Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01

THE magic season at the Shaw Gardens is
in midsummer when the night lilies bloom.
What exquisite pleasure to ramble over the
farm while the stars peep through the branches
of the weeping willow, and prick the shadows
of night. But pause a while and watch q
night lily unfold its waxy petals.
The night boomers all come from South
America. They, too, must be started in hot
houses and transp!anted in the open about the
last of June. They grow very rapidly. The
blossoms range in color from cream and pink
to purplish-red, but they are never blue or
yellow. Their centers are like clusters Of
cleaning stars.
The largest of these-the largest Of the
whole water lily tribe, for that matter-is the
Victoria Regia. 1t grows wild in the back
waters Of the Amazon River in South Amer
lea. Some Of the leaves grow ten feet in
diameter. One full-grown leaf can easily bear
the weight of child. Each plant grows only
a few leaves, which are bronZy green, per-
fectly round and fiat with the edges turned
up about four inches. They float on the water
for all the world like big shallow pan.
This is the only plant in the garden that
is grown exclusively from the seeds. These
seeds cost $3.50 each. A single plant, when
matured, covers thirty square feet. The stems
and the reverse sides of the leaves are covered
with close, sharp thorns. more than an inch
long. The flower stems cannot be touched
with bare hands.
In the Shaw Gardens each plant will grow
from ten to sixteen blossoms. The blooms
often measure from eight to fourteen inches
across. The petals are thick and waxy, with light
yellow ceHters. In the North American climate
each flower opens three consecutive nights
The first night the flower is Q pale, creamy
yellow and it perfumes the whole gardens Its
exotic odor reminds one Of ripened bananas
and pineapples. The second night 1t Is pale
rNsx, IL ~ Ntn aAA~ htpA
last night the bloom IS . dark purplish-
red. The Victorias open at dusk and close
early next morning.
In the tropics the Victoria P:sias blos-
SONS make all these color transformations in
one night. They open at dusk creamy white,
gradually turn pink and close In the morning
a dark red There each bloom lives but o
single night.
This aquatic mastodon Of plants was intro
duced into England in the time of Queen
Victoria and was named for her.
The Victoria Regia possesses no commercial
Importance. It's long thorns and bristles-a
gift of mother nature to combat tropical in
sects-present almost insurmountable difhcul-
ties in handling and cutting the flowers.
WE must not forget the lotus blooms. They
climb out of the water instead Of floating
like other water lilies
The lotus is as traditional and romantic as
the blue Egyptian lilies or the weird night
boomers Of South America. The leaves and
flowers grow on long stems five or six feet
above the water. The flowers resemble huge
tulips growing on tall stalks. Their grayish
green leaves are covered with down. Water
rolls off the foliage like mercury.
The f-.c"ant blossoms of the Egyptian lotus
prow ahn,It twelve inches wide They are
pale yellow. touched on the edges with pink.
The full-grown leaves are thirty inches In
diameter. Tradition says Cleopatra was fond
of the Egyptian lotus. She wore them In her
hair-cnc on each side Of her head just over