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The
Waterlily
A Century of Beauty Contributing Authors: of Rocky Shoals Aquatic Nursery |
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Making Waterlily History Before any of us were born there was a waterlily pioneer who spent his life almost entirely on the development of the waterlily. His name was Joseph Marliac. Joseph Marliac, born in 1830 to a family-owned nursery in France, learned early an appreciation for the hardy and the tropical waterlily. His father’s 62-acre nursery was graced with 2.5 acres of springs that produced fairly warm water at a rate of 25,000 gallons per day. This prime watergardening land was divided into 40 ponds that were subdivided into 600 sections. By the time Joseph was old enough to learn the business, these ponds were producing all sorts of aquatic plants. There were very few hybrids that existed during the mid 1800’s. Joseph used variants of our native white waterlily and the yellow Mexican waterlily to produce his first hybrids. To his surprise and delight, the plants became tame and less vigorous, giving him the ability to grow them in small containers without them climbing out and taking over the pond. From there he made waterlily history! His work was so successful that he created high quality hybrids that are so healthy and beautiful that they are still being grown and are the predominant lilies being sold today. 70 of his hybrids have first-class ratings. His facilities were set up on peculiar concrete tanks that were cooled from the heat of Southern France by an elderly lady who diverted fresh spring water into the containers. His hybridizing techniques and methods, however, were lost when he died. The difficulty with what he did is illustrated by Amos Perry who, in 1927, performed 159 crosses with only one successful seed set. Calling a Waterlily by its Name When someone asks what kind of waterlilies we carry we are guilty of simply telling them we carry hardy waterlilies in a good assortment of colors. Unless the customer is a waterlily connoisseur we generally ask “What color do you want?” and leave it at that. The fact is, thanks to the work of Mr. Marliac and other waterlily pioneers like him, the waterlily comes in a vast assortment of varieties, most of the them carrying a specific variety name. Each variety has its own set of particulars. One may have pointed flower petals while another has more rounded petals. One may sport lilypads that are speckled while others have large, round solid green leaves. The Difference Between Hardy and Tropical Waterlily varieties are available as perennials and annuals. Hardy varieties of waterlilies die back in the winter then sprout new pads and flowers the following season. The tropical waterlily dies off in the winter and does not come back at all in our Georgia climate. Flowers of the hardy varieties generally float on the surface of the water while flowers of the tropical waterlily are held high above water level. The leaves of the tropical waterlily tend to be serrated around the edges, resembling the teeth of a saw-blade, while edges of the hardy pads are smooth. The flowers of the tropical varieties tend to be fuller and the colors more vibrant. There’s even an added choice of colors — purple. Often referred to as blue, if you come across a flower of this color, chances are it is a tender tropical variety. Most waterlilies bloom during the hot part of the day. This is unfortunate for most folks who work during the day because they rarely get a chance to see the beauty of the bloom. Night-blooming tropical waterlilies are available (usually at a higher price) and are just as beautiful as those that bloom during the day. Though the fiery colored tropical waterlilies are a sight to behold we have found that they are very temperamental and not a good investment in our area unless you have a greenhouse to store them in during the winter months. That is the reason we carry mostly hardy waterlilies. They are as durable as they are beautiful! Highlighted Hardy Varieties I depend on Jim & Denise to guide me on the varieties of waterlilies to keep in stock at the store. They know which ones will perform well and keep coming back each year. One of our favored landscapers, Blades and Blossoms, is in the process of creating a waterlily pond for us at the store that will showcase many of the varieties below and allow the proper depths to fully develop each lily’s characteristics. Can you identify the lily you have in your pond? Marliac Chromatella” This beauty is probably the most sold waterlily of the century. This plant does it all! Its pineapple tuber structure grows slowly and rarely gets pot-bound which helps it adapt easily to any size pond. It blooms readily in full sun and thrives on heat. Tough and leathery leaves have beautiful mottled markings. Great, easy to grow plant for the beginner. Texas Dawn” Hailed as the best yellow lily since the 1887 introduction of Marliac Chromatella, in 1990 it won the International Waterlily Society Award. Large blooms are held high above the waterline and stay open late into the day, blooming continuously later into the season than most waterlilies. Leathery, tough pads are strikingly mottled. This huge plant needs a large container and performs strongly in 3-6 feet although it can adjust to shallower ponds. It’s a heavy bloomer, easy to grow and a fine performer in shadier conditions as well as full sun. Pink Grapefruit” Wow! Where did this one come from? The Pink Grapefruit is the absolute favorite of Jim & Denise at Rocky Shoals. It sports abundant, leathery heavily mottled leaves and up to 10” blooms held high above the waterline on heavy strong stems. Does shade; does heat; reproduces well; and above all — the blooms! The blooms are like no other waterlily. The only way to describe them is that it’s the color of a pink grapefruit. For best performance place this plant 5 feet or more under the waterline in the largest lily container you can find and stand back while it produces 10” blooms. And if you don’t have 5 feet then it adapts to 2 1/2! This stunning plant is a cross between a Texas Dawn and a pink or red waterlily. Jim doesn’t think it’s an intentional hybrid because it just “shows up” at his farm in large stands of Texas Dawn near the border where pink or red waterlilies are planted.
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Helvola” 2” yellow bloom / 18 petals As with all yellow and changeable waterlilies the Helvola’s parentage is partially derived from the Mexican waterlily “Nymphea mexicana”. It is the oldest and smallest waterlily variety grown at Rocky Shoals. It’s a hot-blooded plant, thriving only in the heat and in full sun. It will grow well in water as low as 3” above the crown and likes it shallow. No small water feature should be without one. The Helvola is easy to grow and will not need repotting for many years. |
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Gloriosa” 5” red bloom / 27-30 petals This red lily is small and similar to the white “Hermine”. It’s an old Marliac hybrid that thrives in heat, is free-flowering and a strong leaf producer. Apparently it is subject to crown rot in large production environments thus its population has decreased. Attraction” 6-8” red bloom / 26-28 petals Another classic waterlily, this large red bloom has sold heavily since its introduction in 1910. Reliable and beautiful, Attraction performs its best in deeper water (3-5 feet) by producing larger pads and blooms but will adapt to shallower ponds. Rocky Shoals Red” 6-8” red bloom / 26-28 petals Similar to “Attraction” in size and growing condition, the “Rocky Shoals Red” produces a surreal red color that appears as if it were molded out of plastic. After this unusual lily was given to Jim by a friend its beauty inspired Jim to create Rocky Shoals Aquatic Nursery. It’s easy to grow but slow to reproduce, this plant diverts its energy to its large, beautiful blooms. Denise tells me that deer love to eat the leaves. Pink Sensation” 4-5” pink bloom / 20 petals Often having multiple blooms, this plant is considered the best pink all-around performer available. The flowers stay open late into the day. Its leaves and stems are green to burgundy, depending on age. It’s slow to reproduce and is a fairly slow grower making it suitable for small as well as large ponds. It performs best in a large container in 4-6 hours of full sun. Hollandia” 6-7 1/2” pink bloom / 36-37 petals This free-flowering pink waterlily has double blooms which means more petals. The Hollandia sports 36 to 37 petals while varieties average 20 to 26. This one prefers 3-5 feet depth in order for you to experience its unusual large pads. Arc En Ciel” 5-6” white to pink bloom / 19-24 petals This large plant demands a large container. Although it will do perfectly fine the first season in a 9” pot it should be repotted into a 12” lily pot in the spring of the next season. Some buy this plant for its unusual lily pads. These large, mottled and splotched leaves have splashes and segments of pink and green, giving the plant a variegated look. The fragrant blooms have unique pointed petals but the plant tends to bloom less frequently than other waterlilies. Commanchee” 5-6” changing bloom / 22-26 petals The first day the bloom is apricot yellow. The bloom changes to gold orange the second day. On the third day the bloom is deep orange flushed with red. The Commanchee is the largest and showiest of the “changeable” waterlilies. Its pineapple rootstock grows slowly making this waterlily perfect for small containers. It also does well in the shade. This delightful lily produces thick, leathery leaves and plenty of blooms. It gets better with age! Gladstone” Oddly enough, white waterlilies are said to show up better in the watergarden than any other color waterlily and no color accents the yellow center of a waterlily more than white. Perhaps that’s why white has moved up in popularity. The Gladstone waterlily prefers a large, comfortable pot and is recommended for larger ponds. Its pads start out bronze then turn green as the pad ages. Hermine” This old Marliac hybrid white waterlily has passed the trials of heat in the south. Although the flower is small, it is very free-blooming and easy to grow. The blooms define the term “lily white” and its many soft green leaves add to the overall beauty of the plant. This one is so popular it is hard to keep in stock. |
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From The Water
Garden Edition of What's Up, Doc?, July 2000
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