Water Lilies

St. Louis flaunts the bold drama of the tropics in summer when blooming water lilies turn the reflecting pools at the Missouri Botanical Garden into spectacular exotica. Giant Victoria water lilies, with leaf spans of up to six feet, highlight the displays, which include hundreds of other aquatic plants in the pools by the Climatron® conservatory and the Linnean House.

The lilies bloom from July through October, depending on the St. Louis weather, but their care begins long before that. By the end of February, horticulturists start seeds for the Victoria lilies in pots submerged in some of the 14 greenhouse tanks. Germination is tricky; it can take from 1 to 4 weeks.

All the nymphaea hybrid water lily cultivars are propagated from tubers according to methods developed at the Missouri Botanical Garden by George H. Pring, a prominent water lily expert and Missouri Botanical Garden horticulturist and superintendent from 1910-1963.

The Garden produces 230 plants, including more than 50 different cultivars of Nymphaea. That includes six or seven spectacular Victorias. Many of the giant lilies are the "Longwood Hybrid," a cross between the Victoria amazonica and Victoria cruziana created at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania with the assistance of Pring. The "Longwood Hybrid" combines many of the great attributes of the two species.

Victorias are natives of Brazil, Guyana and Bolivia. They were named in honor of Queen Victoria by British explorer Sir Robert Schomburgk (cq), who first sighted them in 1837. The Victoria lily first arrived at the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1894, brought by head gardener James Gurney. They grew in a special artificially heated pool to the south of the Linnean House.

Today the lilies grace six unheated reflecting pools – three in front of the Linnean House and three between the Spink Pavilion and Climatron in an area known as the central axis. The pools on the central axis, built in 1917 and renovated in 1988-90, also showcase seven bronze sculptures by the late Swedish sculptor Carl Milles: Two Girls Dancing (1914-17), Sunglitter (1918), Orpheus Fountain Figures (Male and Female) (1936) and three angels with musical instruments in the center basin on the central axis.

Victorias are delicate plants that crave the heat and humidity of the tropics. That makes them difficult to grow, since St. Louis cannot always supply their desired climate. Horticulturalists move the plants to the reflecting pools when the water temperature reaches 72 degrees. Plants grow in water from two to three feet deep. With the right conditions, the Victorias grow at an amazing rate, up to an inch an hour at their peak. Their colors range from green to maroon.

August is the prime viewing time. The best hours for visitors are mid-morning, when daytime blooms are opening and night bloomers close. Day bloomers cover the color spectrum, and night bloomers are white, pink and red – the only colors that can be seen by night-flying insects.

The pool water is dyed black to provide reflection, mask any debris on the bottom, block the rays of the sun to reduce algae production, and showcase the beauty of the flowers. Colorful spring and summer displays, including pansies, tulips and tropical plants, accent the tranquil reflecting pools.

Volunteers help with the considerable maintenance required, including deadheading blooms weekly and fertilizing every seven to 10 days by pushing tablets into the soil around the plant.

The Missouri Botanical Garden's mission is "to discover and share knowledge about plants and their environment in order to preserve and enrich life."  Today, 151 years after opening, the Missouri Botanical Garden is a National Historic Landmark and a center for science and conservation, education and horticultural display.

3/2010