Zone 9B - Winter care of Tropical Waterlilies

I'm new to this forum and new to water gardening. I tried finding a topic about over-wintering tropical waterlilies. I live in Florida in zone 9B on the east coast.

I have 3 varieties of waterlilies in what I call the "big bowl". It's a small pre-form round pond that is about 42" wide. It's currently sitting above ground. Though I'm considering possibly building a wooden frame around it and filling around the outside base of the pond with dirt and mulch to just below the lip of the pond to insulate it. It's still warm here, but will be getting cooler at night by the end of October. I have heard that tropical waterlilies don't survive in water temps below 65 degrees. Is that correct?

How do I over-winter my waterlilies? I don't want them to die this winter.

Another question - I have been getting viviparous new plants forming on the original plant leaves. I have a Lindsay Woods and a Red Flame (a night bloomer) both of which have been getting new vivips on many of the leaves the past 2 weeks. I assume this is happening because it is Fall. I'm thrilled to be getting new plants from viviparous growth, but I am not sure how to care for these tiny new plants and how to over-winter them as well. Help! I need advice on what to do.

Also - bees were pollinating the flowers on the viviparous waterlilies. Will they be cross versions of Lindsay Woods and Red Flame and I also have a white tropical waterlily, Josephine (too bad it is not a viviparous lily). The bees were on the flowers of all of the blooms. Will that affect what the new vivip plant blooms will look like?

Can anyone direct me to a good website or past forum link on over-wintering and vivip plants? Or if you know what I should do, please help educate me on the how-to's of tropical waterlilies.

Thanks so much!

For those of you wondering the same as I about zone 9B overwintering of tropical waterlilies, I asked around at several local nurseries and was told to get a large aquarium heater for my container water garden to protect from cold temps. I was told to set the heater at 70 degrees and cover with a tarp at night if the temps dip really low to keep the heat from escaping into the air.

becky,
I can't answer your question about over wintering but I'm just up the road from you! Take a look at http://www.victoria-adventure.org/waterlilies/cultivation.html. It's got alot of great info including some on Viviparous lilies. You have to click around because not all the links appear on each page.

I have several tropical lilies in a converted hot tub pond that I'm just going to leave. It's set up as a still pond and I don't have any filters or other things that need electricity. It's been incredibly healthy and I've got 4 goldfish in it. They've grown a lot since I started the "pond" earlier this summer. I'm hoping my lilies will survive the winter.

Let me know if you find out any more on the lilies for the winter.

-- Vicky

Vicky - I was told by a water gardener that she had a heater in hers for 3 years and last year the heater broke and she didn't replace it quick enough and lost ALL of her tropical water lilies. She was so upset!

I am going to get a heater this weekend because I noticed the temps are dropping at night already. I don't want to take a chance on losing what I have. They are quite expensive to replace. Buying a heater would be cheaper for me! ;-)

I also use the website that you mentioned. It is a GREAT website for water gardening, isn't it! Thanks for mentioning it on this thread because others might not know about it!

That's awesome about your goldfish. I might add a couple fish next year. I haven't decided yet. I have noticed that my "larger" tadpoles (must be a different species than what I had earlier this summer) have been eating some of the leaves on my water lilies. Which makes me very mad! Perhaps I need to be feeding them a little fish food to give them a different food source. There are only a few tads left, so I am hoping they hop themselves right out of my pond pronto!

I'd love to see a photo of your hot tub pond! Please consider posting one here! :-)

I don't have a heater in mine... I was planning to leave mine in the pond unless there is a near frst, and then carry the darn thing onto the back porch in a large plastic tub. That's where I stick all my frost sensitive plants - there are heavy vinyl or plastic windows, and we close them and put a space heater in there. I am wondering now though whether I should rethink this plan. I'd hate to lose my tropical.