Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-25
WHITE HOUSE WATER LILIES
INTERESTING SPECIES OF AQUATIC
FLOWERS AND PLANTS.
The Egyptian Lotus, With Beautiful
Bloom and FOltaGe-Othcr
Varieties.

The large number of aquatic flowers and
plants in the White House Conservatives
and grounds this year attests the growing
popularity of this species. Throughout the
country the demand for the aquatic plants
has increased and no garden, park, ceme-
terry or public ground Is considered thor
oughly complete without a basin pond
well filled with beautiful aquatics, Of which
there are many novelties this year.
In all the basins of the White House
fountains are water lilies of the rarest
kind. night and day blooming varieties,
tender and hardy kinds. In the fountain
on the east side of the grounds near the
entrance to the Treasury Department.
there are nearly twenty-five varieties, and
they do not fail to attract much attention
from visitors and even residents of the
city. The rich foliage, the many kinds of
leaves and the still more beautiful variety
of flowers furnish study and delight the
attention. In this basin. filled also with
the rare and beautiful Japanese gold fish,
are to be found the water lilies of China.
Japan, Africa, Egypt, Mexico and nearly
all other climes. Naturally they produce
a variety Of foliage and flowers.
The water lilies from strictly tropical
chimes are known to seed and flower grow
as tender, inaSmuch they must be
placed i'll hot houses or Conservatives In
winter Among these are the nymphaea
Zanzibarensis. native of Zanzibar;
nymphaea Mexicana, native OF Mexico
and New Mexico. nymphaea scutifona-
from the Cape of Good Hope: nymphaea
rubra, from East India: nymphaea dentata,
from Sierra Leona, and the nymphaea
lotus. plant that grows in vast quantities
in the plains of lower Egypt during the
time the land is under water. Among the
tender lilies also is the nymphaea devon
iensiS, one of the choicest in cultivation.
No modern collection is complete without II.
The flowers are brilliant rosy red. They
are a most pleasing color when seen by
a
plant, and the leaves are a deep green,
with reddish shade. The Egyptian lotus
is also night plant. and produces white
flower. sepals red at the margins, cup
shaped. with broad petals. Most of The
other lilies mentioned are day boomers
The flowers of the night plants look beau
tiful in the early morning, and II the sun
is not too hot they remain open for several
hours. hot sun, however, soon closes
them, and they reopen after nightfal!
Only one of the water lilies from trop-
ical country is anyways hardy. That is the
Egyptian lotus. scientifically known as the
speciosum. 1t is well-known and lar
famed species. Its superb flowers and
magnificent foliage produce splendid sub
tropical effect. The flowers are about
foot across when fully opened. are of
deep rose color with a soft, creamy white
at the base of the petals. 1t differs from
some of the other lilies in that 1t is ex-
quisitely fragrant.
The benefit of the hardy lilies is that they
can remain in a pond or basin all winter
if they get the same water supply as in
summer The names of these are numerous.
among them being the odorata Caroliniana,
the marliacea rosea and the pygmaea- The
latter is the smallest of the Towering series
in cultivation. 1t is a native of China The
flowers either pure white or pink and
very fragrant. They are no larger than
half dollar. The leaves are green and two
to three inches In diameter The Caroiini-
ana is a native of South Carolina, and is
one of the grandest of its type. The flower
is large and Of rosy pink.
The Zanzibar lily of the tender variety is
considered a royal flower among the lilies
The flowers very large, Of deep pur-
pie color, sepals deep green on the outside
and purple within. with red margin. 1t is
exquistely fragrant and is free-fowering-
The lilies planted in boxes filled with
rich earth, and the boxes are set in the
basin. below the water. of course. They
are not given much attention except to be
kept free of the aquatic bugs that would
quickly kill them II not looked after. The
gold fish help to eradicate the water bugs,
but once a week at least White House
gardener. with the lower part of his body
incased in rubber, wades in the basins and
ponds. carefully going over the plants He
knows exactly where to look for the dam
gerouS bugs and often kills many of them