in Florida.



Midnight was growing in the other pot.

Joyce--thanks! 

[Cedric]

Cedric, believe me, ALL the times I have been to Florida, the humidity has been 80-100%.

Yea me too, but I've mostly only ever been in summer. I think much the same as here. Though we are a tiny Island more or less, surrounded by warm ocean so the humidity is more constantly high. Florida can have daily fluctuations ranging from 50%- 90%, in winter even more dramatic. Im definitely sure our growing conditions though are more or less the same as far as lilies are concerned.

Though as far as i can see Caliente is in fact a light yellow flower, it is listed as such at the IWG. This probably fades steadily into a white in certain conditions. Some yellows do this.

[Cedric]

Jclements, innocence is looking like a hot contender, I wonder if it's widely grown. Nice.

[Kat]

How about this one?  It is one of Craig's that he has set aside.  Not many whites catch my attention but this one does.

[Cedric]

That's lovely, is that its leaf? If it is that's nice. Did he trial it yet and how did it perform? There was on floating around that  I remember from picture but the name eludes me. It had a spider pattern on the leaf also white I thought. Could be mistaken? Might in fact be called "spider"?

I think at this point innocence is looking hot hot hot. I wonder if Capensis itself wouldn't be the answer to my dreams, I know they can start pale blue then second day onwards white, or was it start off white second day pink???