Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Hardy blue water lilies

Has anyone in USDA zones 4 or 5 tried the new hardy blue water lilies? Are they hardy this far north, and do they bloom nicely?

I think the ones by Mike Giles are grown in zone 5 for a few years before he releases them to the public. I've been wondering how far north you can push them. Which ones were you looking at?

I asked because I just saw a gardening show on TV (produced in 2021) where the expert horticulturist asserted that breeders have been unsuccessful at breeding blue or purple flowers into hardy water lilies. I see a few varieties claiming this and have read a few articles on breeders who made subgeneric crosses between tropical and hardy water lilies to produce hardy blue-flowering water lilies, but never came across anyone who tried them.

RAH, I had bookmarked Mike Giles' Turtle Island Waterlilies last fall for the same blue hardy lilies, and they've cancelled online sales. I was waiting for spring to hit before I ordered their blue lilies, but it seems all the sales are wholesale now, and they require a $500 minimum order. I also contacted Dr. Brent Pemberton from Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center, and he referenced Turtle Island as the only store that he knew had the blue hardy lilies.

If I do find them, I'll let you know.