🌸 April 1, 2024 – We are open for business
and running a BUY ONE GET ONE FREE special until May 1! 🌸
We are shipping large, bare-root hardy water-lilies
that will bloom in late April or May.
Please send a text message to (314) 397-2610 with any questions!
You are interested in quality water lily plants.
Bee Fork Water Gardens is the largest water lily nursery in the United States with over 100 ponds. Since 1946 our famous hardy Water Lilies have been grown by trained experts and are the highest quality. That’s why thousands of water lily lovers have bought from us year after year. We are the ONLY nursery that offers a special lifetime guarantee on plants purchased from our family-owned, small business.
Thank You!
Bee Fork Water Gardens has over 100 ponds and is the largest water lily nursery in the United States.
New but Old Exclusive Hardy Water Lilies Now Available for 2024
Now from the Missouri Ozarks “on the Bee Fork of Black River” come some new varieties of guaranteed winter hardy water lilies. New water garden treasures with never released before new radiant colors that will add new beauty to your pool. They are now offered for the first time. These lilies will be shipped already planted and fertilized with buds guaranteed to bloom. These are some of the most outstanding varieties and value of new hardy water lilies on the market in 2022 not found anywhere else.
We will be releasing 3x NEW but old hybrid varieties in July once we confirm the stock. Sign up for our Email List to be first in line for these treasures!
Bee Fork Pink Charm
Bee Fork White Giant
Bee Fork Snowball
Bee Fork Pink Sensation
Currently Unavailable
Bee Fork Rembrandt
Currently Unavailable
Bee Fork Pink Glory
Currently Unavailable
Why Bee Fork Water Lilies?
Our Water Lilies are truly Special
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Huge, high quality plants: 70 years old
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Very Established and Hardy
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Unique hybrids and species not found or sold anywhere else
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Great pollen for bees and insects
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Gorgeous colors and blossoms
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Ships bare-root in a water-tight bag
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Includes Special Lifetime Guarantee
🌸 Our famous Water Lilies will thrive in your garden 🌸
What Customers Say
I want to thank you for the enjoyment we received from the Sturtevant, Comanche, and Odorata S, Grandiflora, the last named was never without flowers. It is with regret we failed to keep count. The size and quality of your plants are exceptional.
I was stunned at how fast the buds on the plants you sent opened. It only took 3 days, not 10. The flowers were 6 inches in diameter. Thank you for providing us with exceptional quality plants!
The Bee Fork White you sent me is one of the prettiest flowers I have ever seen in my life. It was easy to installl – I just placed it in my pool like you said. The flower was open for 4 days and I loved watching the bees roll around in the pollen. Your plants bring me such delight. I will be ordering more soon. With sincere thanks,
Our Unique Offering
Customers Receive
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Large, rooted, high-quality water lily
- Contains pads and buds guaranteed to flower
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Comes Bare-Root
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Ships Fast via USPS 3-day Priority Mail
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Special Lifetime Guarantee
Enjoy a special, gorgeous hardy water lily that will grow back year after year – guaranteed!
The Benefits
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Flowers within days instead of waiting weeks or months
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Premium plants that will flower many times this year AND come back next year
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Personally, Hand-Picked for your satisfaction and enjoyment
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Special Lifetime Guarantee
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Our Policy – You Must Be Satisfied
⏳ Don’t wait forever for your plants to blossom.
Bee Fork Water Gardens famous Water Lilies come with buds guaranteed to flower in days!
We’ve worked and trained with
We’ve trained on water lilies at Missouri Botanical Garden with Horticulturist Derek Lyle. We are honored to have helped MOBOT study and analyze nymphaea pollen from water lily plants that were created in the 1920’s at the Missouri Botanical Garden by George Pring.
We are so lucky to live close to the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center so that we can use their facilities and equipment to perform plant science research and experiments on water lilies. Bee Fork Water Gardens owner Bob Stolzberg has been certified to use a variety of microscopes including scanning electron microscopes and confocal microscopes. Using this equipment allows us to magnify images and produce 3d models of plants and pollen for science and research purposes. Bob uses the microscopes at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center to analyze pollen to uniquely identify water lily species.
Tower Grove Park is instrumental in today’s water lilies. It’s said that 75% of today’s commercial water lilies originate from hybrids created at the Missouri Botanical Gardens by George Pring in the 1920’s. Tower Grove Park was donated by Henry Shaw, creator of the Missouri Botanical Garden AKA Shaw’s Garden. In the late 1800’s Henry Shaw employed James Gurney as “Head Gardener” for Tower Grove Park. Gurney and Shaw both came from England where water lilies were all the rage in the late 1800’s. Gurney can be attributed to bringing a variety of water lilies to Shaw’s park as well as pioneered the ornamental display of the plants. Gurney is also responsible for creating numerous hardy and tropical hybrids that have been lost to history. Most notably, some of Gurney’s hybrids were what George Pring used were to create historic water lilies. We are extremely proud to have Bee Fork Water Lilies on display at Tower Grove Park this summer 2020.
🌸 Bee Fork Water Gardens famous Water Lilies are
high-quality, named species, and guaranteed to grow. 🌸
Add a famous Bee Fork Water Lily to your collection
We’ll hand-select a large water lily guaranteed to bloom within 10 days, pot and fertilize it, then pack and ship it to you via USPS priority mail. The only thing you need to do is place our container in your pool or pond. Just Drop and Enjoy!
🌸 Famous Bee Fork Water Lily 🌸
Guaranteed to GrowUnique, Named Bee Fork Water Lily Species
Hand-Picked by our trained experts
Established Roots and Large Pads
Comes with buds guaranteed to flower
Special Lifetime Guarantee
Not sold anywhere else
Discounts available to Commercial Business and Volume Orders. Just Email us.
Our Policy – You Must Be Satisfied
Special Lifetime Guarantee
Our Water Lilies are guaranteed for life!
We guarantee that you will receive a high-quality, healthy hardy water lily that you will be able to enjoy year after year.
If you buy a famous Bee Fork Water Lily that doesn’t live up to your high expectations or if the plant dies for any reason we will replace it with a new plant OR a 100% full refund, less shipping.
We want you to enjoy our famous Bee Fork Water Lilies year after year!
Our Policy – You Must Be Satisfied!
Frequently Asked Questions
How many varieties do you offer?
We grow over 20 unique species of water lilies but only sell certain named species when they are high quality so they thrive in your pond. We don’t sell any other species than our named Bee Fork water lilies.
Do I need to plant anything?
If you select bare-root, you are responsible for planting your water lily and we assume you know how to do that. But if you don’t, follow the tips below..
PRO TIPS: Never plant your lilies first and then fill your pool. It is best to have the pool filled at least a week in advance so that the water has had a chance to get warm. The newly planted lilies will grow much better when planted in aged water than fresh water. Plants do best, and you keep a much cleaner pool if you do all your planting in various boxes instead of covering the entire bottom of your pool with soil. Never use any kind of metal container.
Plant you water lilies in the largest size container you are willing to put them in. Old hanging baskets work great. Water lilies like a thick, clay soil. When you plant your lily, make sure the crown (where the buds and leaves grow out of) is exposed. You can cover your plant in sand or light gravel to weight your plant down and prevent dirtying the water.
How do I re-pot last years water lilies?
If you ordered from us before, consider repotting your plants to a large pot to get them to grow bigger and get more blooms. Obtain a larger pot for your Bee Fork Water Garden famous water lilies to replant them. They can be planted at any depth from 6 inches to 24 inches deep. They will, however, do best at about 12 inches because the deeper you plant them, the more strength is consumed in underwater growth. Also, the flowers are not as quite strong if planted too deep. Use good, rich soil, and fertilize at least once a month to ensure strong flowering throughout the summer and fall. It is best to lay a water lily root flat about 3 inches from the surface of the soil in the box, and do not forget to put about 3 inches of sand on top of the box to keep the water clear.
Can I pick my lilies up?
Yes. If you want to come for a visit to pick your plants up or pick some out please contact us via email. We are located in Bunker, Missouri (63629). Ask about our AirBNB if you want to stay the night.
Do you offer tours?
Yes. The best months to visit are between May and July. It takes about 2 hours to walk a lap around all of the gardens. Most lilies are open by nine a.m. and start closing about three p.m. Keep this in mind, wear rubber boots, and make sure you bring bug spray if you plan a visit/tour. There is always someone to welcome you. Please email us if interested in more information.
How do you ship water lilies?
We are experts at packing, having worked with professionals who have shipped lilies for over 40 years. We ship our lilies bare-root sealed in an air-tight plastic bag to prevent any leaks. We ship everything in a large box through USPS 3-day Priority Mail.
We only ship on Mondays and Tuesdays to ensure the fastest shipping possible so you get a high quality product that same week!
If the parcel is damaged, have your Postmaster give you a damage report within 3 days and email a picture to us so we can take care of it, if the damage report is properly filled out and signed.
How much is shipping?
Shipping is FREE and included in the price. We only ship to USA.
What are your seasonal availability dates?
We only ship high-quality water lilies that are guaranteed to bloom within 10 days. Therefore, our shipping seasons are May 1 – August 15 when the plants are blooming.
Where are you located?
We are located 2.5 hours South West of St. Louis in a small town: Bunker, Missouri (63629). We do offer in-person pickup. Ask about our AirBNB if you want to stay they night. Just email us.
Do you offer volume discounts?
Yes. We can handle any size order large or small. We offer a discount to volume orders from wholesales and commercial businesses. Please email us for more information. We are ready to serve you with high-quality water lilies that will delight your customers!
Bee Fork Water Gardens History
“When I first saw the large flowing spring in 1944 I realized the unique layout possibilities for making ponds for the growing of fish and water lilies. At that time we had to travel some rough terrain. In fact, the small stream known as the Bee Fork of Black River was the best road. Even if there were a lot of rocks in the creek bed, we drove right on as it was better than the road.” – Otto Beldt, Founder
Otto Beldt built 150 ponds of which over 50 are used for the propagation of water lilies andtTwo green houses that were used for the growing of tropical lilies and water plants.
“I remember seeing the water lily farm as a kid. I knew the people who owned it and in the 1980’s when it became available I purchased the Bee Fork Water Gardens. I sold tens of thousands of water lilies to mostly commercial businesses before closing in 1997.” – Craig Williamson, Former Owner
In 2018, the Stolzberg family bought the property and started preparing to re-open the famous Bee Fork Water Gardens.
“It takes several years to grow quality plants and we are propagating new varieties each year. We have an enormous output. Our plants are priced to sell and we can take care of any size order. A lot of roots have been sold by the thousands in the past. We welcome your orders large or small. Our property has been growing high-quality lilies since 1946 and we are looking forward to receiving your orders. We are ready to supply you with high-quality plants. Thank you for your trust and supporting our family business!” -Bob Stolzberg, Owner
Bee Fork Water Gardens Catalogs from the 1970’s
Catalog from Unknown Year
Catalog from 1976
Don’t leave without a famous Bee Fork Water Lily
For Only $29.99/ea You’ll Receive
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Unique Bee Fork Water Lily Species
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Hand-Picked by our trained experts
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Established Roots
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Comes with buds guaranteed to flower
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Ships Bare-Root
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Special Lifetime Guarantee