Aquatic Plant Selections of the Year

Each year the IWGS announces the selection of an exceptional aquatic plant in each of the categories of Hardy Waterlily, Tropical Waterlily and Marginal. The selection of these plants is a complex procedure, involving a panel of experts from the membership of the International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society. Since the Society contains among its membership water garden experts from over 30 countries, and from all of the diverse fields connected with water gardening including the some of the top aquatic plant growers in the world, they are particularly suited to make this selection. The selection committee may contain horticulturalists, commercial growers, landscape architects, hybridizers, researchers and other professionals with a wide background in aquatics.

Many factors are considered in this selection: tendency to bloom prolifically, reliability, beauty, consistency, broad appeal, availability, and vigor. The selection is made more difficult by the fact that soil, climate, fertility, and other growing conditions can make a variety perform differently for growers or for home gardeners, and also in different areas of the country, or even the world. Some plants even exhibit different habits such as deeper colors, or wider opening flowers under varying circumstances. Waterlily specialists have long noted this phenomenon. For this reason, the panel always contains members from widely varying geographic areas.

Once the committee has made a preliminary selection, major growers are polled to make sure there is sufficient stock available so that the general public will have an opportunity to obtain the Plants of the Year for their own pond. By featuring some of the best plants available, we hope to increase each pond owner’s satisfaction and enjoyment in the beauty of their pond environment with the choice of outstanding performers. Part of the whole water gardening experience is the aesthetic pleasure we obtain from the incredible beauty of the aquatic plants.

Water Gardening Month