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Upcoming Events
Hughes Water Gardens
7th Annual
Waterlily Festival
and
Invitational Art Show
July 25 - August 2 2009
Gala in the Garden
Artists' Reception
Friday July 24th
6:30 to 8:30
Bloom Night
Featuring our
Victoria Waterlilies
July 30th
6:30 to 9:00
With many events featured on the weekends
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Tinkerbelle's
Pond Tips
Tinkerbelle Hughes
5 Reason your Water Lilies Won't Bloom
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It is time to transplant your water lily into a bigger container or divide them for additional plants.
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They need fertilizer. Water Lilies are heavy feeders and like to be fed once a month during the growing season with pond tab fertilizer.
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They are not getting enough light. Water lilies need 5 hours of direct sun a day.
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They are too deep. Water lilies like to be 8 inches to 2 feet under the water. So if your water lily is not blooming move it up toward the surface.
- They are getting splashed on. Water lilies do not like splash. They really prefer still water.
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May Classes
Saturday 2nd
10 am
Building Ponds & Waterfalls
2 pm
Filtration for Water Features
Saturday 9th
10 am
Building Ponds & Waterfalls
2 pm
Pondless Urns & Bubbling Rocks
Saturday 16th
10 am
Building Ponds & Waterfalls
2 pm
Planting your Pond with Aquatic Plants
Sunday 17th
2 pm
Rain Gardens
(Please Note this is a Sunday class)
Saturday 23th
10 am
Pondless Waterfalls & Creeks
2 pm
Pondless Urns & Bubbling
Rocks
Saturday 30th
2 pm
Water Gardening in containers
Preregistration is requested
All classes are free and last 1 to 2 hours
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Our Mailing Address
25289 SW Stafford Rd, Tualatin, OR 97062
Spring and Summer Hours
Monday - Saturday
9 to 6
Sunday
10 to 5
Our Telephone
503-638-1709
Copyright (C) 2009
Hughes Water Gardens.
All rights reserved
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Hardy Water Lilies
Nymphaea sp.
Zones 4 - 10
One of the most frequent questions we get about hardy water lilies is whether they over-winter in our Willamette Valley climate. The answer is a resounding "yes!" However they do go dormant in the winter and remain that way until spring.
Hardy water lilies are day blooming perennials. Each bloom lasts about three days and there can be many blooms on one plant. They come in a variety of colors: reds, whites, pinks, yellows and changeables. They need at least 5 hours of sun a day. Some will tolerate a little shade but still require at least 3 hours of sun during the warmest part of the day. Water lilies love to be fertilized with a pond tablet every 30 days . They can bloom 30% more when fertilized. They come in a variety of sizes- miniature, small, medium, and large. So there is always one to choose for any size pond.
For more on water lilies click here
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Tropical Water Lilies
For spectacular flowers, dramatic foliage, dreamy fragrance and a big "Wow' factor, it's hard to beat the impact of tropical water lilies. Hardy water lilies are beautiful but tropical water lilies are amazing! There are both day and night blooming varieties, guaranteeing a visual impact at any time.They come in a variety of stunning colors to choose from: white, pink, reds, purple, blue and a nice pale green. Unlike hardies, tropical water lilies hold their flowers high above the water surface and some varieties are also fragrant and many have spectacular leaf patterns.
Tropical Water Lilies prefer warm, shallow water in full sun to look their best. Because of that, we don't sell them until the middle of June to ensure they do well in your pond. For continuous blooms fertilize once every 2 weeks. They should bloom June - September.
Even though they are annuals in our climate, almost everyone who tries these beauties buys them year after year. (The cost is minimal - not more than a hanging basket of annuals).
Hughes will have a good selection of tropical water lilies available in the middle of June (depending on the weather).
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The Victoria LilyThe Victoria Lily is a huge attraction at Hughes. Usually only seen in the shallow water of the Amazon River, or at a few select botanical gardens but for us locals they can be seen at our tropical greenhouse throughout the summer!
The fact that the Victoria Lily is an annual started from seed in the spring makes this plant even more astonishing considering by July each leaf is already 4 to 5' in diameter.
The spectacular Victorias have several more distinguishing characteristics. They bloom at night (however if the day is overcast you may see them open in the afternoon) and the blooms remain open until early morning. Their 12" fragrant blooms last only two days and three evenings and change color from white the first night to pink or red the second and third. Victoria's have huge, pie plate shaped leaves with raised edges. The undersides of the pads have pronounced veining and incredibly sharp spines (the spines are also on the stems and exterior of the buds). The pads can support an amazing amount of weight including young children!
Employee Dave Brigante's grandson on a Victoria.
To see the Victoria Water Lilies in their prime, visit Hughes Water Gardens in July and August. |
Transplanting Water Lilies
Mature waterlilies like to be somewhat crowded in their pots. However, if your lily has grown out over the side of its container and has roots dangling in the water, it is time for a bigger container. Use wide shallow water plant containers without holes or European style mesh baskets(with holes).
Lilies can be transplanted any time they are actively growing. Carefully remove the lily from the pot. The less you disturb the root-mass, the more quickly your lily will reestablish in the new container. Trim away any damaged or dead leaves. Use a knife to cut away any soft or rotted portions of the tuber. Sections of the tuber with no active growth can also be trimmed off.
Place the lily in a new container. If the new pot is deeper, add potting material under the lily to raise it to its original planting level. Continue filling in around the lily taking care not to bury the growing tip. Use aquatic potting soil, pea gravel or heavy garden soil (clay soil). If using mesh baskets you may need to line the basket with burlap or cheesecloth. (Do not use amended soil or potting soils as they will float. If you are using garden soil add a shallow layer of pea gravel on the surface to keep the soil in place.
Water lilies are exceptionally heavy feeders. Fertilize monthly with Aquatic-tab tablets during the spring and summer months.
For more information on how to care for water plants click here
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New Product For Controlling Predators.
 The Pond & Garden Guard provides a safe and effective means of controlling Herons, Raccoons, Deer and other predators from destroying your valuable KOI, plants, and vegetables.
- The Pond & Garden Guard is AC powered and provides 180 degree coverage and up to 70' range.
- The Motion Sensor on the Pond & Garden Guard is adjustable up/down and side/side providing flexibility in the placement of the Pond & Garden Guard while maximizing coverage and effectiveness.
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The Pond & Garden Guard can be operated in 3 different modes (Strobe Only, Buzzer Only, Strobe and Buzzer together).
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The Pond & Garden Guard can easily be switched off by depressing the 2 pushbuttons when you want to relax and enjoy your pond/garden or while working on or around your pond/garden.
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The Pond & Garden Guard is compact, measuring just 7.5 x 5.5 x 4.5 inches. This small size makes it very easy to find a suitable location without detracting from the beauty of your pond or garden. Pond & Garden Gaurd is $89.00
There is also a stand available for $24.00
For more information on products for predator control click here
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