Maintenance on a Living Masterpiece

Posted in Gardens and Collections, Video on July 31 2008, by Plant Talk

Genna Federico, a senior at St. John’s University, is an intern working in the Communications Department this summer.

Before the Waterlilies and Lotus Aquatic Exhibition in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Courtyard pools opened, I wanted to find out how these flowers floating in water are kept bright and perky. To get to the bottom of this, so to speak, I watched one day as Foreman of Gardeners Gary Bendykowski gave the tropical pool (one of two pools in the courtyard) a cleaning. It was quite a sight to see. Donning brown waders Gary entered the pool with great enthusiasm, saying “It’s the best; you get to be in the water and away from the crowd.”

The weekly cleaning is generally done for aesthetic purposes, to remove leaves that are discolored or have been torn. It also serves to get rid of the abundance of elodea, aquatic weeds that are not needed in these hot summer months, although in colder months they help provide oxygen.

See the video below and read about the rest of Genna’s day at the pool after the jump.

Conservatory pool cleaning at The New York Botanical Garden on Vimeo.

The developing Giant Amazon waterlilies or Victoria amazonica were definitely the main attraction. These beauties can grow to about 6 feet and hold up to 80 pounds! Gary removed dead leaves and those that had been chewed up by tiny insects called aphids. There was more to clean out this week than most—about nine lily pads were discarded.

As a special treat, Gary showed his growing audience both sides of these waterlily pads and even let us touch them.

The front side of the pad was smooth and water resistant. Amazing how every droplet just ran right off the surface. The underside was like a whole different plant. The colors were bold and stunning, ranging from purple to orange. Careful, though; there were sharp, spiny thorns, which the plant uses for protection. An interesting fact is that the designs of the veins on the underside were originally used as inspiration for glass greenhouses, including the Garden’s Conservatory.

New waterlilies are planted each June in the tropical courtyard pool. The leaves expand quickly and soon huge, spiny flower buds appear just above the water. The buds open in early evening to reveal white flowers more than a foot across. The flowers are warm and fragrant to attract pollinating beetles. By noon the next day, the flowers close, turning pink before they open the second night. The second morning the flowers close and sink to the bottom where seeds will develop if the flowers have been pollinated. A beautiful flower lasting only two days! It’s definitely worth to catch a glimpse of this.

The maintenance on these fascinating plants is as interesting as the results. Don’t just take it from me; check out the Giant Amazon waterlilies in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Courtyard, and perhaps you’ll be lucky enough to see for yourself.