After two years in our pond, (wintering in a kitchen window), our bog lily finally bloomed. Unfortunately, the dogs knocked off the brittle flower stalk before we had a chance to try for a sexual propagation, though luckily not before the camera recorded proof that it had bloomed. We thought we had to count ourselves lucky to record the flowering and an earlier asexual propagation from separating a runner. When we brought it in to winter again last fall.

However, in early October a suspicious swelling developed into another flower stalk, and this time the dishpan that was its pot was located in the south-facing den, away from the dogs, cats and miscellaneous other household hazards.

We kept the water level up to the top of the pan, or about 1/2" above soil level, giving it daily attention, and crossed our fingers. When the flower was fully open around Halloween, my son took a cotton swab and played honeybee, spreading pollen among the sever flowers that make up on blooming stalk. It worked.

By December there were noticeable swellings in the plant ovaries, indicating seed formation. These were of various sizes, ultimately from pea to slightly larger than walnut size. The stalk had meanwhile bent down towards the floor, either from their weight or its exaggerated length in the indoor lowered light conditions, or both. (If we had a chance to observe the same thing outside, we might also guess it was the plant's way of getting the seeds into the proper moist environment for successful germination.)

What we did observe was by late January the outsides of the ovaries were shriveling and turning brown, so we removed the seeds, assuming the parent plant had done all it could for them. The two largest looked like flattened lumpy tender green walnuts, with a definite central point on opposite poles. We had no way to pick up from down, and decided to trust Mother Nature to provide the answer. As these were ender (tropical) seeds and not hard, we figured a steady supply of moisture was called for, so we set them in a pan of water. They floated, and each had a definite up and down in the water.

Reasoning that in a natural setting they might float away from the parent plant until finding their own soil spot to root in, we set up a 2 gal. Aquarium in a kitchen window with a heater set at 75. A plastic shelf usually hung over the outside to hold an air pump was set inside, holding 2 plastic cream cheese containers. Each now held topsoil and one of the seeds, at the level at which it formerly floated, sitting on the soil.

We waited. And waited. Finally, in early April, one of the seeds showed the start of a root. (Also, the water turned green and daphnia magically appeared in it, at which time we remembered that the soil was scavenged from the water lilies wintering in the basement since the ground was frozen.)

By May 1, the first leaf was showing. Since it was an incredibly mild spring, that pot got moved out into a protected spot in the pond for full sunlight, saving acclimating and the risk of sunburn which had killed half the leaves on the parent's pot when it was set out. (It's recovering nicely thank you.) By June 1, the original leaf was about 4" tall, 2 more joined it, and the seed was starting to show signs of shriveling.

And Paul insists, though my old eyes can't see it yet, that the second seed is starting to sprout a root.