@IL847, if you search gardenweb under pond and aquatic plants, you will find quite a few discussions about lotus, seeds and tuber.
I tried to grow from tuber, never succeeded. I think the tuber I got from oriental grocery store did not have viable growth tip.
I can get lotus seeds to sprout easily, but have hard time for them to survive after that.
I have lots of yellow flower water lily. if you want, I can send you some in the fall or next spring.
@jujubemulberry, I remember at beginning, I had both hardy and tropical water lilies. The Tropical lily bloomed at evening and was fragrant, it was really nice. But they can survive the winter in the pond. So I tried to take it indoor each fall, it died after a season or two:cry:
there is a day-blooming and supposedly tropical variety, and if i remember it right, the blue varieties, which complement the set really nicely. Making it red, white and blue on the pond. The night-bloomers(reds, pinks, and whites) often extend their blooms to early morning, overlapping with the blues, which were really eye-catching as a group.
and yes, they are pleasantly fragrant! The pristine scents and immaculate condition of their foliage and blossoms starkly contrast with the hostile and outright foul anaerobic conditions surrounding their roots, which i find quite amazing.
‘putrid to perfection’ is the water lily’s motto 
i’d cry too!
Mine is floating this year, too - can’t get it weighed down
No blooms yet, tho
Flowers of water lilies I have seen in Thailand open when the sun shines and close at night. They do so for several days.
made me want to search and post my ~40 kilobyte pics(~0.3 megapixel) from back in the day 
nice to see water lilies in philly! Have never been there, but could almost conclude not many folks could get them to bloom(first things first–as getting them to survive is in itself a feat!)
I have never done anything with mine, just tossed it into a pond and it just continues to grow. I think I need to cut it in half again next year. Luck I guess.
it truly is a ‘hardy water lily’ Do you dig up the rootstock for winter? Or have you actually left some outdoors and subjected to near freezing or outright freezing/below freezing temps?
I leave it out in the pond for 14 winters. One winter it was 15 below zero here, it always just comes back on the spring.
that’s amazing… and your accounts are more than enough assurance for people who might want to grow it in cold regions but simply held back by anticipated failure over the winter.
Sara, Beautiful water lilies, love the color. I might take up your offer for a root next year if you don’t mind.
@IL847, Thank you!
As for the water lily root, No problem, Just mind me when time comes, this fall or next spring.
Sara, will do. thank you!
