Horticulture major pursues sweet bloom of success

Award-winning water lily grower seeks to popularize flower among gardeners

For Li Zijun, water lilies don't just belong in ponds, but also on balconies and rooftops, where they can beautify urban homes for years to come.

The 27-year-old native of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, said that the flower should become as beloved of urban residents as orchids and other flowers grown at home.

A graduate of Guangzhou's Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, he is busy cultivating new varieties suitable for growing at home and is also breeding new hybrids that are more beautiful and better suited to being grown in city households, to help improve the urban environment.

He said that he has summarized his unique hybridization techniques and has successfully bred 10 intersubgeneric hybrids through trial and research.

"Through hybridization, I hope to be able to breed and cultivate new varieties with higher yields and better disease resistance in the future that are more suited to the needs of urban residents," Li said.

As living standards improve, Li believes the water lily sector has bright prospects in the country.