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Extended Date on Early Registration
Now July 15, 2010
IWGS WATERLILIY FESTIVAL 2010

Below is the final registration form and symposium information.
It links to a 4.5 Mb pdf to download. 

San Angelo is geographically in central Texas, but it is truly the west. It is a dry rugged land with long vistas. It’s a city of 100,000 citizens with wide western main streets and a “howdy neighbor” attitude. Its dry climate and elevation result in hot days. Summertime highs are frequently over 100 F/38 C but the nights cool off pleasantly. Most importantly to us as waterlily aficionados, waterlilies, both hardy and tropical and the magnificent Victorias thrive in this climate. The International Waterlily Collection (IWC) amassed by Ken Landon and supported by the city is one of the most fantastic and well respected collections of Nymphaea in the world. Ken will have over 200 varieties of waterlilies on display for us this September, grown to perfection. This collection ranks up there with the great waterlily displays of Longwood Gardens, Missouri Botanical Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens, and Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. It exceeds them with the tremendous number of cultivars, the large number of species material grown, and the most eye popping display of Australian waterlilies at least in North America.
Please join us for a most incredible time enjoying Western hospitality, fantastic photo ops, great speakers, and enjoying the fruits of one man’s passion for sharing his love of waterlilies not only with us this September, but with his community and the world for decades. This collection brings smiles and exclamations of wonder from all who encounter it in this public park in this out of the way western town. Don’t miss it!

WEATHER FORECAST

Waterlilies love the climate in San Angelo in mid September. Daytime highs average in the upper 80’sF/30 C with night time lows in the mid 60’sF/18 C. Skies are typically clear and the intensity of color of the waterlily flowers is at a peak. Be sure to bring a hat, your sunglasses, and sunscreen. The air in west Texas is dry, so be prepared to drink lots of fluid and to use lip balm and moisturizer as needed.

SO WHERE IS SAN ANGELO, TX???
HOW DO I GET THERE???

205 miles northwest of Austin, TX

223 miles southwest of Dallas, TX

400 miles east of El Paso, TX

370 miles northwest of Houston, TX

110 miles east of Midland, TX

217 miles north of San Antonio, TX

American/American Eagle offer flights to San Angelo Mathis Field (SJT) which is minutes from our host hotels. There are no airport shuttles in San Angelo, but the following rental car companies are located at the airport:

Avis 325-949-8681

Budget 325-944-4718

Enterprise 325-658-1911

Hertz 325-944-1221

National 325-944-9505

A member of the host committee will also be happy to meet your flight and provide transportation to the hotel. Please contact Karie Nelson no later than September 10th to arrange a ride: (preferred) or 281-391-4769 or fax 281-391-8626

Midland/Odessa Airport-MAF is the closest airport serviced by multiple airlines. You may also consider flying into Houston, Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio which all offer international service. The drive to San Angelo could include visits to some of the following :

Hill Country Water Gardens Cedar Park, TX-near Austin
http://www.hillcountrywatergardens.com/

Water Garden Gems Marion, TX-near San Antonio
http://www.watergardengems.com/

Nelson Water Gardens & Nursery Inc Katy, TX-near Houston
http://www.nelsonwatergardens.com/

The Texas Hill Country, the San Antonio Riverwalk and the Alamo, Enchanted Rock State Park near Fredericksburg, the Caverns of Sonora near Sonora, and a plethora of Texas Barbeque Joints offer the driver wonderful opportunities to enjoy your Texas visit.

Need more help in planning your drive? Email Karie Nelson:

HOST HOTELS

We have 2 host hotels for this year’s symposium. They are adjoining properties only separated by a Johnny Carinos Restaurant.

Staybridge Suites San Angelo
1355 Knickerbocker Rd
San Angelo, TX 76904
325-653-1500 FAX 325-653-1501

Fairfield Inn & Suites
1459 Knickerbocker Rd
San Angelo TX 76904
325-482-8400 FAX 325-482-8411

There are a total of 30 rooms available at 99.00per night(plus tax)between the 2 properties.

(20 Staybridge/10 Fairfield)

There are an additional 20 rooms(10 at each property) available at 109.00 per night(plus tax).

Register EARLY to get the best rates. Additional rooms may be available at market rate for later registrants.

The IWGS will have the Concho Room at the Staybridge as hospitality room each evening as well as a couple of deluxe suites to allow for plenty of time to relax and enjoy each others company.

Both facilities have complimentary breakfasts and the Staybridge is also flanked by a Cheddars Restaurant.

by Rolf Nelson

Extended Date on Early Registration
Now July 15, 2010

Confirmed List of Speakers

Here's what we have confirmed for speakers in San Angelo:

1. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department's - Aquatic Plant Whitelist
Guest representative from the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
What it is, how it will be monitored, how it will affect aquatic plant businesses and hobbyists, how new plants can be added to the list. You may not think of this as an exciting topic, but once it’s on the books in Texas it’s a virtual guarantee ALL states will take this approach in regulating aquatic plants, so let’s find out how to deal with these issues now and hopefully make ourselves part of the discussion and the final outcome.

2. Hybridizing Waterlilies
Brad & Brandon McLane of Florida Aquatic Nursery and Ken Landon
These gentlemen will share their hybridizing techniques and how they choose the "bloodlines" to achieve their stunning creations such as Bull's Eye, Ultra Violet, Texas Dawn and Blue Cloud.

3. Can You Believe?
Deb Spencer of Water's Edge, Kelly Billing of Maryland Aquatic Nurseries, and Anita Nelson of Nelson Water Gardens and Nursery
These ladies will share unusual techniques and unusual plants to add the WOW factor to your water gardens.

4. Pumps-what you don't know can cost you in efficiency and in $$$$
Demi Fortuna of E. G. Danner/ PondMaster.
Demi will teach us how to pick the correct type/size of pump for the job at hand and how to understand "those charts" in the technical manuals

5. The International Waterlily Collection of San Angelo
Ken Landon, the Garden Club of San Angelo, and Carl White, Parks Director of San Angelo.
This group will give us a history of the creation of this world class display of waterlilies.

6. Aquatic Plant Rafts for Mitigation
Dick Schuck and Kelly Billing of Maryland Aquatic Nurseries
They will share the research and in field successes of using this technique for improving water quality.

7. How do You Choose a Quality Koi for Your Collection?
Tom Graham, editor and publisher of Pond Trade Magazine and formerly with Koi USA
Tom will share his passion for finding those well priced gems and growing them into prized collector's grade specimens.

8. Botanical Latin
David Curtright of Pondplants.com from California
David will help us understand this fascinating world which will become even more important in the era of whitelists.

9. How to Store Waterlily Tubers and Seeds
Ken Landon
Ken will share his years of experience in storing materials he wants to save for future years. Ken has nearly a thousand different varieties of waterlilies in his collection, but only space to grow out approx 250 different varieties in a given year so good storage techniques are essential to him.

Extended Date on Early Registration
Now July 15, 2010 

Here is the Registration form. It is a 500 Kb pdf file.

Why should you travel to this small town in the middle of Texas? Conventional wisdom says that you should not try to grow water plants in an area that only gets 18 inches (46 centimeters) of rainfall a year and has high temperatures over 100 F. (38 C.) degrees. There is a simple answer to that question. The answer lies in the name and heart of Kenneth C. Landon, better known as Ken.

Ken started his love affair with the genus Nymphaea over 40 years ago and his passion is as strong today as it was when he started. He has gone into the wild jungles around the world to collect new or rare specimens. He has rediscovered waterlilies through extensive research of the original explorers to prove the existence of plants that everyone believed to be extinct. He has amassed the largest single collection of waterlilies in the world. The collection continues to grow through new discoveries, plants acquired through established friendships and his own hybridization work.

Ken has hybridized and named more than 50 waterlilies to date. He has tuber stock of more than 500 hybrids to be trialed that may be the next great thing or may be a genetic repeat. There is a science involved in achieving something new in a hybrid but there is also a large amount of chance. Ken knows as well as anyone how to play those odds for a successful new plant. You may wonder why Ken has not entered and won the new waterlily competition with such knowledge. The fact is that he does not care for personal accolades. He knows what he likes and that is what he concentrates his energies on.

The extinct waterlily described above that Ken rediscovered in Mexico is Nymphaea flavovirens. It is described as a star lily for the simple star shape of its flower petals. It is one of the tallest forms above the water of waterlily in the genus Brachyceras. It is not as showy as many other types but it is vigorous. When you see a dozen blooms a foot (30.5 centimeters) above the water in one spot you just have to stop and stare. Critics had said that it was not pretty enough to grow. This just fueled Ken’s passion to show them what he knew but they could not envision. He now has created hybrids in virtually every color of the spectrum. He has gone from green pads to mottled pads to those that have almost no green. He increased petal count, then doubled it and then tripled the petal count found in the N. flavovirens parent.

He wants to show the world what it does not understand. Without the preservation of the species plants which are more austere, we cannot create the next waterlily that captures the world’s attention. Hybrids may come and go, but without man, they will surely die. The species will survive as long as it does not have to fight against mankind. The International Waterlily Collection is the showcase of a life’s work. The more important work is what goes on behind the scene. The preservation of not only species material but also rare and historically noteworthy material by greats such as Pring, Slocum, Randig and Strawn is why Ken created The International Waterlily Repository.

So once again, why should you travel to this small town in Texas? To see the greatest display ever put together in one showing. We are at more than 200 different specimens and counting for this once-in-a-lifetime display. One other thing I might mention.
Did I tell you that Ken is a world class pyrotechnician who will be putting on a fireworks show for you as well? You do not want to miss this exciting event.

by Tim Davis