In late summer, the NYBG‘s Enid A. Haupt Conservatory becomes the home of a botanical behemoth, one of the largest leaved plants in the world. And each year, visitors find themselves caught off guard by the delightful weirdness of this tropical oddity: Victoria amazonica. Originally from the Amazon River basin, it’s long since become an iconic display in our tropical water lily pond.

Named for Britain’s Queen Victoria in the nineteenth century, the structure of the largest of water lilies is a bit like a kiddie pool (and often as big as one). Its broad, smooth leaves can stretch to nearly ten feet in diameter, forming expansive discs with sharply upturned edges that, again, make it look as though you could drop one in your backyard with a few gallons of water and a pool noodle. At maturity, their short-lived flowers can reach 15 inches across, opening white on the first evening as females, and pink on the second as males. It’s a brief display; the flowers (hopefully) attract pollinating beetles to do nature’s work, then sink below the water’s surface almost as abruptly as they emerged.
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The tropical water lily pool is filling in nicely with what look like enormous green bottle caps, capsized and floating about. The Victoria lily pads are nothing if they’re not attention getters.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

Most weekend green thumbs can handle the odd tray of garden center perennials, and some might even tackle the challenge of the more finicky roses. But when it comes to raising Nymphaea, the leap from yard to pond can be intimidating! We understand the hesitance. This weekend, the NYBG‘s horticultural staff aims to dispel that air of mystery just long enough to help our visitors understand the rewards of growing water lilies at home. With a dash of confidence and the right planting, even New Yorkers can spice up their summer displays with these exotic eye catchers.

For the uninitiated, this is your cue to visit the Garden’s own hardy and tropical water lily ponds in the Conservatory Courtyard, where Nymphaea and Nelumbo, the lotus, are firmly planted in the Monet’s Garden spotlight. It’s where we’re featuring a few of the artist’s favorite cultivars, along with a number of newer creations from the Latour-Marliac Nursery, Monet’s go-to supplier for much of his life at Giverny. Once you’ve experienced these aquatic icons as they’re meant to be seen, and picked up a few pointers on their upkeep, make your way to the Shop in the Garden for the supplies you’ll need to grow water lilies at home!
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For all the wabi-sabi of the surrounding stands of lotus, you’ll find symmetry if you catch the Water Lily Pool from just the right angle.

Photo by Ivo M. Vermeulen

You could call our spotlight on the lotus blossoms an opening act. The true marquee headliners of Monet’s Garden–the prima donnas of our current collection–are without a doubt their nearby neighbors, the water lilies. There is no other flower in the landscape of spring, summer, or fall that so thoroughly represents the oeuvre of master Impressionist Claude Monet.

In the closing years of his life, the genus Nymphaea would come to define Monet’s obsession. He pulled dozens and dozens of scenes from that iconic spot by Giverny’s Japanese bridge, bringing concept to canvas with a verve few painters could match, then or now. Today, his water lily series stands as the ostensible height of his contribution to the history of art.

“It took me time to understand my water lilies,” Monet once wrote. “I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them.”
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It’s not just inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory where the preparations for Monet’s Garden are taking place. Behind the landmark building, in the Courtyard Pools, the Garden’s horticulture staff are preparing the stars of the show; water lilies, including some varieties that Monet grew at Giverny.

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The Waterlily & Lotuses Pool in the courtyard of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is a magical place. Summer breezes ripple the surface, playing with the glittering reflection of the Conservatory; koi stick their heads clear out of the water, as if begging for a scratch under the chin; and kaleidoscopic waterlilies and lotuses stir gently, like drowsy dancers at the end of an evening of waltzing. The colors and lingering aromas of these exotic flowers create a enchanted atmosphere, perfect for afternoon daydreaming.

Nymphaea 'Moon Dance'

Nymphaea 'Sioux'

Nymphaea 'Laydekeri Fulgens'

More beauty below.