The International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society (IWGS) is proud to announce the results of the 2024 New Waterlily Competition (NWC). The competition was held for the 26th time and has been one of the most anticipated events of the IWGS since 1997, resulting in over 200 entries.
With more than 200 potential new waterlilies just from this competition to choose from, my mind drifted to two questions that at first seemed counterintuitive. Does the world actually need another waterlily?
And to that point, why do we garden? I decided that the answer to the first question has lot to do with the answer to the second question.
Why We Garden
In the fast-paced lives that many of us live, it is easy to forget why we garden. One of my favorite authors and admitted plant collector David L. Culp, creator of Brandywine Cottage, offers this advice for getting the most enjoyment out of your garden: “Look Closer! God is in the details, according to the old sayings, and same may be said of our gardens: full enjoyment comes from looking at everything more closely, from seeking out details that enrich the big picture.”
The NWC embraces this philosophy by looking for new colors, forms, leaf patterns and increased frequency of blooms in both tropical and hardy waterlilies entries. Many of these traits are the direct result of looking closer.
And yes, the world always needs another waterlily. So be sure to keep your eye out for these new beauties as you will want to add them your water garden.
2024 Competition
The NWC is open to all hybridizers, and this year’s contestants from seven different countries submitted their new waterlily hybrids for evaluation in one of the following four categories: Hardy, Hardy Intersubgeneric (ISG), Tropical Day-Blooming and Miniature Waterlilies.
Like 2023, we divided the competition between two different growing locations, ensuring the best growing conditions for all categories of waterlilies. The hardy and hardy ISG waterlilies were grown by Denver Botanic Gardens’ curator of aquatics Tamara Kilbane, who is also the IWGS Nymphaea Registrar. In contrast, the tropical waterlily and miniature categories were grown at Naples Botanical Garden by curator of special collections Matthew Herrman. Plants were evaluated over an eight-week observation period and included digital images and grower’s notes used in the judging process.
The entries were evaluated by an international panel of judges on the quality of the flowers and foliage, as well as the general impression and uniqueness of the plant. Among the judges were professional waterlily growers from botanic gardens and plant nurseries, as well as hybridizers and experienced hobbyists.
Explore the Best New Waterlilies- IWGS NW Competition Winners
Without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce to you the winners of the 2024 IWGS New Waterlily Competition.
Best Overall New Waterlily:
Nymphaea ‘Dreaming Beans’ – by Li Xiao (China)
Hardy Waterlilies:
1st Place Nymphaea ‘Blessings’ by Li Xiao (China)
2nd Place Nymphaea ‘Tilelli’ by Florian Henaux (France)
3rd Place Nymphaea ‘Princess Elise’ by Peter Nitzsche (United States)
Tropical Day-Blooming Waterlilies:
1st Place Nymphaea ‘Pradhyota’ by Somnath Pal (India)
2nd Place Nymphaea ‘Boonpa Wasanasong’ by Prajak Tumrarieng (Thailand)
3rd Place Nymphaea Unnamed by Florida Aquatic Nurseries (United States)
Hardy Intersubgeneric Waterlilies:
1st Place Nymphaea ‘Alice Henaux‘ by Florian Henaux (France)
2nd Place Nymphaea ‘Siam Orchid’ by Pairat Songpanich (Thailand)
3rd Place Nymphaea ‘Phikhat Phiri‘ by Dachrat Wannapornpanich (Thailand)
Miniature Waterlilies:
1st Place Nymphaea ‘Dreaming Beans’ by Li Xiao (China)
2nd Place Nymphaea ‘Little Mermaid‘ by Wachira Singkong (Thailand) 3rd Place Nymphaea ‘Parichat‘ by Pornchai Sukkasemsamranjit (Thailand)
We would like to thank all the hybridizers for offering their creations for evaluation and offer our sincere gratitude to the judges who volunteered their time to take a “Look Closer” at these new hybrids.
Thank you to our growers, Naples Botanical Garden and Denver Botanical Garden, for hosting this year’s competition and providing the location and staff to ensure the success of the competition. We could not have done this without you.
Our gratitude also goes out to those who made donations to the IWGS in support of this year’s competition.
If you would like to see past winners or are interested in submitting your hybrid into the 2025 competition, please visit www.iwgs.org. a
2024 New Waterlily Competition Judges
- James Bennett (Bennett’s Water Gardens, U.K.)
- Kelly Billing (Water Becomes a Garden, U.S.)
- Sander Dekker (Netherlands)
- Tomas Escribano (Spain)
- Marco Millet (Mexico)
- Rolf Nelson (Nelson Water Gardens, U.S.)
- Rich Sacher (U.S.)
- Jon Sander (Glenstone Museum, U.S.)
- John Sou (Water Garden Paradise, Australia)
- Joe Summers (Chalily, U.S.)
- Cui Wei Yu (China)
Explore past New Waterlily Competition Winners.
