I went to Lowes today looking for hosta and on my way around I found the water garden display, LOL, needless to say I didnt get past it without a good long look. They had a couple different kinds of grasses and three different water lilies. The one I wanted was orange but all the containers looked like nothing but a pot full of stinky nasty looking water with some slimey grass growing in it, except one, it had the stinky water but it also had two decent looking leaves growing. Now Im a cheapskate by nature but I wanted one of these babies even tho they wanted $10 a piece for them, so I picked up the smelly water container and told the head garden guy " this is the best looking one, period, all the others look dead but I want one, Im also very bad at returning things because I just dont have time, so if it dies I would never end up bringing it back, so as bad as this looks, what can you do for me?"
I paid $1.50 for aNymphaea species water lily that is harder to zone 4. No specific name on it but I really didnt care as long as I had one. I also picked up a bag of water garden soil because I figured it would be a good idea to give this guy a better quality home than what hes in AND I just recieved a fantastic box of water plants today that I need to pot up too.
So very excited about this and cant wait for later in the year when everything really grows and shows off.
Sorry no pic but its not a pretty sight. I also dumped the stinky water out and added fresh water, still have to go thru and pick out the dead slimy stuff but even looking at it tonight it looks happier than it did when I picked it up. Crossing my fingers
Bought my first water lily, YAY
So much fun! I went a bit crazy buying water lilies at Walmart earlier this spring. They had some for 5$ and I opened each container until I found the healthiest ones. Now they all have leaves floating on the pond! Then they had boxed water plants for 10$ that had three different varieties of plants in each box. Again, opened each and every box before choosing. It won't be long for you now! Great wheeling and dealing on your part!
Thanks Pixydish, I went out of town over the weekend and when I came home and checked on it there was a new leaf on it and working its way up. I guess repoting it helped too, it looks much happier. They had it in some grey clay stuff that made it stink pretty bad, I got about 98% of that off and put it in pond soil in the same pot. Whatever they had it in made the water just plain nasty and I couldnt stand looking at it or smelling it, LOL. So far so good so it makes it look like my wheeling and dealing payed off for me big time.
And where are the pictures? huh? where are they? LOL
Hows this?
Did ya see the new leaf? heres the box
Whats left of the crud and water in the box
My makeshift bog garden, I have a bigger container but I wanna see these guys for now. I had another set up made but the plastic I used leaked all the water out overnight so I need to go get more plastic. for it. But for now I think eveything is doing pretty good, Thanks Chele!!!!
My indoor bog garden cuz I ran outa room, I think this looks pretty neat.
And even tho I had this in the bigger container I just left it there for now. I bought this as a solid green but over the winter it started getting the varigation in the leaves. This is the first new leaf of the season and I think it is sooo beautiful. Hope it keeps this up.
Thats wonderful Janet, I love a bargain. I got some variegated water celery at Lowes earlier, all their lilies always look to crappy so you were lucky to find one that was not too yucky ! It is exciting isnt it :)
Charlotte the only thing that gave me hope for this plant was the fact that it actualy had one green leaf, there was alot of dead growth on it and all the others looked dead and stinky too. Im thinking of going back and seeing if one of the others I thought was dead might just still be dormant and give it a try. If they give me the same price Ill do it becaue altho Id be disapointed at least I wouldnt have lost alot of money just my time and hopes. LOL
Janet,
You have a lot of plants, and such good deals. Way to go girl. And you take such good care of them, they will reward you.
Give us more pictures and things progress.
:^))))
Molly
When you don't see leaves on the waterlilies at Lowe"s stick your finger in the mud (if you can stand it) if the tuber is still hard buy it anyway. They will sometimes sell them fro 10 cents. I bring them home repot and get several lilies from one tuber.
Betty
Now theres an idea, I can stand it thats not a problem, Ill just make sure I wear my gardening clothes wen I go back, LOL.
Im amazed at how fast these grow, since I took the picture the baby leaf wich is about 6 inches or so under water is now on the surface. So this means I didnt kill it and....It likes me, yayayay