Water Gardening's History By Kit Knotts   When we first began water gardening, we mainly wanted to know what we could grow in our ponds, where to get plants and how to get the most from them. As time has passed and the addiction has grown, we find ourselves more interested in historical aspects of water gardening. Who discovered or created that waterlily? When, where, why and how?

Our journey back in time began with the ever-changing and never ending work on the list of Named Waterlilies. That has led us to want to document, in one place, as much of water gardening's history as we possibly can. It will be another ever-changing never ending project as new information is found.

A major bonus of looking back in history, in addition to the unique charm of different eras, personalities and images, is the fact that in many cases the first people to accomplish various feats admired even today really knew what they were doing! And they wrote freely about it. Much of this information has not been passed on, particularly in the last hundred plus years. Why? Has it been a matter of trying to reinvent the wheel or have competition and commercialism been responsible for secrecy and sometimes misinformation?

We provide here the best and most accurate historical information that we have turned up, documented whenever possible. We appreciate additions and corrections. Write kit@victoria-adventure.org

Water Gardening
	Short History of Water Gardening Water Gardening Timeline with extensive links "Tree" Biographies Index
Waterlilies
	The History of Hybrid Waterlilies Part 1 The History of Hybrid Waterlilies Part 2 Historical Articles Antique Illustrations Galleries Biographies Index
Victoria
	Short History of Victoria Historical Articles Antique Illustrations Galleries Biographies Index
The Twentieth Century
	Visit to Lilypons by Dr. G. L. Thomas, Jr. An excerpt from Garden Pools, Waterlilies, and Goldfish, 1958 The Rock That Made The Ripples - Charles B. Thomas