This gorgeous water plant is called Amazonica Victoria, and those pods can be 6' across. I got the seeds from a place in Fl twice, but now they seem to be out of business. When I email and ask if they have more seeds this year, I get an email back.........No. Anyone ever grown them successfully? (Not me, but I want to try again) Anyone know where to buy the seeds in the USA? There are some for sale in Thailand, but I don't do business there.

Those are wondrous water plants. I've only ever seen them (the plants) in St Louis at MOBOT.

I agree. They are spectacular and fascinating plants. I see the seeds are being sold on eBay. Sometimes eBay is good for plants and seeds and sometimes not. I've bought and sold frequently there over the years with mostly good experiences. Of course, you have to have an account.

One of the sellers in Thailand is Mr Naman of Naman Gardens, there are lots of Thailand sellers including those on email. I choose to shop USA

So do I.

Just a small piece of information here; a trader from another site bought some seeds from another country through the Ebay site.
She was shocked when someone from the USDA showed up at her house to confiscate the seeds. The Ebay seller was selling seeds which could harbor certain insect/disease (I don't know the details).

I have no knowledge of the Ebay seller called Mr Naman, but think it would be wise to buy only from an actual company and not an individual IF one chooses to buy from another country.

(@RickCorey - does the name Mr Naman ring a bell with you?)

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/wps/...

Very interesting.

As far as getting seeds for that giant water lily, you could try contacting some of the botanical gardens that have them on display.

The other source I'd try is Texas Water Lilies http://texaswaterlilies.com/co... They may not carry it, but they might know where you can get seeds or a start of it.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, grow these and they are fantastic, They need a lot of looking after, a lot of warmth and manure!
Wonderful plants but need a lot of tender loving care.
Regards.
Neil.

You're right, but I once got them to germinate before dying. It was a torturous process .

You must have a lake or a really large pond on your property TK?? If you can ever get them going, I'll bet they will establish well in Texas. It's certainly warm enough, and gee, you've got a few cattle in that state, as well. Manure supply should not be a problem.

Is that a little gator in your profile picture? They're going to love those huge lily pads.

We grow these at our Naples Botanical Garden where I work. 'Victoria amazonica' is its correct name by the way.
They are super cold sensitive and even here in zone 10 we have to protect the plants in the winter months.

Well, I give up. In zone 8 it can get to 15°. ( lowest I've seen in the 8° years I've lived here) They are very hard to start too. No dyzzy, the minnow pond i was going to grow it in is only 30' across, but I can see it from my kitchen, and thought I could get a couple of pads in there. That is a alligator, but he is in my 1/3 acre fish pond. Last year when he arrived there he was 5', and I freaked out. Gator guy never could find him in 10 days he had a permit. I did find out he is just as afraid of me, and swims away. So, if he is still there this year, and willing to stay on the other side of the pond, I can live with that. He is welcome to all the turtles and snakes he can eat. (Alligators like floating food) I feel bad that killing him is the only option if he is considered dangerous. And swimming towards a person is deemed dangerous.

Hm, I wonder how they keep the Victoria amazonica alive at the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew - in the UK! They are zone 8 at best. They must fish them out of their water garden in the winter and keep them in a greenhouse. A pretty messy laborious business, methinks.

Neil, do you know?

As for the gator, don't wait until he does get aggressive with you TK! Around here as it warms up in the spring the male gators go walkabout, and are pretty feisty!

I'm watching, first move he makes toward me, he's a dead gator. And, I keep the truck handy for jumping into, fish from a high bank, watch my back. Actually, I'm very nervous about him. But, I'm trying to be fair, and not kill him.

Is relocation an option? for the gator, not for you.

No, there is no where that a "dangerous" gator can be legally released to potentially attack someone else. So, he better be on his best behavior.

It's actually not that huge an undertaking to move the Victoria plants to a greenhouse. Ours are all planted in pots in their pond so the pots get fished out of the pond and the whole thing moved like that. Messy, yes, but not too much of a problem.
It is also possible to simply heat the water. I just checked their website and they have them in the 'Waterlily House' and close this for the winter months.
http://www.kew.org/visit-kew-g...