International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society WATER GARDEN JOURNAL SUMMER Vol. 30, No. 2 2015 P. 2 International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society Vol. 30, No. 2 Water Garden Journal IN THIS ISSUE 03 President’s Letter President Mike Swize introduces two new IWGS board members. 04 Club Corner Vicki Aber discusses replacing a indoor talk for a road trip. 05 Home Gardening Primer Addressing common Koi myths. 06 Profile Corner Meet Cindy Dyer, the woman behind the new USA waterlily postal stamps. 10 Grower’s Corner Introducing the new Australian hybrid waterlily ‘Betty Lou.’ 11 Events Calendar Water garden events taking place this year in all parts of the world. 12 IWGS 2015 Symposium Updates and details about the upcom- The Water’s Edge crew welcomes you to the upcom- ing IWGS 2015 symposium. ing 2015 IWGS Symposium in Lawrence, KS. 15 IWGS 2015 Registration Symposium registrations have already been rolling in, The registration form for the IWGS and this promises to be a great gathering of waterlily 2015 symposium. enthusiasts! A detailed symposium itinerary can be found on pages 14-16 issue of this Journal. 16 Product Research What really works to discourage Her- ons from eating all of your fish. 18 Water Garden Laws Regulated and prohibited aquatic plants in the USA. 19 Online Community How to join and participate in the Let’s Talk Water Gardening forum. On the Cover Swamp Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) is also known as Swamp Hibiscus or Swamp Rosemallow. It is wetland plant that is native to the Eastern USA. Photo taken at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in Washington, DC, by Kathy Jentz. International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society P. 3 Water Garden Journal Vol. 30, No. 2 President’s Letter Hello! I would like to welcome two new board members to the IWGS Board of Directors. John Sou is the manager at Watergarden Paradise Aquatic Nursery in Bass Hill, NSW, Australia, which is lo- cated just outside of Sydney. John graduated from Ryde Horticultural College and joined the water gardening industry a little over 20 years ago. John has worked extensively in areas of aquatic and wetland plants identifi- cation, propagation and evaluating new plants’ ornamental values. From time to time, John is also involved in landscape projects where he conducts site assessments and provides plant recommendations. In his spare time, he also experiments with hybridizing water lilies and other aquatic plants. I had the chance to meet and talk at length with John during the 2014 Denver Symposium and was both im- pressed and delighted with his passion for water gardening and his knowledge of waterlily varieties. We had a lengthy discussion on identification and merit of some of Dr Kirk Strawn’s hardy waterlily hybrids. It is that type of passion and energy that make for a good board member and I am very pleased that John agreed to be a director. Kelly Billing is a name that will be familiar to many readers. Kelly has been working for over 20 years for Maryland Aquatic Nurseries Inc. in Jarrettsville, MD, USA. Besides being one of the best growers in the coun- try, Kelly is also an accomplished author and public speaker. She has co-authored the Water Gardeners Bible (US)/ Water Gardens (UK) with Ben Helm and also The Lotus, Know It and Grow It with Paula Biles. In her spare time, Kelly also compiles and maintains the Aquatic Plant Invasive Species List for the nursery trade in the US. I look forward to working with both John and Kelly on the IWGS Board of Directors and I know they will have a great deal of energy and passion to contribute to the Society. Sincerely, Michael Swize IWGS President [email protected] P. 4 International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society Vol. 30, No. 2 Water Garden Journal Club Corner Bored with Talks, Try a Road Trip by Vicki Aber What do you do when you have had talks on all the subjects you can think of – repeatedly? Try a road trip. Sometimes you have to think outside the classroom. Recently our club had a trip to visit a local aquaponics store. In case you are unfamiliar with the term, it is growing plants hydroponically, but adding fish into the equation. The fish fertilize the plants and the plants filter the water. Sounds kind of like what we do! They had numerous demonstration set-ups and we got a tour of the facility and an explanation of how the set- ups work. Our tour guide stated that most people use the set-ups to grow food, both vegetable and fish. The one set-up, she said, could provide five Tilapia a week for harvesting. I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t want to eat five Tilapia a week. Some people do put ornamental fish in the tank instead. They also have classes and smaller set-ups for beginners. One person did buy a desktop set-up, but no one else seemed eager to jump in. So how does this fit with the water garden hobby? A lot of what was presented about balance, water quality, and growing plants (substituting lilies for lettuce) applies equally to ponds. Our road trip accomplished several things. We went to a place we hadn’t been. We learned about something not directly associated with water gardening, but with a lot of the same elements. We had a nice break from sitting in a room looking at slides. If anyone is interested in learning more about this subject visit theaquaponicsource.com. About the Author Vicki Aber is an IWGS board member. She is also a member of the Colorado Water Garden Society (CWGS) and has served there as a board member and an officer, including the position of president. She can be contacted via email at [email protected]. International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society P. 5 Water Garden Journal Vol. 30, No. 2 Home Gardening Corner Dealing With Koi Myths One of the biggest reasons many people get a water garden is so they can have fish. Don’t let the fears and myths of owning fish keep you from getting a few of your own finned friends for your water garden. Take a look below as we crack some commonly heard myths about fish in a water garden. Myth: “Fish will just create more pond maintenance.” Actually, fish are a crucial part of the ecosystem. Koi reduce algae by feeding on it, and they fertilize plants with their waste. So, fish actually create less pond maintenance. Myth: “Koi cannot live in a pond with rocks and gravel.” Koi originated in nature, where rocks and gravel cover almost every pond on earth. We build rock and gravel lined ponds almost daily, which house perfectly healthy and happy Koi. Myth: “I don’t want to lose all my fish to predators.” If constructed properly, one can virtually eliminate the risk of predators with a few simple precautionary techniques. Myth: “Koi need at least three feet of water to sur- vive.” Almost 95% of the ponds that we build are two feet deep in the center, and the koi are happy and healthy as can be. Myth: “I don’t want to be troubled with bringing my fish inside for the winter.” Koi are an extremely hardy fish, whose ancestors over-wintered in freezing conditions, and still do. Just keep the water circulating and maintain a hole in the ice and they’ll never know the difference. Myth: “I don’t want to spend thousands of dollars on my fish.” Actually, pet-quality koi start at $5.00 each with show- Article Source quality koi going for up to $100,000 or more. Since Aquascape, St. Charles, IL, USA. www.aquascapeinc.com. fish food is also very inexpensive, how much you Photos by Kathy Jentz at the ZNA Potomac Koi Show. want to spend on fish is your decision. P. 6 International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society Vol. 30, No. 2 Water Garden Journal Profi le Corner Meet Cindy Dyer: Graphic Designer, Gardener, and Stamp Photographer by Kathy Jentz Q: Tell us about yourself and your background. Where are you from originally? A: Despite the doctor turning me around three times when I was born, I came into the world feet first, setting the example for my life as an artist. When my father tells the story, he finishes with, “It figures. You’re still marching to the beat of your own drum.” I was born in Alabama, but grew up in south Texas (first in San Antonio, then spent junior high through college and a few years after in Donna, TX, in the Rio Grande Valley). I moved to the Washington, DC, area in 1985. Q: How did you start in graphic design? A: My creativity has been fostered by my parents since I was in kindergarten, so naturally I gravitated to a career in the arts. I started drawing in kindergar- ten, painting in junior high, and photojournalism in light), then fashion illustration, graphic design, layout, high school. When my teacher asked if anyone could copy writing, and creating newspaper and radio ads. photograph a game for the yearbook, I cajoled my dad One of my favorite early jobs was working as a into letting me borrow his Yashica 35 mm and off I designer and photographer for Brian Loflin & Associ- went, instructed by him to not lose it, break it, or put it ates, a commercial photography and design studio in down. Brownsville, TX. One day, I would be assisting on This was my first experience with a 35 mm camera, photographing the world’s largest offshore drilling rig, and when the contact sheets came in, it was crystal and the next, it would be an all-day shoot at an aloe clear he would never get it back.