The Washington times., 1901-09-08
VICTORIA REGIA
AND THE LILY POND.

VICTORIA REGIA 3.
AND THE LILY POND.
The whole lily pond doesn't get so big
capitals as the queen. Still there Is much
for the other ten aristocrats to gossip
about. Altogether there are twelve diff
ferent species in the large pond. One of
these is the real, original Victoria Regia
just as she grows upon her native ponds
in Africa. Another is a hybrid of the
Victoria Regia crossed by some Philadel-
piia gardeners, with only the gardeners
know what And so the rest of the lilies
can turn up their noses at one at least
of the queens.
A little later. when the great lily leaves
shall have covered more of the surface
of the pond one won't be able to see, as
one can now, the double rows of pipes
crossing and encircling the pond. These
are the gentle coaxers without which the
aristocrats would never consent to bios
som. By running steam through these
pipes the temperature of the water Is
kept at between So and 80 degrees. The
rare lilies are tropical or semi-tropical.
and Mr.. Fisher. their guardian, takes
the temperature of the water as carefully
as il il were a bath for an invalid
Since the first of June Mr.. Fisher has
been coddling his twelve rare lilies. They
came to him there from the Philadelphia
gardeners above mentioned. firm which
makes speciality of water lilies. All of
these rare varieties are raised In this
country from the seed. They are joIlied
along in tanks for about three months
before they are sent out. That makes
those at Prospect Park almost five
months old, yet they are Just beginning
to blossom. Verify. between providing
heated tank for nursing them through
their infancy and steam-heated pond
for them to occupy at maturity. the rais
ing of rare water lilies is no mean task
The Victoria Regia has some interesting
royal caDrices. The first five or six
leaves 1t unfurls lie fiat upon the surface
of the water. After that the leaves are
larger and are turned up into sharply
erect rim around the edge. like some queer
sort of cake tin. The genuine Victoria
at the park will have leaves five feet in
diameter when she gets fairly down to
business and the rim around the edge
will sit up to height of six inches.
When the leaves first come to the sur
face they look a good deal like a small
hedgehogs curled up with their toes to-
gether. Little by little the hedgehogs un-
roll outward, their green spines going
down into the water and serving to steady
the leaf and to supply It with moisture.
At present the real Victoria Regia's leaves
have not begun to turn up around the
edges and are a dark red in color. The
leaves of the hybrid are sitting up as
pert as anything and are a pale green
in color.
The blossoms are capricious as well
the leaves. In the first place. the Vic
toria bud Is round. whereas the other
aristocrats have long and pointed buds
The Victoria opens at night and closes
in the morning as soon as the sun gets
hot. The first night 1t is white. the sec
ond night it Is pink, and the third night
the third night 1t Is gone. At any rate,
its beauty is gone. 1t has faded and with
cred. Great bursts of beauty-it is ten
inches in diameter-the blossom opens
twice and then closes forever
None of the aristocrats have blossoms
which live longer than three nights, and
most of them are good for only two. With
one or two exceptions they are night
boomers. too, but the park authorities
have provided for this popularity. Sew
eral powerful arc lights are hung from
brackets projecting over the pond. 1t
looks if the lights were leaning over
and peering down at the blossoms. Next
month, when the aristocrats are really
showing of. crowds will go to see them.
BY the middle of August there will be be-
tween IS and 100 blossoms out at one
time One plant alone viii sometimes
have a dozen blossoms. Even the Vic
rio t,..y .fyl,N
they are fairly started they go on bloom
ing until frost, the water being always
kept at the same high temperature.
Among the arstocrats are two blue Ill
les. one called the ZanZibarienza from the
place of its nativity. Another is the VIII
liam Stone. with peculiar ruffled edges to
its leaves. The O'Mararia Is a fine deep
pink lily almost as large the Victoria.
All of these have large placid leaves,
which are excellent summing spots for
the frogs kept as scayengers In the pool
Several frogs can be seen at a time doz-
ing comfortably upon the idly rocking
lily pads.
Raising the lilies is a work of care. and
expense. If anybody is looking for a wat
er plant which will ask nothing but a
chance to grow. let him try the water |
hyacinth. There is a fringe of these plants |
around the lily pond, their clusters of fine |
blue flowers mingling with the green
fringe of the Egyptian papyrus, which |
bends over them. The water hyacinth in
vaded the James River once and that
sturdy stream has had to fight for Its life
ever since. In the lily pond the water
hyacinth is allowed TO grow only week;
then the gardener pulls out the old roots
and plants takes one shoot and sticks It
HlA aud A aaE "a
has grown so far and put out so many
new shoots that another cleaning out Is
necessary. If short OF money and time try
water hyacinths.
In the large lake not far from the ponds
the yellow lotus grows. The ponds are
not deep enough for this lily which likes
10 send its stems up six feet or more to
lind the air.
The ordinary lover Of flowers may think
all this is pretty discouraging for the
private grower. AS general thing he has