Does anyone know if these are available? I put a small pond in my Greenhouse [Maccourt 125 gal plastic] and it's only about 6x4 ft, 18" deep. I don't want something that will dominate the pond. Any other flowering suggestions? I'm keeping tropical fish in it, just set it up i'll post some pics when i finish the trim.

Sure. I keep Rhonda Kay in 24" water containers each year. They'll likely stay small if you keep their container under water small. They'll still spread out across the pond if they get happy enough, though. There are many, many other flowering pond plants, from water poppies to water hawthorne if you're looking for alternatives.

The type of fish will make a difference, though. Some fish will uproot everything, and others will eat many plants. Small tropicals might be all right.

psa said: Sure. I keep Rhonda Kay in 24" water containers each year. They'll likely stay small if you keep their container under water small. They'll still spread out across the pond if they get happy enough, though. There are many, many other flowering pond plants, from water poppies to water hawthorne if you're looking for alternatives.

The type of fish will make a difference, though. Some fish will uproot everything, and others will eat many plants. Small tropicals might be all right.

Thank you. Where did you get that lily? I reread the lotus thread and found Texas Waterlily and Bergen. The Bergen site in NY looks great they have some small lily's and micro-Lotus. I picked up a tiny Tiger Lotus at a local Pet store not sure how big that gets. All my Tropical fish will be small and not diggers.

I'm a big fan of Bergen, though I mostly get lotus from them. The lilies I've purchased have been large and in good shape, though.

Texas Waterlilies was a great place under the old owners. I honestly don't know much about the new ones, so can't speak to them. I've not ordered from the new owners, but they were very nice about answering my questions about a previous order I had made there. Although they've dropped some of the unique items they used to have, they still have a very broad selection of iconic plants.

Rhonda Kay is pretty common, and most tropical water lily sellers have it. It's one of my favorites for its versatility and unique appearance among my collection. I picked it up in a private trade, though. Dauben I think is also quite small, though might expand more aggressively.

I believe tiger lotus is the marketing name for a water lily that is primarily grown for its underwater appearance. I think I've heard that it can reach the surface and produce floating pads in time, but I don't know anything about its blooming habits at that point.

I love the Bergen site, so many great plants. I want to try some micro lotus but i'm confused, many say ship in spring but some don't. Can they ship these year around? Same question with water lilies? I should call them, have you talked to them? The wording on their site seems like there maybe from China.

I've spoken with the family that owns Bergen. They are really nice people. All of their lotus will ship in the spring at this point. They import most of their varieties from China, and then grow and propagate them in New York, so you will likely receive a division of one of their plants in New York, though it may have been imported from China the year previous, depending on variety.

Keep in mind that smaller lotus are weaker plants when they wake up, and the smallest micro bowl varieties need very shallow water and good conditions (though most lotus wake up better in shallow water, really). If you're not familiar with growing lotus from divisions, I would go with something medium-small, rather than the micros. You'll be planting it in a container regardless, which will limit where the leaves can come up from, and they stand rigid, rather than spreading out across the surface like water lilies.

Thank you so much for the info. I guess the same applies to Water Lilies? They ship in spring? I wanted to put a Lotus bulb in a 6" planter on the plant shelf in the pond. The shelf is 9" deep, but with the rock it's probably only about 7" deep.

I expect you'll have to wait for spring for the water lilies as well, at this point. They're going dormant all over the country. You might find someone in a southern state with growing tropicals, but mailing could be dicey.

6" deep is plenty for lotus, but I wouldn't go below 12" wide, even for small lotus, unless you have micros. They have to jump a few inches to produce growth nodes, so you need to leave them horizontal room for that. They only need a few inches of water above them, though. Water lilies prefer more water above them, but don't need the horizontal soil space--particularly tropicals, which don't wander across the surface.

I'll probably call Bergen today and find out exact dates and recommendations. In the meanwhile i bought 2 Red Tiger Lotus from an Aquarium place and i'll see how that goes. Again thank you for the great info.

I called Bergen today, your right, everything ships in the spring. He said all the tropical lilies get big. The small ones are hardy, he mentioned three. Baby Red, Joan Pring[?] a pink and Heluvla[?] a real tiny one with 50 cent sized leaves. He said to call in April as they may have these but not on their website. He also said both trops and hardy go dormant in winter which i kind of disagree with. I had a previous indoor pond in front of a large west window and had a lily that dropped some leaves but kept some through the winter. Didn't look great but pretty good. I think it was Director Moore. He said either micro or bowl sized lotus would work in my pond but to order soon as they sell out early. I hate to wait but it is what it is. One thing i forget to ask [ok a few things] was will the plants bloom the same season you get them?

My lilies and lotus tend to bloom the first year I put them in, yes. I agree that there's a lot of variability in how the water lilies handle the cold. My hardies seem to be quicker to stop blooming, though they often have foliage all winter under the water. Day light seems to be determinative for me, though. Once the light gets too low, nothing blooms.

My order was in with Bergen last month, when they announced the new varieties.

I find Perry's Baby Red does not bloom a lot in my heat. Maybe it does better in cooler weather. Joanne Pring & Helvola are much better bloomers for me. Helvola is dainty & looks best when you have a bunch of crowns. Tropical water lilies can be kept smaller if grown in a smaller pot & the pads kept trimmed back some. Key Largo has a smaller growth habit.

Thanks Kat, i would have much preferred a tropical over hardy as they bloom so much better. These seem like some great options. How small a pot do you think i can get away with?

Jim, a road trip to Saddle River, NJ to visit Waterford Gardens might be a great way to spend a Saturday! You can buy lilies and bring them home with you. Pay the tolls rather than the shipping cost. Waterford has seen better days, but I still love going there.

Waterford Gardens: https://waterfordgardens.com/ And you could stop in at Elmer's Deli Grill and Pizza at 359 E. Saddle River Rd. Upper Saddle River, NJ for some great sandwiches. It is in a Lukoil gas station, but don't let that keep you from going in. They have a few tables to sit at.