SERIES 28 - Episode 35
Jerry visits an aquatic plant specialist nursery
Growers: Paul Lancaster and Margaret Vita
Garden: 2.5 hectare home and nursery specialising in aquatic plants
Key Features: Over 100 different varieties of temperate and tropical waterlilies
FEATURED PLANTS
TROPICAL DAY-BLOOMING WATER LILY (Nymphaea 'Foxfire')
BLADDERWORT (Utricularia sp.)
TROPICAL NIGHT-BLOOMING WATER LILY (Nymphaea 'Antares')
PRICKLY WATER LILY (Euryale ferox)
HARDY HYBRID WATER LILY (Nymphaea 'Peach Glow')
AUSTRALIAN WATER LILY (Nymphaea gigantea) - Tropical species
Nymphaea immutabilis - Tropical species
Paul's Tips - Growing aquatic plants in pots
- 1.Pots, dishes and bowls that are 25cms deep can be used to grow plants like waterlilies.
- 2.Growth can be controlled by removing outer leaves so that the plant fits comfortably in the space.
- 3.Waterlilies are hungry plants. Feed them specialist aquatic plant tablets.
- 4.Native fish can be kept in aquatic gardens to reduce numbers of mosquito larvae. Paul has native rainbows and blue-eyes (Pacific blue-eye - Pseudomugil signifier). If growing aquatic plants in small pots and dishes, you can also grow the carnivorous bladderwort (Utricularia sp.) that will eat mosquito larvae.
Temperate (Hardy) Waterlilies
These hardy waterlilies will grow from Victoria through to mid-north Queensland. These compact plants can be grown in smaller containers but will need continual dividing and trimming to restrict their growth. The rootstock of temperate waterlilies can survive in water close to 0°C.
Tropical Waterlilies
Tropical waterlilies are suited to warmer climate zones.
See Jerry's story on edible aquatics Good Enough to Eat
As with all plants, it's important to make sure they're not going to become an environmental weed in your area. See Weeds in Australia for more information.