A 1922 introduction that propagates itself. Nymphaea 'August Koch' carries large, fragrant violet-blue flowers over olive-green pads, and it is highly viviparous — new plantlets form on the leaves, so one plant becomes several. It was raised at Garfield Park in Chicago and named for August Koch, who bred it alongside George H. Pring.
What You'll Receive
- You will get 1 young and freshly harvested water lily tuber
- All of our water lilies tubers/rhizomes have been inspected before ship out and guaranteed they are viable and perfect to grow in a proper pond environment
Plant Profile
- Common name — August Koch Water Lily
- Scientific name — Nymphaea 'August Koch'
- Origin — Garfield Park, Chicago, 1922; bred by August Koch and George H. Pring
- Parentage — Likely 'Blue Beauty' × 'Mrs. Woodrow Wilson'
- Type — Tropical water lily, viviparous
- Flower — Large violet-blue, fragrant
- Foliage — Olive-green pads
- Placement — Ponds and containers with still water
Care
- Difficulty — Beginner
- Sunlight — Full sun; at least 6 hours of direct sun daily
- Water — 70–80°F
- Substrate — Heavy clay or loam in a submerged container
- Planting angle — Tropical tuber: straight up at 90°, crown level with the soil
- Feeding — Water lily fertiliser tablets pushed into the soil every few weeks through the growing season
- Overwintering — Tropical. In cool climates lift the plant and store the rhizome in damp sand and peat moss at 50–55°F
- Propagation — Viviparous plantlets on the leaves; also tuber division
Grower's Notes
- Highly viviparous, which is the practical reason to choose it. Plantlets form on mature pads and can be lifted and potted once they have roots and a leaf of their own. Most lilies only increase by division — this one multiplies through the season on its own.
- Over a century in cultivation. A 1922 cultivar that is still sold has earned its place on performance, not novelty.
- Fragrant as well as blue. Scent is not a given among the blue tropicals, so site it where people sit.
- Wants still water and real warmth — 70–80°F suits it. Keep the pot clear of fountains and waterfall outflows.
- Leave old pads in place while plantlets are forming. Tidying them away removes the next generation.
New to planting water lilies? Read our complete Water Lily Planting Guide — tuber angle, soil, depth and the one mistake that kills most first lilies.
Notes
- We don't ship dormant roots. Your tuber arrives fresh and actively growing with 1–2 young leaves already emerged — visible proof it's viable before it leaves us. Young pads may start fully submerged and will reach the surface within about a week in good light.
- Remove dead leaves and spent flowers to keep the water clean — though leave any pad carrying plantlets until they are ready to lift.
- Never release aquatic plants into natural waterways.
Shipping Policy
At Aquarium Plants Factory, we carefully package and ship all orders to ensure plants and livestock arrive healthy and ready to thrive.
Order Processing Time
Most orders are processed within 1–2 business days after payment is received.
Orders placed on weekends or holidays will be processed on the next business day.
Orders containing out-of-stock, pre-order, or backorder items may require additional handling time.
Once your order ships, tracking information will be sent to your email.
Shipping Schedule
Live Plants
Live plant orders ship Monday through Saturday when using United States Postal Service (USPS).
Most plant-only orders ship within 1–3 business days, excluding products that are out of stock, pre-order, or backorder.
Estimated USPS delivery time is 2–5 business days, depending on your location.
UPS Express Shipping
We offer the following UPS expedited shipping options:
UPS 2-Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 2 business days
Please note that UPS 2-Day Air® is not a guaranteed service in the event of carrier delays, weather disruptions, or operational issues.
UPS Next Day Air®
Estimated delivery: 1 business day
This service is guaranteed by UPS according to their service guarantee policies.
UPS expedited orders ship Monday through Wednesday only to ensure packages arrive within the same week and avoid weekend delays.
Please note that orders require 1–2 business days of handling time before shipment.
To help ensure same-week delivery, please place UPS orders on or before Tuesday at 6:00 AM Pacific Time (PT).
Live Animals Shipping
Live animal orders ship Monday through Wednesday only.
This schedule ensures animals arrive within the same week and do not remain in transit over the weekend.
Handling time for live animal orders typically ranges from 1–5 business days, depending on:
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Weather conditions
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Livestock health
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Shipping destination
Tracking information will be emailed once the order has been shipped.
Free Shipping
We offer Free Shipping on eligible orders over $150 within the contiguous United States.
Estimated delivery time for free shipping orders is 2–5 business days.
If your order contains both live plants and live animals, the shipment may be combined and the appropriate shipping rate will be shown at checkout.
Free Shipping is not available for customers located in:
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Alaska
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Hawaii
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Puerto Rico
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Guam
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U.S. Virgin Islands
Customers in these locations must select Expedited or Express shipping options at checkout.
Delivery Time Estimates
Delivery times shown at checkout are estimates provided by the shipping carrier.
While we work hard to ship orders quickly, delivery times may vary due to factors outside of our control, including:
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Weather conditions
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Carrier delays
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High shipping volumes
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Transportation disruptions
Aquarium Plants Factory is not responsible for shipping delays caused by the carrier.
Delayed or Lost Packages
Occasionally, shipments may take longer than expected.
A package is considered lost only after 15 business days (approximately 3 weeks) from the ship date.
If a package is confirmed lost by the carrier, we may offer a 50/50 replacement, meaning:
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Aquarium Plants Factory covers 50% of the replacement cost
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The customer covers 50% plus shipping
Address Accuracy
Customers are responsible for providing a complete and accurate shipping address when placing an order.
Please ensure that your address is correct when using payment methods such as:
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Credit / Debit Card
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PayPal
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Apple Pay
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Google Pay
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Amazon Pay
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Shopify Pay
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AliPay
Orders returned due to:
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Incorrect address
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Refused delivery
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Failed delivery attempts
may not be eligible for a refund.
Order Cancellations
If you need to cancel an order, please contact us as soon as possible.
Orders can only be canceled before they have been shipped.
Once an order has been shipped, it can no longer be canceled.
Returns
Due to the sensitive nature of live goods, all sales are final.
We do not accept returns or exchanges for:
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Live plants
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Live animals
For any shipping questions, please contact us before placing your order.
Aquarium Plants Factory
https://www.AquariumPlantsFactory.com
What We Guarantee
24-Hour Live Arrival Guarantee — We guarantee that live plants and live aquatic animals will arrive alive. In the rare case of a Dead on Arrival (DOA), you must notify us within 24 hours of the delivery time recorded on the carrier's official tracking page. The guarantee is void after that 24-hour window, as condition can no longer be attributed to transit.
How to Submit a Claim
- Take at least 2 clear, well-lit photos of the affected items in their original, unopened, sealed packaging, plus a photo of the shipping label on the box.
- Email your photos and order number to hello@aquariumplantsfactory.com within 24 hours of delivery.
- Do not photograph plants or animals after they have been unpacked, planted, or introduced to your aquarium — once an item enters your aquarium's ecosystem, it is no longer covered.
Approved claims are resolved with a replacement, store credit, or refund at our discretion, under the terms of our Refund Policy. Each item is eligible for one replacement only — replacements are final and we cannot replace a replacement.
Conditions That Void the Guarantee
- Incorrect or incomplete shipping address (vacant address, missing apartment number, or any issue that prevents delivery)
- Packages marked "invalid address," "undeliverable," refused, or returned to sender
- Packages left unclaimed, held at a carrier facility at the customer's request, or not retrieved promptly after delivery — live goods must be brought indoors and unpacked the day they arrive
- Carrier delays, weather events, or delivery exceptions once the package has left our facility
- Shipments to freight forwarders or package-forwarding services
Providing accurate, complete shipping information and monitoring your tracking are essential to keeping your guarantee valid.
Please note: the Live Arrival Guarantee covers arrival only. We cannot guarantee ongoing success — aquarium environment, water quality, nutrients, temperature, lighting, filtration, and CO2 all affect long-term results.
What We Can't Guarantee
- Pest-free plants (potted & bare-root): Although our plants are grown in our own clean greenhouse, we cannot guarantee they are 100% free of snails, algae, or other hitchhikers. We recommend rinsing and quarantining all plants before adding them to your aquarium. Tissue culture (in vitro) plants are the exception — they are grown in sterile lab conditions, are 100% free of pests, algae, and disease, and have never been in contact with any aquarium.
- Pesticide-free plants: We use homemade, organic pest control in our greenhouse and never use copper-based pesticides, which are toxic to invertebrates such as snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, we cannot guarantee plants are entirely pesticide-free — always rinse and quarantine before use in invertebrate tanks.
- Your aquarium's success: We are not responsible for your aquarium inhabitants, including fish, shrimp, snails, and turtles. Please quarantine all plants before use.
- Growth form: Unless specified, we do not guarantee plants will grow emersed or submersed in your particular setup.
Please review your state's regulations on restricted plants, as we are committed to not shipping plants that are restricted in your area. Do not release any plants into the wild or waterways, as this can harm local ecosystems by introducing invasive species.
Your cooperation in protecting the environment is appreciated. For continuously updated information, refer to the USDA State Noxious Weed list here.
Thank you for your responsible commitment to environmental preservation.
Customers praised these violet-blue tropical water lily tubers for arriving "well packed" and "healthy." Most found them "bigger than expected" with excellent quality. Some concerns included lack of instructions, absence of roots, delayed blooming after 4 months, and occasional plant failure despite good packaging.
- Very healthy plants.
- Received them in great shape. They were bigger than what I expected.
- Best Price. Fast service excellent quality.
l
Received them in great shape. They were bigger than what I expected. I planted hem the same day and they are doing well.
D
Though I only just received the tubers, they appeared in quality condition.
I have since planted and placed in pond.
Time will tell as to foliage & flower.
I really hope it’s the deep purple I ordered.
H
Sadly it didnt make it, but it seemed well packed on arrival
T
Very nice
A
It is my first order. Very healthy plants. Thank you 😊.
D
Very nice tuber. Waiting for it to grow up and produce beautiful flowers
A
Thank you.
R
nice and healthy
A
Came on time, well packaged and looks healthy.
D
Came well packed and arrived in excellent condition.
P
I have never grown tropicals before but have been considering it for quite some time. I received three of these that seem to be doing well, as far as I know. They did seem a little “squishy” on the tops, but maybe that’s normal. I’m excited to see what comes and hope they look beautiful this summer! If so, I will definitely be purchasing more lilies in the future from this company!!
S
Little too soon to say, but I have planted them and they are growing!
E
Best Price. Fast service excellent quality.
P
Received my order ; on time. ; very nice tuber. Already had several leaves sprouting out. This is the second time I ordered from Aquarium plants factory ; Both times received very nice quality tubers.
J
No instructions came with package. Not sure if the rizones will take. No roots were evident.
M
I'm rating it 5 stars because of the company's willingness to replace this plant. I sent the shipping fee for the replacement but have not yet received it.
C
The plants were fresh and lively. Thank you. Even after 4 months it has not bloomed yet. Any hint?
M
AS you know it came in with my smashed order so it will be a while to see if it lives
E
The plant description doesn't seem to indicate how big are the leaves? How large will this plant spread? Are the flowers fragrant? Planting depth to surface of water is 6 inches only?
The reason I ask is, after buying a similar "miniature" lily from another grower, the leaves were 10 inches across and spread three feet.
Great questions! August Koch is a classic, full-size tropical water lily, not a miniature - so plan for it to fill out similarly to what you described: leaves typically run 8-12 inches across, and mature spread is usually in the 4-6 foot range in good conditions, so it needs real pond space. Yes, the flowers are fragrant. On depth, 6 inches works fine to get it started, but tropicals like this generally do best and bloom most with 12-18 inches of water over the crown once established - you can start shallow and gradually deepen as it grows. Let us know if you have a specific pond size in mind and we're happy to advise further!
D
is this a day or night bloomer?
Nymphaea August Koch is a day bloomer water lily.
C
The Description says this water lily is tropical. What growth zone will it grow in? I live in zone six. I have a small Koi pond. Would I have to lift it out during the winter? Thanks!
Great question! Tropical water lilies like this one are generally only reliably winter-hardy outdoors in USDA zones 10-11. In zone 6, the tuber won't survive a pond winter outdoors, so yes, you'd need to lift it out before the water gets cold and either overwinter the tuber indoors (similar to how you'd store a dahlia) or simply treat it as a seasonal annual and replace it in spring.
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