Class ___^jt2.^_ Book . O74 COPWIGHT DEPOSir. WATER-LILIES AND HOW TO GROW THEM THE GARDEN LIBRARY Roses and How to Grow Them by Many Experts Ferns and How to Grow Them by G. A. Woolson Lawns and How to Make Them by Leonard Bar on Daffodils-Narcissus and How to Grow Them by A. M. Kir by Plate I.— WHERE THE WATER-LILY GROWS The subtle charm of the water garden lies as much in the delicate patchwork of light and shade as in the wonderful colourings of the gorgeous flowers running from dazzling white through lemon, to pink and crimson and the clearest blue WATER-LILIES AND HOW TO GROW THEM JVith Chapters on the Proper Making of Ponds and the Use of Accessory Plants By HENRY S. CONARD and HENRI HUS ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK Doubled?y, Page & Company 1907 OCT 23 »^? Conyrisrhf Entrv CLASS A A'Xc, No. CO FY L Copyright, 1907, by Doubleday, Page & Company Published, October. 1907 All Rights Reserved Including that of Translation into Foreign Languages, Including the Scandinavian PUBLISHERS' NOTE Water-lilies are essentially flowers for the man or woman who revels in magnificent colours, for the hues are not equalled in variety or brilliancy by the flowers of any other plants. Is it any wonder that the water-lilies continue to receive a constantly increasing share of attention from horti- culturists in all parts of the world ? Within recent years, so much has been accomphshed through the efforts of hybridis- ing and hybridisers, many of whom in America have equalled or even surpassed the results obtained by the famous French and English raisers, to whose efforts, it is true, the modern activity is largely due. But with the more favourable climatic conditions of this country, still more striking productions have been placed before the gardener. There are very few ponds or pools that cannot be adapted as cultural sites for the water-lilies, VI WATER-LILIES and where such do not exist the possi- bility of growing some of these most gorgeous flowers is not by any means beyond one's reach, for even in a tub of very moderate dimensions, one or two water-HHes may be easily grown. They have their peculiar inter- ests, too, in the fact that some open by day while others are night-bloomers; some are hardy, while others are tender. And it is in the tender night-bloomers that by far the most resplendent combinations of colours are found. In the following chapters, an effort has been made to place before the reader in simple terms the relative values of the different varieties in the various groups, so that he can make the choice of the kinds that will suit his conditions without having to indulge in time-consuming and costly experiments. The essential facts of water-lily culture are told in simple terms, together with principles of pond construction and management. The more cultural chapters of the book (Chapters ii., iii., iv., v., vi.,x.,xii., xiii., and xiv.) have been supplied chiefly by Mr. publishers' note vii Henri Hus, with the cooperation of the veteran cultivator, Mr. James Gurney, whose association with water-hly growing dates back to the occasion when the giant Victoria regia first opened its flowers in cultivation. Mr. Gurney is a pioneer in water-hly culture and his work at the Missouri Botanical Garden, and later at Tower Grove Park, St. Louis, Mo., is well known. The remaining chapters (Chapters i., vii., viii., ix., and xi.), dealing with the relative merits of the different varieties offered in the trade, are chiefly by Professor Henry S. Conard, who has made a special study of the entire family; he is the author of a monograph on the geniiS Nymphaea, published by the Carnegie Institution, and is perfectly familiar with the work of the hybridists, having watched the development of many of the crosses made by Mr. Tricker and others. The lists of water-lilies for special purposes given in Chapter xv. are also chiefly Pro- fessor Conard's, into which have been em- bodied a few suggestions made by Mr. Gurney. CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. Where Water Gardens Can Be Made . 3 II. Economical Pond Construction . .21 III. Soils and Planting Out 41 IV. Wintering and Propagating .... 53 V. Seed Saving and Starting 67 VI. Raising New Varieties 75 VII. The Hardy Water-lilies 89 VIII. The Tender Day Blooming Water-lilies 107 IX. The Night Blooming Water-lilies . . 125 X. Growing the Giant Victorias . . . 141 XL Lotuses, Water Hyacinths and Other Choice Aquatics 157 XII. Water Gardens Under Glass .... 173 XIII. Enemies and Friends 181 XIV. Pond Surroundings, Windbreaks, and Accessory Plants 191 XV. Water-lilies for Special Purposes . . 213 Index , 223 IX ILLUSTRATIONS PLATE I. Where the Water-lily Grows (O. Ames) Frontispiece FACING PAGE II. The Smallest Practical Water-lily Pond (E. E. Trumbull) .... 4 III. Beer Vats and Zinc Tanks as Pond Substitutes ..... 5 IV. Concrete Construction for Small Tanks (B. G. Foster) . . . .22 V. Pools on a Hillside Garden (E. T. Har- 'vey) 23 VI. A Water-lily Pond Before Planting (H. Hus) 26 VII. Formal Concrete Pool for Victorias and Nymphaeas (H. Hus) . . .27 VIII. Artistic Designs in Artificial Ponds (H. Troth and H. C. Tibbetts) . 34 IX. How to Treat a Concrete Edge (H. Troth) 3 5 Xll WATER-LILIES PLATE FACING PAGE X. Harmonies with the Locations {H, C, Tihhetts and A . J. McNally) . . 46 XI. Pools with Open Surroundings {H. Troth) 47 XII. An Interesting Study in Mechanics {H. S. Conard) . . . . .84 XIII. A Pond in a City Garden (il. Hus) . 85 XIV. Some of the Best Hardy Kinds — I (Dreer) 92 XV. Some of the Best Hardy Kinds— II {N. R. Graves) . . . . -93 XVI. Water-HHes Everyone Should Know — I {Dreer) . . . . .96 XVII. Water-lilies Everyone Should Know — II (Dreer) ..... 97 XVIII. Water-lilies Everyone Should Know — III (Dreer) 112 XIX. Water-lilies Everyone Should Know — IV (Dreer) 113 XX. The Flower-bud of a Victoria (L. Barron) 130 XXI. A Sub-tropical Water Garden (if . JFfwj) 131 XXII. The Giant Victoria at St. Louis (^. ^W5) 142 ILLUSTRATIONS XIll PLATE FACING PAGE XXIII. Victoria Pond before Planting (H.Hus) 143 / XXIV. The Picturesque Indian Lotus {H. S. Conard) . . . . .160 XXV. The Beautiful, but Overwhelming Water Hyacinth {H. Hus) . . .161 XXVI. An Aquatic Garden under Glass (if. E. Angell) ..... 176 XXVII. The Water Poppy with its Brilliant Yel- low Flowers {H. Troth) . -177 XXVIII. The Easiest Margin Plantings {Wm. Macjarlane . . .196 XXIX. Plants that Lend Variety to the Pool {H. E. Angell) . . . .197 ; XXX. The Native Water-clover (H. Troth) . 204 XXXI. Breaking the Flat Outline {H. Hus) . 205 Where Water Gardens Can Be Made WATER-LILIES CHAPTER I Where Water Gardens Can Be Made A POND of water-lilies is a possibility for anyone who can give two square feet of water surface in a sunny spot, and it should be near at hand so that you can easily see the flowers when they are at their best. All the hardy water-hlies must be enjoyed in the morning or early afternoon; for the flowers close at specific times for each kind, varying from noon to four, or at the latest five, o'clock. The tender kinds fall within two distinct classes, there being both day bloomers and night bloomers. Half a barrel will make a thoroughly practical *Mily-pond" for the smallest gar- den! Cut this to a depth of eighteen inches, fill two-thirds with a rich, heavy soil, and sink 3 4 WATER-LILIES SO that the bottom is three inches below the level of the ground, for though the leaves and flowers love sunshine, the black ooze in which the roots naturally live is always cool. But one need not stop here. Only space and inclination limit the number of barrels that may be utilised for this purpose. Arrange them so that the whole will form a figure of irregular outline and leave some space be- tween the individual barrels. These spaces, perhaps a foot to eighteen inches wide, offer situations well suited to the needs of a variety of water-loving plants, such as forget-me- nots, Lysimachia and others, which will form a framework to set off the beauties of the water-lihes. Not all the barrels need contain water- lilies, however. One or two may be devoted to other plants such as water hyacinths, water poppies and the like, while taller plants, Hke Cyperus Papyrus and nelumbiums tend to reheve the flatness necessarily incident to a water garden. The latter, however, grow quite tall and can be used most effectively in ^ -o % ^ ~ M u- ts o o l_ dJ W) c ° g ^13: "(U 4; >- &K, 1 3 • aj ^ g C/3 i|: 3 e WHERE WATER GARDENS CAN BE MADE 5 large gardens; and they also look best in masses. A GARDEN IN A TUB A very satisfactory water garden was half a kerosene barrel, sunk in the ground at the southwest corner of a house, where a rain pipe from the roof emptied into it. Here the water hyacinth {Eichhornia speciosa) grew and flowered, to the delight of all be- holders. The tub was nearly full of earth in which the plants anchored themselves by their roots and were able to resist the tre- mendous floods of water from the roof. All through the summer there was a succession of spikes of big azure flowers, each one with a yellow eye-spot; and the glossy, heart- shaped leaves, with their stout, spongy petioles, were themselves an ornament and a curiosity. More than a tubful of the plants was thinned out during the season. The fault of this garden, aside from its smallness, was the irregularity and violence of the water supply. No other plant, except perhaps a O WATER-LILIES cattail (Typha), could have stood the strain. A kerosene barrel sawed in half will furnish two tubs, each big enough for one lily. The tubs should be well washed out and soaked for some time in water, in order to remove as much as possible of the oil and the glue which is put on to render the vessel tight. Three or four days to a week will suffice for this. The difference between a barrel and a brewer's hogshead is but one of degree. The hogshead is about six feet in diameter, and may be bought for about five dollars. This modest expenditure makes us the proud possessors of two ponds, each of which may harbour as many as five or six water-lily plants. These two ponds are, of course, formed from the ends of the hogshead, sawed off to a depth of eighteen inches. Having placed the larger ponds in position, the smaller barrel ends can be arranged in respect to them. The nelumbium and Papy- rus barrels must find a place at the back, and where they will not prevent the direct sun- WHERE WATER GARDENS CAN BE MADE 7 light from reaching the water-Hlies. Taller growing terrestrial plants with bold various- coloured foHage, such as certain varieties of castor bean and cannas, will form an excellent background for the whole. One great advantage of the barrels for making a water garden is that they are not only successful with hardy nymphaeas, but are especially well adapted to the require- ments of the tender kinds, because the water, being limited to a small receptacle, attains a higher temperature from the sun heat. Danger of the water becoming stagnant is eliminated when the barrels are flushed once a week with the garden hose, and some arrangement should be made for this. The successful artificial water garden will conform as nearly as possible to the conditions under which Nature herself constructs lagoons and pools. It is surely common sense that it be placed at the foot of a terrace, not on top; also, let the ground slope down to it on all sides, if possible. If it is to stand in a broad, sloping plain, 8 WATER-LILIES grade down the upper side as much as is necessary to bring the lower side about on the natural level of the ground. It is essentially artificial to find anything like a long dam or terrace descending from the margin of a pond. OUTLINES IN RELATION TO SIZE It does not offend if the small tank takes some conventional shape. A sunken tub is essentially round, and a wooden or iron box will unavoidably be square-cornered. A brick or concrete construction, if not over ten feet long, may be rectangular. But if possible avoid geometry in the garden. A bald circle with a gaping ring of cement be- tween the sod and the water is not a thing of beauty, though ponds of geometrical figure edged with stone coping are effective in for- mal gardens. Possibly the best of all is a narrow, curving pool, like the bed of some slow stream. Let it widen out here and there into broad, open WHERE WATER GARDENS CAN BE MADE 9 Stretches if you wish. At the ends, also, or in shallow pockets on the side, the water may give place to a bog garden. On the north side a thicket of trees and shrubs may come out to the water's edge. But keep the south side clear, so as to admit every available ray from the sun. TREATMENT OF MARGINS It is in the treatment of the margin that we make or mar a pond's natural beauty. There is no one way in which native waters always meet the land, but there are some ways in which they never do. Nature never made broad borders of concrete or brick or hewn stone. Therefore avoid these in mak- ing a water garden. Rough stone walls are permissible at inlet and outlet only and even here they may be avoided if clayey soil can be had, provided the bank can be made proof against crawfish, which is most im- portant. And in place of stones there will spring up beds of moisture-loving mosses, 10 WATER-LILIES liverworts, and smooth sheets of Pellaea, whose dehcate fruit-stalks shoot up in the first warm days of spring. Beside the pond itself a path of gravel will enable us to come close to the water's edge. Now we must bend away from the water and around the bog garden; now we cross it on a stone causeway or rustic bridge. All around the grass and flowers run right out to the water's edge. This is the essential point, and perfectly easy to attain. The water-tight construction of the bottom of the pond only needs to come up to the height of the desired water level. From this point a grassy bank may be raised as steep and high as one desires. Four to six inches above mean water level is high enough. We can hide the junction of land and water com- pletely by means of water-clover (Marsilia). This curious fern-plant, with leaves like a four-leaved clover, grows equally well in the wet edge of the sod or in the pond to a depth of eighteen inches. In the former WHERE WATER GARDENS CAN BE MADE II situation the leaves stand up three or four inches, in the latter they float. THE POND BED The bed of the pond may be variously made. It must be water-tight, not liable to injury by frost, and of a suitable size and depth. We know one Httle garden which was made by simply scooping out the earth like the bowl of a spoon and laying in a thick coat of cement — no brick, no stone. Here grew the big red Devon water-lily {NymphcBa Devoniensis), Sturtevant's massive pink {Nymphcea Sturtevantit), both tender; the white night lotus {Nymphcea Lotus), and several hardy varieties, and all with the great- est luxuriance. But, alas, one hard winter frost cracked the cement, the water ran out and all was lost. But, then, no artificial pond can last indefinitely without repairs. Another water garden amateur had a gor- geous show of water hyacinths, big yellow water poppies, plumes of parrot-feathers, 12 WATER-LILIES and water-lilies in pink, yellow and white. This tank was built of a single course of brick carefully laid in cement. The place was excavated to a depth of sixteen inches, and the bottom and walls were covered with a coat of the best Portland cement. Its dimensions were four and a half by six and a half feet. It had a partition near one end coming up nearly to the water level. The larger part contained rich earth to a depth of about six inches for water-lilies and lotus, the smaller was filled with earth and served for bog plants. This, however, is not recommended. The safest construction, however, is that recommended by Mr. Tricker as follows: " Dig down two feet six inches and lay a wall of brick eight inches thick below, tapering (if desired) to four inches at the top. The bottom is packed with broken stone, and this and the walls are heavily coated with the best cement." In winter the margins should be protected with Htter or leaves. Indeed, it is a good thing to draw off all the water and pack the WHERE WATER GARDENS CAN BE MADE 1 3 tank tightly with dead leaves, piling them several inches deep over the whole. Hardy plants will survive so long as the water does not freeze to the bottom. As to the depth of the pool; twelve to eigh- teen inches is all that is absolutely necessary for water-lilies, and eighteen to twenty-four will do for Victoria. The additional depth for Victoria is best arranged by making a pit in the bottom of the pond in which to place its tub. Thus room is given for the develop- ment of its gigantic leaves and flowers without greatly increasing either the work of excava- tion or the volume of water required. It is very desirable to have the water shallow enough for the gardener to walk through it with hip boots, though with ponds of twelve feet width, or less, a plank can be laid across and access to the plants is easy. UTILIZING NATURAL SPRINGS It is doubtful whether it is easier to build a pond in a natural waterway, or to make 14 WATER-LILIES it from the foundation up. Unless the natural water course can be easily diverted it will usually be better not to use it. For every stream at a distance of a hundred feet or more from its spring head is subject to flood- ing from heavy rains. Should a violent current sweep over and among our aquatics it would destroy all the tender plants, break down our lotus, papyrus, and the Hke, and cover everything around with a thick layer of mud, and the season's hopes would be gone. We shall do best, therefore, to secure a more even supply of water. A good spring will suffice for any- thing except Victoria and the tender water- lilies. Indeed, south of Philadelphia, spring water will materially help many of the hardy nymphaeas to endure the summer heat. Lack- ing a spring, water may be drawn by a pipe or sluiceway from any near-by stream. The sluice will of course be so arranged by gates or by position of intake, as to avoid the flooding of the pond in case of freshets. But, after all, the easiest plan is to draw the water WHERE WATER GARDENS CAN BE MADE I5 from a pipe with a spigot. It is not necessary to maintain a continuous flow and change of water. Just as a balanced aquarium will go for weeks or months without attention, so it is with the pond. It is only requisite to replace the water lost by evaporation and leakage. WATER LOSS BY EVAPORATION From a surface of sixteen square feet, about a bucketful of water escapes every day by evaporation and transpiration of the plants. Stagnation is prevented by having a few fish and some submerged plants like Cabomba or Myriophyllum. It is therefore very easy to care for a garden up to six by twelve feet, even with only a bucket to supply water. On the other hand, a large pond fed by a natural stream will often be in danger from floods. Unless the stream be very small in proportion to the lake it will be necessary to have means of diverting it into a culvert or sluice on occasion. l6 WATER-LILIES Floating parts of plants have very remark- able powers of accommodation to the depth of the water. Water-lily leaves may be en- tirely submerged in the evening, and by next morning their stalks will have grown just enough to spread them on the surface again. But on all considerations, it is desirable that the water level should not vary more than four inches at the most; even this amount may bring into view ugly strips of mud or masonry. An outlet of ample size is as neces- sary as an inlet for the regulation of the water supply. Small ponds on level or gently slop- ing ground may be allowed to overflow their sodded margins. If fed by a continuous open stream, it may be most artistically led away in a similar manner, either directly, or by a waterfall, or through a bog garden. THE BOG GARDEN The bog garden consists merely of very wet ground in which a host of interesting plants flourish. It must, of course, be beside WHERE WATER GARDENS CAN BE MADE 1 7 a pond or along a stream. In spring the brown woolly fronds of cinnamon fern will first show themselves, uncoiling as they rise. The swamp rose-mallow {Hibiscus mos- cheutos) will give a wealth of great white or pink flowers in mid-summer. In autumn blue mists of asters or a yellow glow of core- opsis and dazzling shafts of cardinal flower {Lobelia cardinalis) will brighten the spot. HANDLING CUT FLOWERS Water-lilies do well as cut flowers if they are properly handled. The flower selected for cutting must be newly opened or just about to open. In nature the hfe of each bloom is limited to three or four days, but in the house it may keep a day or two longer. Occasionally death seems to overtake the motor centres while the flower is still open, and then it remains several days before the petals wither. The new flower may be recog- nised by these features: (i) The stamens spread apart at the centre of the flower, l8 WATER-LILIES leaving a free passage down to the stigma; (2) the anthers are plump and round and have not yet begun to shed any pollen; (3) the basin-Hke stigma is filled with liquid excreted from its surface. The flower stalk is scarcely able to supply the petals with water; the cut flower should be floated in a dish or, if placed in a vase, the vase should be full to the brim with water, the flower projecting as httle as possible. When carried from the sunny garden into the house the flower is likely to close, on account of the diminished light, but it will open again next morning as well as if it were outside. Economical Pond Construction CHAPTER II Economical Pond Construction Ponds built entirely of brickwork or con- crete offer certain serious objections. In the first place, their banks cannot be planted. Besides, where the winters are very cold, projecting brick or concrete walls must be protected, and it is only where the ponds form part of a formal plan, that the grey masonry edges, projecting half a foot or more above the ground, are appropriate. As a general rule, a combination of concrete and puddling is to be preferred. For a brick and cement pond, excavate to a depth of two and one-half feet. The sides are given a circular slope, which forms an angle of about 45° with the perpendicular. After the floor has been thoroughly levelled, bricks are laid and cemented into place. Then the walls are built in the same way. 22 WATER-LILIES They must reach to within one foot from the bottom. The whole is finally covered with a one-half-inch finishing coat of cement. The slope above the brick wall must now be covered with puddled clay, thoroughly pounded into place, allowing the clay gener- ously to overlap the cement. It is not neces- sary for the puddled clay closely to follow the outhnes of the pond; for this combina- tion of brickwork and clay allows of a planting of the edges of the pond and some plants demand more space than others, and some even must be allowed to grow out at will if they are to look acceptable. This is true for the majority of plants used in the water garden, one great charm of which lies in the unforced contour lines. When finished, the pond will be about two feet three inches deep. A water supply must now be arranged. This can come from a faucet, which is a good deal better than a fountain, since a continual spray is not good for water-lilies and has a ten- dency to give them a bedraggled appearance. A low fence, constructed of perforated In this tank the water-lilies bloom almost continuously. Gladioli, nasturtiums and hollyhocks are planted nearby The tank is 8 x 4 ft. and was made of concrete. It cost $11.28 all told {For details see page 29) Plate IV.— CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION FOR SMALL TANKS ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION 23 pipes and connected with the water system, may surround the pond. This will very effectually flush the pond, but is not necessary since a single faucet through which the water can be turned on from time to time is amply sufficient to remove any scum which may accumulate on the surface of the pond. Of course an overflow, connected with a drain or silt-pit, must be provided. This should be placed in position before the laying of the foundation is begun. A narrow drain pipe will be sufficient for all requirements. The cost of construction of a 10 x 24 ft. pond of the above character is: LABOUR Excavating, i man, i day $ 2.00 Masons, 2 men, 2 days 24.00 MATERIAL Brick and cement ;^20.oo Clay, piping, etc 2.00 Total $48.00 Larger ponds are arranged on the same principle and their cost is greater in proportion. 24 WATER-LILIES Ponds entirely made of concrete are adapted to formal gardens only. Their construction on a large scale had best be left to contractors who make a specialty of this sort of work. At the present time, granitoid would most probably be the material selected, reinforced, in the case of large ponds, with steel rods. The cost of construction of a circular pond of this nature and about twenty feet in diameter, would be fooo; that of one thirty feet in diameter, about ^350. This figure includes all labour, but makes no provision for a heating arrangement which, according to its nature, would cost from ;gi5o to ;?3oo. Should one wish to do all the work oneself, or perhaps engage unskilled labour, the following style of pond can advantageously be adopted. Having decided upon the size and location of the pond, mark the outline and proceed with the excavation; an area of about 240 square feet to a depth of three and one-half feet can be accomplished by one man in one day. Give the sides a slope of 60°. ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION 25 After the earth has been removed and the bottom levelled, bring in sufficient cinders to make a layer six inches thick, covering v^ith a layer of sifted cinders about one inch thick. Cinders are also banked against the sides to the height of eighteen inches. These cinders must be rammed and rolled till the surface is as smooth as possible. Then put on top of this a layer of granitoid from three to four inches thick. It may be prepared by mixing one part of Portland cement and three parts of finely crushed granite. This must be finished off as smooth as possible. The sides are to be formed v^ith the aid of a v^ooden mould such as is described subsequently. Afterwards cover the whole with a one-half inch finishing coat composed of equal parts of Portland cement and granitoid siftings. The sides, where not covered by granitoid, are puddled with clay in the way just indicated. The actual process of puddling is described in detail on page 32. A pond constructed in this manner is per- haps less costly than any other but a puddled 26 WATER-LILIES pond. For a pond lo x 24 ft. the cost would be about as follows: LABOUR Excavating, i man, i day $ 2.00 Mixing granitoid, sifting cinders, puddling, etc., I man, i day 2.00 MATERIAL Cement and granite, also clay 30.00 Total fe4.oo A ID X 24 ft. pond is of course, quite big, and if one is satisfied with something on a smaller scale, say 8x4 ft., the cost is reduced considerably. HOME CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION In Country Life in America Mr. B. G. Foster gives the following account of a small tank of concrete construction: "With the assistance of a workman who had some knowledge of mixing concrete, I constructed a tank, the area of which at the top is about four by eight feet. The tank is « i^ ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION 27 three feet deep, and the walls, six inches thick, incline inward at a slight angle. The bottom is four inches thick, and is, hke the walls, constructed of broken stone, sand and Port- land cement, the whole having a lining of cement and sand. "It being the first of October before the tank was finished, it was allowed to stand over winter, a cover being placed over it to prevent the accumulation of water. In early spring, the bottom was partitioned by boards into four compartments, one foot in depth, which were filled with a rich mixture of well- rotted manure and good soil. In each com- partment a lily root was set, and afterward the earth was covered with a thin layer of sand. The tank was then carefully filled with water from the well. But one filHng was necessary and the water has never been changed except by rain and evaporation. A few goldfish were introduced to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes and other obnoxious insects "While awaiting developments I cleared 28 WATER-LILIES away the accumulated dirt, sodded the mar- gins around the garden, and permitted the ladies of the household to plant gladioli, nasturtiums and the Hke in the neighbour- hood, while a cluster of hollyhocks at one end served further to break the monotony. The first lily opened fifty-eight days after setting out the plants, and from that time the plants were in almost continual bloom until late in the autumn, as many as twelve blossoms being open at one time. "The mould used in forming the tank was made of waste lumber and consisted of four parts: a lower bottom-forming frame, a core or inside box, an outside casing or box, and a coping-forming frame. The hole having been dug slightly larger than the finished basin was to be, the bottom frame (A) was first placed therein. This frame, formed of old 2x4 scantlings arranged on edge, had inside dimensions equal to the outside dimensions of the bottom of the tank, and after having been placed in position, it was filled level with concrete, thoroughly tamped or packed. ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION 29 forming the tank bottom. The side- walls were then moulded by means of the outer tapered box (B) and an inner correspondingly shaped box (C), the two boxes being con- structed of rough boards joined respectively n:£ Here is a section of the concrete tank showing method of construction. (References in text.) on their outer and inner sides by upright cleats (D). These boxes had their walls spaced apart a distance equal to the thick- ness of the walls to be formed, and were placed in position as soon as the bottom frame had been filled. They were fastened to- 30 WATER-LILIES gether at the top and properly braced by strips (E) to prevent their springing under pressure, after which the space between them was filled with concrete, thoroughly packed. As soon as the material had sufficiently set, the inner box or core (C), and the top board of the outer box or casing, were removed, leaving the side-walls. The space outside the walls was then filled in and the coping frame was placed in position level with the tops of the walls. ** A fining of sand and cement was applied to the inner faces of the bottom and side- walls, and the coping of the same material was formed upon the latter, the frame (E) constituting a guide in making the same. " The cost of the tank was as follows.- Labour on construction, 3 days at ^1.25 $ 3.75 Labour for breaking stone 2.00 Portland cement, 2^ bbls. 2it$i.Ss 4.63 Pipes 90 ^11.28 **In explanation it may be stated that the ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION 3 1 digging of the hole required a full day, as the ground was hard-packed yellow clay, and a ledge of rock was encountered in one end. Moreover, the proportion of sand and cement employed was two to one, whereas a greater proportion of sand might have been employed with success. These increased the cost some- what. ** The stone was picked up about the place, the sand was obtained in the immediate neighbourhood and, as already stated, waste and discarded lumber was employed, so that these materials, outside of the cost of breaking the stone, added nothing to the expense. "There is but one change or addition I would suggest to anyone who may construct a water garden along the above hnes. This one has a draw-off pipe at the bottom and an overflow pipe at the top. It would be pre- ferable, though not necessary, to have a third outlet from four to six inches below the overflow, to be closed in summer by a suitable plug and to be left open in winter, thus 32 WATER-LILIES maintaining a lower level of the water during the cold season of the year." SIMPLE CLAY PUDDLING While puddled ponds are the most econom- ical to construct they probably require most in the way of repairs. Besides, they are possible only where the necessary material — a heavy clay — is ready at hand. The first steps of their construction are the same as for all other ponds, at least as far as locating and excavating are concerned; but from there onward the methods of procedure differ. For while both in natural ponds and in ponds built of concrete there is no trouble about their ability to hold water, an artificial pond, where no concrete has been used, must be made water-tight by special means. For such a purpose hydraulic engineering knows of no better material than puddled clay, clay which by a mechanical process has been made homogeneous and very plastic. Unless you absolutely feel the need of exercising your ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION ;^^ muscles it is better to get some unskilled labour to do this preparation. For, to reduce even a wheelbarrow load of clay to an ab- solutely homogeneous mass by working it over and over is no sinecure. This is the process: Clamp together several boards so as to make a platform, say 6 x lo ft. Spread the clay, a wheelbarrow load at a time, on the boards, and with a spade, chop it up thoroughly. No lumps larger than a walnut should remain. Remove all sticks, stones etc; then, adding a little water, begin to pound, using a wooden maul and do not stop pounding until a perfectly homogeneous mass, of the consistency of putty, has been obtained. When this is accompHshed start on the second load. Happily it is not neces- sary to use a layer more than four inches thick, so that for a pond twenty feet in length, and with an average width of ten feet, seven to eight wheelbarrow loads of puddled clay will be ample. The cost of this material is generally about five dollars, including hauling, puddling, etc. 34 WATER-LILIES Having reduced the clay to the proper consistency, spread it evenly over the bottom of the pond, thoroughly beating it down as laid. The clay is fairly impervious to water and is not injured by freezing. The margins, from mean water level to a depth of twelve inches, may be lined with stones pounded into the clay. This prevents washing away by ripples or by moving ice. It is also advisable to cover the clay bottom with a few inches of sand so that the puddling may be protected and the mud not so easily stirred up. If this process is carried out consistently, an absolutely water-tight pond will result. The puddhng is carried up to within three inches of the rim. Overflow pipes (preferably one pipe with two open- ings), and a water faucet are to be arranged for beforehand. When an existing pond is to be converted for the growing of water-lihes, it must be our aim to provide for two things, the outline, and a proper depth of water at all times. The Notice the grassy margin, instead of concrete; the flowing, graceful outline instead of the unnatural circle or square; and the interesting hardy plants in the border, instead of the everlasting canna, castor oil, ageratum and other bedders A well planned and properly edged water garden, but too thickly planted: result, few scattering blooms, too solid foliage mass and loss of water effects Plate VIII.—ARTISTIC DESIGNS IN ARTIFICIAL PONDS The high rim of this basin is unnatural. It necessitates bold plant- ings around to give it a semi-formal setting Informal basin in the hollow of a lawn. When the stone margm is hidden, such a pond is ideal. Don't overplant Plate IX.— HOW TO TREAT A CONCRETE EDGE ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION 35 outline depends largely on surrounding con- ditions and no hard and fast rules can be laid down. The water level should be two feet above the bottom of the pond. Ordinarily this will necessitate the construction of a small dam which is easily constructed of grass sods. First empty the pond and then excavate to a depth of four feet where the dam is to be. Then put in the sod. Make the dam four feet wide at the base and at least two and one-half feet wide at the top, and thoroughly cover the sides with puddled clay. MAKING REPAIRS AND CLEANING It is often very desirable to drain a pond, in order to repair its walls, to clean it out, or to replant or take in tender species for the winter. Provision should be made for this. Both outlet and drain may be provided as follows: Lead a large (4- or 6-inch) pipe from the deepest part of the pond to some lower outlet — sewer or stream. In the pond attach an elbow joint so as to let the pipe turn 36 WATER-LILIES vertically upward. Screw into the joint a piece of pipe just long enough to reach up to the desired water level. Now, when the tank is full, any overflow may go down the pipe and out. To empty the tank, it is necessary to unscrew the upright piece from the elbow. The outlet should in any case be covered with a wire net to prevent clogging of the drain, to retain fish, and to keep float- ing plants from being lost. Should the regular outlet be over a water- fall or dam, a large pipe may be laid in the lower part of this wall. A wooden plug at its inner end will close it on ordinary occasions, and can be removed when the pond is to be emptied. From small ponds the water can be dipped or siphoned out. PREVENTING FLOODS Where a natural pond is subject to a sudden increase in water volume, a water gate con- nected with an open ditch or culvert of suffi- cient size to divert the additional column of ECONOMICAL POND CONSTRUCTION -yj water must be built to obviate damage from floods. This sort of construction work is often complicated and had best be left to profes- sionals, as in the end it will most generally be found a good deal cheaper, and will save much annoyance and disappointment. If more than one pond is projected, connect them with each other by drains, making each a little lower than the preceding. With such an arrangement, water can be supplied from a fountain in the first pond, which may be entirely ornamental. This has the advantage that the sun's rays heat the water drops in falling. Further, since it is chiefly the sur- face water which is carried off, the water in the last pond will have the highest tempera- ture. This pond can then be selected for the growing of tender or heat-loving tropical nymphaeas, etc. Even the giant Victoria Cruziana does well in such an unheated pond in St. Louis, for example, but in more Northern regions, some means of artificial heating would have to be installed to help out. Soils and Planting Out CHAPTER III Soils and Planting Out One of the most seductive facts about a water garden is that so very Httle trouble is required to make a good showing. SeedHngs of water-HHes are less troublesome to handle than those of even the more common orna- mental plants, and they have the further advantage that in planting out there need be no fear of the weather being too hot, or the sun too bright. The one necessary precau- tion is not to plant too early, but to wait until warm weather is assured. This date will, of course, differ in different sections, and may vary somewhat from year to year, but generally in New York it is about June 15th for the tender kinds; the hardy ones can be set out in May. In St. Louis, a start can be made in April. Planting is done directly in the soil at the bottom of the pond or in 41 42 WATER-LILIES receptacles, either stationary or movable, according to conditions. FOR NATURAL PONDS In natural ponds and in puddled ponds, plant directly; the latter having first of all received a 12- to 15-inch thick layer of soil, consisting of a mixture of three parts heavy loam and one part thoroughly rotted cow manure, well stamped down. Then let in the water, till it stands three inches deep. After a couple of days, when the water has warmed a little, a beginning can be made with planting. The plants to be put out are either old ones carried over from the previous year, new tubers, or seedHngs started indoors in the winter. The work of planting out is sim- plicity itself. Tubers and root-stocks are laid flat in depressions in the soil made with the hand and are then pressed down. This covers them sufficiently. Young plants are taken from their pots. SOILS AND PLANTING OUT 43 disturbing the soil around the roots as little as possible. Make a hole large enough to accommodate the earthball. Then put the plant in position, pressing down the earth so that a close contact is made between the earthball and the soil. Put the plants three to six feet apart, according to the space the adult ought to occupy, and await results. Seedlings are treated in a slightly different manner. First of all, do not plant, in one small pond, seedlings mixed with plants raised from tubers and root-stocks. If this is done, the seedlings will simply be overwhelmed, drowned indeed! They require a less depth of water to begin with, and a more gradual increase as the growth develops. If possible, put the seedlings in a special pond, where their needs can receive close attention; but should there be only one pond available, it must be so arranged that one portion is decidedly more shallow, or one of the green- house tanks placed out of doors can be used for the young plants. There is another advantage in this: Among 44 WATER-LILIES the hundreds of seedHngs obtained from cross- fertilisation (if you are a hybridist) there will be but comparatively few which possess the desired qualities. After the first few flowers have appeared, weed out everything which does not show great promise, unless, of course, needed for some other purpose. Hence unknown seedlings can be planted closer together than others. Three feet between the rows and two feet between the plants in each row is ample. FOR CONCRETE PONDS Planting in receptacles, either stationary or movable, is necessary in concrete ponds. If the pond is large enough, stationary tubs, built of the same material as the pond, can be located here and there. They are well adapted to harbour nelumbiums whose root- stocks must be Hmited by some means if they are to be placed in a pond with other plants, as otherwise they will spread in an alarming manner. Indeed it is by far the SOILS AND PLANTING OUT 45 best to avoid this difficulty by giving nelum- biums a pond to themselves. It is always best to have the ponds built with perfectly plain bottoms, as special receptacles can always be introduced as necessary to accommodate over-vigorous growers. The compartments may be of either brick or wood. When bricks are used, (except for nelum- biums) do not cement them together, but merely build a loose wall by arranging them in alternating layers. The shape of such receptacles will depend upon circumstances, that is to say, on the size and the kind of plant to be introduced and the taste of the builder. Their measurements ordinarily are made to vary from i x 2 ft. to 2 x 4 ft. The depth is always the depth of the pond. They will be found best adapted to hardy species of aquatic plants other than lilies, which ought to be set out during the early part of the year, like the water parsnip {Sium cicu- tcBfolium), the water poppy (Limnocharis HumboUtii), or the various species of Jus- sieua. A tank 24 feet long and 15 feet broad 46 WATER-LILIES can accommodate six or eight of such brick tanks. Besides, such an arrangement leaves the bottom of the pond free. The space thus left can later be filled with boxes in which nymphaeas, etc., can be planted according to season. WHEN TO PLANT Hardy water-lilies may be planted at any time. If started in early spring they should bloom throughout the summer. Tender water-lilies must not go out of doors until warm weather is established. A cold storm often occurs in the first ten days of June (in the latitude of Philadelphia), and if it does it will sadly damage or destroy any- thing tender. Lotuses (Nelumbo) should be planted about the first of May. Where the pond is very large, or if but one variety of plant is to be grown, the roots may be allowed to run freely in the bottom of the pond. Ordinarily it is much preferable to plant in definite tubs or beds of wood or \ a w ater garden. Both " tender " and " hardy " water plants do so well, and grow so amazingly that they have to be thinned This style of pond is proper near buildings. Frankly formal, but adequate for its surroundings, and fitted to the accompanying archi- tecture. Not overplanted Plate X.— HARMONIES WITH THE LOCATIONS A puddled garden, where open water effects are not expected^ It resembles a slack ^ water of a meadow, where plants grow thickly This IS an excellent arrangement. Tli. margin is low and unobtrusive. Plenty This IS an excel^^ ^^^y^^^f ^^ ^he water, with heavy background Plate XL-POOLS WITH OPEN SURROUNDINGS SOILS AND PLANTING OUT 47 masonry, be they of whatever size or shape. If this is done the strong-growing kinds will not smother out the weak, and those which naturally spread rapidly will stay within proper limits. Lotus rhizomes may run thirty or forty feet in a season if not restricted. Floating plants, like water hyacinth, must be kept in place by means of floating wooden pens made fast to stakes. The pen, which should be made of inch-square or i x 2-inch lumber, will soon be hidden by vegetation. Loose moveable boxes are satisfactory because they not only allow the gardener to walk through the pond with ease, but they also permit the shifting of the various plants according to their individual needs, thus preventing the plants from becoming crowded. Their use is of course not limited to concrete ponds, for they can be employed equally in deep natural or puddled ponds. Make the boxes at least ten inches deep and two feet square, placing them in position a few days before planting. But in the case of small plants, it will be found better to set the plants 48 WATER-LILIES in the boxes before placing the latter in position. PLANTING IN BASKETS In natural ponds where the bottoms are too soft to allow one to enter them, planting is accomplished by means of baskets. The tubers or plants are placed in the soil-filled receptacle, which is then lowered into posi- tion by means of a rope passed under the handle and held by two men on opposite sides of the pond. The basket soon falls to pieces and the roots easily find their way into the bottom soil. Only hardy species should be set out in such ponds since the roots cannot be recovered in the fall, and tender ones would be lost entirely. MAKING THE COMPOST The best soil for use in the boxes or tubs must be a heavy sod-soil mixed with well- rotted cow manure in proportions of three to SOILS AND PLANTING OUT 49 one, but a mixture of equal parts good garden soil and well-rotted cow manure makes a good compost also. When setting out the plant spread out the roots well, and after filling in the soil cover with an inch of sand. If old cow manure is not available use ground bone — a small double handful is enough for one small tub. The sand for covering is not a necessity, but it serves to keep in place the earth and manure. One caution — do not use mud or swamp muck in the water garden; it contains much undecayed matter, which in decomposing causes some portions to float. After planting, raise the water level to from three to four inches above the crowns of the plants, gradually adding more to keep pace with the growth of the leafstalks, until finally the water level is brought up to from twelve to fifteen inches above the crowns of the plants. It is important that this is done gradually, as the sudden addition of a large amount of cold water is likely to chill and so check the lilies. 50 WATER-LILIES Especially in the early part of the season there is liable to be an accumulation of scum largely composed of algae. A determined effort must be made to get rid of them. An excellent way to accomplish this is, on a warm day, to close all overflows and to allow the water to rise four inches above the highest outlet. Later this can be opened and all algae will be carried oflF, especially if a garden hose is called into requisition to clean out the margins and all corners where any growth may have lodged. This matter is further discussed in Chapter xiii. During the summer little care is required beyond the removal of dead leaves and an occasional flushing, at which time the water level, which may have fallen through evapora- tion, must be reestabhshed. Wintering and Propagating CHAPTER IV Wintering and Propagating The hardy water-lilies give no trouble in winter as they are simply left outdoors where they grew. They take care of themselves! Natural ponds must perforce remain undis- turbed; artificial ponds can have some water drained off, and in places where the winter cold is likely to be very intense, the plants can be covered with planks, hay, leaves or any other protective material ready at hand. Where hardy nymphaeas have been grown in tubs plunged in the ground, a simple covering with hay is sufficient. Loose tubs can either be plunged in the ground or removed to a cool cellar. When spring returns, the cover- ing is removed at the same time as it is taken off other garden plants; the tubs can be brought from the cellar in March. On the other hand, wintering the tender, 53 54 WATER-LILIES day blooming water-lilies is really a difficult matter, requiring some skill and a good deal of space. Full-grown plants may be taken up bodily before frost, either in their tubs, or with a big ball of earth, and wintered in a large, warm tank indoors — there they will keep on blooming, with plenty of heat and light; or will merely keep alive in lower temperatures. Plants which have grown large and flowered, will not live over in any other way, excepting ISfymphcea flavo-virens and its kin. Usually, therefore, the old plants are left outside to die; but the tubers may be collected. The night bloomers are wintered more easily than the tender day bloomers. The plants may be taken from the pond either in their tubs, or with a large ball of earth, in October, and allowed to dry off slowly. In a month's time there should remain from each plant one or two small tubers. Some- times the tuber is smooth and oval; some- times it is of a very irregular shape. It is kept in dry sand as prescribed for the day WINTERING AND PROPAGATING 55 blooming kinds. In February or March the tuber is planted in sand and sunk in a warm tank. Soon it sends out a host of shoots. These mature one by one. They may be broken off and potted separately as soon as they have one or two floating leaves. Each tuber, therefore, of the night blooming water- lilies will produce enough plants to stock a large pond. It is a wise precaution to keep one or two plants in small pots all summer, just to form tubers. The old plants some- times rot completely when taken in. Tender nymphaeas that are to be carried over the winter for another season must be taken up before there is a chance of a kilHng frost, that is between October 15th and 30th. If possible, drain the pond of enough water to facilitate the work, removing the leaves from the plants and cutting off the roots about a foot from the centre. Then take up the plants with as much soil as will cling to them. The best winter quarters for the tender nymphaeas is under the bench of a greenhouse with a temperature of from 60° to 65° F. 56 WATER-LILIES With the mud cHnging to them they show no differences. But most of the stellata type, such as NymphcBa ccerulea, have a central crown only, while others have one large and a varying number of smaller tubers. These mature during the next month or so, finally going into a dormant condition. Many of the stellata type produce tubers very sparingly and it is often necessary to retain the old rhizome. This old rhizome, however, has a tendency to rot during the winter when placed under the greenhouse bench, to pre- vent which it must be kept in a growing con- dition. This is best accomplished by potting it into a 7-inch pot, which is then submerged in a tank in the greenhouse, only a slight covering of water being essential. By the next spring the plant will be found ready to make a vigorous growth. SORTING OVER THE STOCK About the middle of January look over the collection to see what can be saved and WINTERING AND PROPAGATING 57 what must be thrown away. In this the greatest care must be exercised as many of the most valuable types produce tubers often not larger than a pea. While sorting the tubers, carefully remove the mud clinging to them, taking care not to injure the eyes. Then place them in rather dry sand, where they can remain till the time comes to start them into growth. THE season's OPENING The new season's work begins about March ist, when the tubers must be taken from the sand storage and potted up, accord- ing to size, in a 3- or 5-inch pot. Use a plain, heavy loam without adding either sand, leaf-soil or manure, but a httle sand may be placed on the surface of the soil after potting is done. This will help to keep the plant free from algal growth, and to a certain extent prevent the accumulation of scum on top of the water. The pots containing the tubers must be 58 WATER-LILIES kept in water. For this purpose galvanised iron tanks painted with red lead are best. Tanks of wood may serve, but have a tendency to leak. Besides, they are awkward to handle. Copper tanks do not give good results. A tank six feet long and four feet broad, with a height of about nine inches will be found most ^serviceable. These can be obtained at a cost of from six to eight dollars. The tanks must be flushed every day or two, to remove any matter which might float on the surface and prove injurious to the young plants. As soon as a plant gets too big for its pot, shift it into a size larger and continue to do this up to 7-inch pots. Never let a plant suffer from need of shifting. Giving a plant room and the best opportunities in early life, will largely counteract the effects of adverse conditions when it is older. This is a funda- mental rule in water-lily growing which never should be lost sight of by the grower. It is all-important. For various reasons it may be impossible WINTERING AND PROPAGATING 59 to obtain seed of some plants. Many of the hardy nymphaeas produce it but rarely. MAKING TUBERS TO PROPAGATE Many hybrids are practically sterile, and must be propagated from the "roots.'' The same method may also be used for the true species. Indeed, one can never depend on the purity of seed where several kinds have been grown in the same tank. Natural hybrids are common. For pure stock of tender water-lilies we must commonly have recourse to the following method, beginning a year in advance: A young plant of the desired kind is kept all summer in a 6-inch pot, in very shallow water. It will make good growth for some time, and then all the leaves will die off. If this does not occur naturally, it must be induced in August or early September, by raising the plant to the surface of the water, or partly out. When the leaves are gone, a tuber the size of a robin's egg should be 6o WATER-LILIES found in the pot. Now remove the pot from the water, and let it become nearly dry. Take out the tuber, place it in clean sand, and keep it in a moist, temperate, or warm greenhouse atmosphere until next March. Never let the tuber get hard and desiccated, nor should it get really wet. It needs only a gentle air-drying. Now, to propagate, set pot and sand and tuber in a warm tank in March. The tuber should be planted about an inch deep. Soon a shoot comes out, sends up leaves to the surface of the water, and makes roots. When one good floating leaf is established, wash away the sand from roots and tuber, care- fully break off the shoot with its roots from the apex of the tuber, and replant both plantlet and tuber. Of course the plantlet now goes into rich earth. The tuber should give off at least one more shoot. The first plant is pushed forward for flowering, the next is kept to form a tuber for the following year. The easiest tender nymphaeas to grow, to keep over winter, and to increase from the WINTERING AND PROPAGATING 01 tuber, are N. flavo-virens, N. Wm. Stone, and N, Mrs. C. W. Ward. The easiest to grow from seeds are the blue lotus, Zanzibar water-lily, and Nymphcea flavo-virens. WINTERING ENTIRE PLANTS It may even be necessary to keep the plant itself over the winter. This course is followed in case of seedHng water-Klies which, during the year, have not advanced sufficiently to produce either seed or tuber. Though tubers have been formed, they may be immature and likely to decay before the next spring and it then becomes necessary to resort to other methods to retain the variety. The experienced grower readily foresees which particular plant is liable to be in this undesirable condition in the fall and lays his plans accordingly. As soon as he has decided that the plant is worth keeping — something which usually can be foretold in late summer — he digs it up and repots in a shallow box, five to six inches deep and 62 WATER-LILIES about two feet square or even larger. After boxing, the plant is returned to the pond, where it will continue to grow until fall, at which time it can be transported bodily to a tank in the greenhouse. By keeping the water in the tank at ordinary greenhouse tempera- ture, that is to say, 60° to 65° F., growth will not be interrupted, though somewhat retarded, and the tubers have an opportunity to mature. Following this method, it is highly probable that in the spring we will not only have the parent plant but likewise a number of small tubers, which will bloom the same season. The temperature of the water in these growing tanks should be about the same as that of the house in which they are placed, that is to say, about 65° F. A little more heat is desirable for ISf ymphcea Sturtevantiiy and a greenhouse pipe may be passed through the tank to supply the requirement. In an emergency, heating the tank with a coal-oil stove placed under it may be resorted to, but cannot be recommended as a general rule. WINTERING AND PROPAGATING 63 Keep the water level so that the edges of the pots are about two inches below the sur- face. When the leaves appear, keep them just floating, using blocks underneath to regulate the heights of the pots. Seed Saving and Starting CHAPTER V Seed Saving and Starting Ordinarily nymphaea flowers open and close on from three to five consecutive days, though in the latter part of the season, v^hen the nights get colder, the total time may be prolonged and flowers remain expanded throughout; the day bloomers remaining open all night and the night bloomers remain- ing open during the daytime. But once the petals of a nymphaea flower have finally closed, the head sinks under water, there to remain, if fertilised, from three to five weeks, during which time the seed develops. When the capsule is ripe it bursts, and the seed, rising to the surface of the water, is scattered over the pond, where it floats during the ensuing twenty-four hours, and then sinks to the bottom. The floating seed may be gathered with a fine dipnet. But this entails 67 68 WATER-LILIES considerable trouble, and there is no means of knowing exactly which plant yielded the seed just collected. To prevent the mixing of seed, it is suffi- cient to tie a cheese-cloth bag over the flower on its last day of blooming. The bag should be tied to a stick stuck in the earth beside the plant, in order to prevent it from being washed away by water currents or carried off by fishes. When the ripe capsule opens, the seed will then be retained in the bag and may readily be gathered. Each plant may carry two or three capsules. The largest and best seed is that harvested just after mid-summer. Special precautions must be taken in ripening seed of a weak plant. If one such, starting to bloom, shows indications of special merit, and it is desired to save seed from it, the earlier blooms must be sacrificed. Constantly cut off the flower buds as they appear until such a time as the plant has assumed a more vigorous growth, and even then it is wise to allow but a couple of capsules to mature, thus increasing the SEED SAVING AND STARTING 69 food supply of the seed. It is a matter of common observation that well-nourished seed yields the most satisfactory results. The bagged capsule and seed, after being collected, may remain unopened and, properly labelled, can be put in an open dish in a draughty place away from the direct sun. When all is perfectly dry, place each capsule in a fresh clean bag, keeping it in a con- venient place, neither too moist nor too warm, until the seed is wanted for sowing. This rule is to be followed for all nymphaeas except those of the Castalia (odorata) group, which must be kept in water in a cool place. The middle of January — and not before — is the time for sowing seed of all the water- liHes. A house temperature of 65° F. is necessary. Use glazed pans of convenient size, containing about three inches of heavy loam, nothing else. Sprinkle a little sand on the surface to give the young plant a hold. Then fill the pan with water and sprinkle the seed on top. It will float for two or three days and then sink. 70 WATER-LILIES In from three to seven weeks the first, threadlike, seed leaves make their appearance. Three to four weeks later the third leaf will have been produced. This is the time to transplant the seedHngs. Put them singly in 2-inch pots, shifting later into 3-inch pots and using in both instances a soil composed of heavy loam with which a little most thoroughly rotted cow manure has been mixed. Do not use leafsoil or any other light material. From this time the treatment of seedHngs is identical with that of the young plants obtained by vegetative propagation (tubers, or rhizomes), and the whole lot may be grown on together under exactly simi- lar conditions, even in the same tank. All the true species of tender day-blooming nymphaeas seed freely, and may be easily raised from seed. These are N. gtgantea, elegansy gracilis^ ampla, Capensts, Zanzt- bariensts, versicolor, and ccerulea. Sow the seeds in February, in small pots or pans, cover them lightly with sand, and keep in warm water, about 80° F. When the plants SEED SAVING AND STARTING 7 1 have produced three or four leaves each, prick off into separate 3-inch pots, with rich earth, and keep them in warm tanks, with plenty of sunshine. Let them grow as fast as possible, and repot when necessary. Harden off a little in cooler water before setting out. When set out they should have about three leaves, from three to six inches across. Persons who have no accommoda- tions for all this will do best to purchase plants. They are not very costly. Raising New Varieties 73 CHAPTER VI Raising New Varieties To THE thorough-going water-lily enthu- siast, hybridising and pedigree-culture, which enable him to trace completely the ancestry of his plants and the influence of the various crosses, are the greatest hobbies. Where hybridisation has been attempted during the previous season, it is highly probable that some of the seedlings will show the blending of parental characters. Such plants are of course the ones to be chosen for the purpose of propagation, either by seed or from offshoots. Though the cultivation of water-lilies has attracted widespread attention since the middle of the last century, but very httle is known about the Hmits of variation of the specific characters, and a scientific discussion of the various hybrids (using the word in its 75 76 WATER-LILIES widest sense so as to include both crosses between species and those between varieties) is a subject that the scientific botanist prefers to evade. In the Monograph of the Genus Nymphaea (by Henry S. Conard), pubHshed by the Carnegie Institute in 1905, a large number of hybrids whose names have ap- peared from time to time in various horti- cultural pubHcations are fully discussed. Too often financial considerations or the fond belief in the undoubted success of an attempted cross have led to the publication of the most high-sounding, frequently most ridiculous, claims. Much regret would have been spared had this fundamental rule of hybridisation been remembered: that by crossing, new characters, z. e. characters not existing in the ancestors, can not be pro- duced. The most careful scrutiny of the entire horticultural field shows but few apparent exceptions to this rule and they are often susceptible of other explanation.* * An example of a wholly new character is the notch in the sinus of the leaf of N. Robinsoni. H. S. C. RAISING NEW VARIETIES 77 Without going into details, it may be said that the main object of hybridisation is to combine in the offspring the characters of the parents. This is brought about by the artificial fertilisation of the stigma of a flower of one parent with the pollen obtained from the other parent. Among many water- lily growers the prevailing custom is to dip under water the flower of the intended female parent on the first day of opening, with the intention of removing any pollen which may be present and then shaking over the stigma the ripe contents of the anthers of the flower intended as the male parent. Numerous objections may be urged against this method. Not only is the dipping of the female flower of doubtful necessity but if the operation is successful there is no means of knowing whether the seed which forms is really the result of fertilisation by the pollen selected, or a consequence of fertilisation by the pollen of the female parent itself, or even of pollen carried by insects to the flower on the same or any ensuing day. 78 WATER-LILIES If we are to arrive at satisfactory results and wish to save ourselves a large amount of unnecessary trouble incident to the growing of seedlings without value, we must protect ourselves against such contingencies. For this reason, two precautions are taken: the exclusion of insects from the flowers to be used and the removal of the stamens of the female parent. The first object is best arrived at by enclosing the flowers, before they open, in a bag of muslin, which must be finer than mosquito-netting, thus preventing the access of foreign pollen. Hybridisation must not be attempted in the early part of the summer since but few of the pods mature their seeds then. It is better to wait till August. Almost infertile hybrids, if they mature any pods at all, do so in the latter part of the season only. Our operations commence by ascertaining if the plant which we desire to cross is capable of producing seed. If the flowers are fertile the presence of a few fertilised ovules is sufficient to influence the movements of the RAISING NEW VARIETIES 79 peduncle which carries the young pod under water and frequently to a comparatively great depth. The manner in which this is done varies in the different groups. If the flowers are not fertile, they are hardly carried below the surface of the water and soon decay, as does the peduncle. Such plants are, of course, to be avoided, unless indeed one wishes to try the influence of a particular kind of pollen in the hope that its use may bring about fertility. When the water-lily flower opens, the stigmatic cup in the centre is filled with a sweet watery fluid, secreted mainly by the stigma, which is receptive at the time. Not until the second day, after opening, is the pollen ripe and liberated by the spHtting of the anthers. Therefore, as fertilisation should take place on the day the flower of the female parent opens, the flower which is to act as male parent (and which must be two days farther advanced) is previously selected and covered by a musHn bag, which should be large enough to allow the enclosed flower to open fully. 8o WATER-LILIES On Its first day a flower opens about an hour later than on the following days, also closing earlier but opening only half as wide. On the first day that the flower of the female parent is open, all the stamens must be removed. This requires a little skill and practice. At the same time the stigma can be fertilised with the pollen of the male parent selected 48 hours earlier. After the operation the muslin bag is replaced, to remain indefinitely. The best way to obtain the pollen is to cut oflP the flower and take it indoors. After removing the musHn bag, the flower is in- verted and the pollen shaken on to a piece of paper. An excellent receptacle for the pollen is a watch-glass with another watch-glass for cover. Or the Hd of a porcelain crucible about li to 2 inches wide may be used for this purpose and is very serviceable especially when fastened to a small flat stick such as an 8-inch label. From this the pollen is trans- ferred to the stigma, either by simple shaking or with the aid of a dry camel's-hair brush. RAISING NEW VARIETIES 8l The stigmatic surface, ordinarily yellow in colour, is more or less cup-shaped. The pollen is shaken into the contained fluid, which shortly afterward will be found to have been absorbed and the pollen remains stranded on the papillar surface of the stigma. If fertilisation is successful the ovary begins to swell within eight days. If un- successful, there is no swelling and the flower, remaining near the surface of the water, soon decays. It is well to cut off two or three flowers immediately following the one just fertiHsed, thus insuring greater supply of food. The seed is harvested and handled subse- quently as told in the chapter on " seed saving and starting. " Different results are often obtained by using one species as male and the other as female parent and vice versa, for which reason a cross should always be attempted both ways. While any of the results obtained may be propagated indefinitely in a vegetative manner 82 WATER-LILIES it will also pay to raise plants from the seed of one-year-old hybrids, since some of the most experienced growers claim that it is in the second generation that some of the best results appear. The genealogy of but few of the hybrids now in cultivation can be indicated with any degree of certainty. This is especially the case where the records were in the possession of a single individual who, for trade-reasons, was unwilling to communicate his knowledge. At the same time identical results have been produced at different times and in different countries, and natural hybrids are of common occurrence where closely related species are growing together. It was about the middle of the nineteenth century that the first attempts at hybridisa- tion were made. The first reputed hybrid, N. Devoniensis^ was exhibited in England and was claimed to be the result of a cross between ISf . rubra and A^. Lotus, It is doubtful, however, whether a cross actually took place and now it is generally beheved RAISING NEW VARIETIES 83 as far more probable that N. rubra was self- fertilised. In 1852 and 1853 hybrids between varieties of N. Lotus and ISf . rubra, the latter acting as seed-parent, were obtained in both Belgium and Germany. Much later, in 1885, N. Lotus was used as female parent and fertilised with pollen of A^. Devoniensis. The result was N. Kewensis. Though the plant was not propagated, identical plants were later ob- tained in America where the offspring persists under the same name. In America much excellent work has been done. Especially the development of the Brachyceras group has received much atten- tion. Though in Germany, in the early sixties. Professor Caspary had devoted much attention to this group, the results obtained were not preserved and it remained for Mr. W. Tricker to originate most of the hybrids now belonging to this group. But the Lotus group also received its share and it is to such men as Gurney, Tricker, Stur- tevant, Bissett, Grey and Ames that we are 84 WATER-LILIES indebted for the best results. Especially noteworthy in the group are the descendants of N. Omarana. This, obtained by Bissett in 1894, is itself a hybrid of complicated parentage. Its direct parents are N. dentata and N. Sturtevantii. The delicate pink of its flower has gradually been deepened through successive crossings. As an instance of the gradual deepening of colour we may mention a series of crosses carried out by Mr. James Gurney, at Tower Grove Park, St. Louis. In 1902, by crossing a AT. Devon- iensis with N. Omarana, he obtained a crimson-flowered plant, very much like N. Devoniensis in appearance, which he named N. Frank Trelease. He then attempted to introduce the h\ue co\o\xv o{ N .Zanzibar i ens is, fertilising N. Frank Trelease with the pollen of the blue one. In 1905 he obtained a splendid night bloomer which, while possess- ing the dark-brown foliage of N. Frank Trelease, had a dark magenta flower, per- ceptibly shaded with blue. Continuing the experiment, this plant was again pollenated . =^ s. J^§ ^ /-A ^ i Q u Oj 'u OJ u^ C/5 U ^ •~;< l; '^— ' S -a . < S^-T3- K '^^& u «*- .- "^ w s > a o ^ « rt^ 2 -^ s >^ u c « Q E-^ on O ^ 1— 1 H . C/5 1 Ji iS c- u ; ^ 4J aj ' I3«.2 H p -> p "^ c 1; _3 X ^ c/: o « o: 6iC w dj g J2 H C >■ '^5 t cr o ^ t: 1> c c |Z M c t— rt 3 o ei >. u: rt < h -C < -^ So 4J C/0 • - o j= — |i c C THE HARDY WATER-LILIES 97 has been grown with tolerable success in northern New York and in Massachusetts, but is not to be recommended. N. sanguinea has flowers of rosy, purple-spotted carmine; Laydekeri purpurata is rosy crimson with orange-red stamens; Wm. Falconer, bright garnet and as much as seven inches across, perhaps the most gorgeous of the lot; James Gurney, smaller and dark rose, and James Brydon are among the best known of these. RED AND YELLOW BLENDS A distinct and beautiful series of varieties in which red and yellow are blended has been produced by combining the Swedish water- lily with our native yellow water-lily {N. Mextcana). The eflPect of the deep red in the centre of the flower with pale yellow on the outer petals is extremely striking. The brown blotching of the leaves which is seen in most of these red-yellow water-lilies is inherited from the American parent. For 98 WATER-LILIES small gardens or where one does not want to get off with a minimum of labour these are ideal plants. They do not spread rapidly but maintain a single strong shoot, from which an ample supply of leaves and flowers arises. N. Robins oni and N. Setgnoreti are the oldest and best known of this group. The former bears a peculiar *' ear-mark," by which it may always be recognised. As in all the nymphaeas, the leaf is round, and attached to the petiole near the centre. On the basal side a deep cleft divides the leaf from the margin, nearly or quite to the petiole. The borders of this cleft are very constantly smooth and entire. But in N. Rohinsoni there is a peculiar crimped notch on each side, midway of the cleft; it also has floating flowers, where- as those of its companion stand six inches above the water. The bright combination of yellow, orange and red which characterises the flowers of this group is suggested by the name of one of the most recent members, N. Aurora, the THE HARDY WATER-LILIES 99 flowers of which, opening with a yellowish colour, get redder and redder as they age. If you have a large pond there will be room for the less floriferous varieties. The com- mon pond-Hly {N. odorata), unequalled for sweetness, may be planted. Words cannot picture a large bed of this in full bloom. It is one of those things that one must see to know its beauty and charm. The northern N. tuherosa is a more rampant grower, and indeed it will take complete possession of the pond if not opposed. Its flowers are large, pure white, but scentless and few in number. Ample space will also make it well worth while to plant N. odorata, var. rosea, the pink Cape Cod variety. The fact that it makes few flowers to a shoot is lost sight of in a large pond. In the shallows N. odorata, var. minor will do well. It is a diminutive odorata, which can get on fairly well even if the water completely dries away from around it. Those hitherto mentioned will as a rule give best results in water having a depth of 100 WATER-LILIES from one to two feet above the root-stocks; but N, odorata and N. tuherosa, it is true, will stand three or four feet. But for depths of two to five feet ISf. alba, var. candidtssima is recommended. Large plants of this will make a wide spread of lo-inch leaves, and will produce splendid white flowers from the first of June until frost. This is one of the earliest bloomers in spring. It is exceed- ingly strong and hardy. For depths of water up to eight or ten feet the giant Southern pond-lily {N . odorata, var. gigantea) is best. It is little more than a large odorata. The leaves reach a foot or more in diameter, the flowers four or five inches. The following table will aid in identifying any of the hardy kinds. KEY TO THE HARDY WATER-LILIES Flowers yellow. Opening ii to 12 a. m. Spreading by runners N. Mexican a Without runners N. tetragonal var. helvola THE HARDY WATER-LILIES 1 01 Opening from 7 to 8 a. m. Petals broad, concave; flower cup-shaped, N. MarliaceOy var chromatella Petals narrow, spreading N. oJorata, var. sulphured and N. sulphurea, var. grandiflora Flowers pure white. Leaves ovate, small N. tetragona Leaves circular. Strongly sweet-scented. Flowers 2-5 in. across; Ivs. 4-8 in. ... AT", odorata Flowers 1-3 in. across; Ivs. 3-5 in. N. o., var. minor Flowers 3-6 in. across; Ivs. 8-12 in N. o., var. gigantea Odourless or nearly so. Petiole marked with longitudinal brown stripes, N. tuberosa Flowers very double. N. t., var. Richardsonii Petiole uniformly coloured. Sepals rounded to the receptacle. Always sterile: Flowers and leaves rising from the water, N. Marliacea, var. albida Flowers and leaves floating, rJ. alba, var. candidtsstma Fertile; petals spreading in all directions, AT. Gladstoniana Flower more cup-shaped N. alba Very double N. a., var. plenissima Very large N. a., var. maxima Sepals joining the receptacle by a sharp angle, N. Candida 102 WATER-LILIES Flowers red or pink. Flowers small, pink, opening about ii a. m. Plant a single crown without offshoots, N. Laydekeriy var. rosea Plant with many side shoots, N. Laydekeri, var. rosea prolifera Flowers 3-7 inches across. Petals all alike in colour — pink. Leaves deep red beneath. N. odorata, var. rosea; N. exquisita; N. rosacea Leaves pink or green beneath. . . .N. Caroltniana; N. odorata^ var. Luciana; N. tuherosa^ var. rosea; N. t.^ var. superha Outer petals whitish, shading to pink or red at centre of flower. Plants very robust; fls. and Ivs. rising above water. Flowers soft flesh pink N. Marliacea, var. carnea; N. Wm. Doogue Flowers deep rose colour. N. Marliacea, var. rosea Less robust; fls. floating, deep red at centre. Leaves blotched with brown. Flowers rosy lilac. N. Laydekeri^ var. lilacea Flowers deep red. Sepals and petals in fives N. gloriosa Sepals and petals in fours Stamens deep orange. N. Marliacea, var. flammea Stamens cardinal N. Marliacea, var. ignea THE HARDY WATER-LILIES IO3 Leaves dark green. Fertile. Inner petals bright red. N. alha, var. rubra Inner petals deep carmine. . . .N. Froebelii Sterile hybrids. Flowers opening in early morning. N. Wm. Falconer; N. James Gurney; N. James Brydon Flowers opening after 9 a. m. N. Elltsiana; N. sanguinea; N. Marltacea, var. rubra punctata; N. Laydekert, var. purpurea Outer petals yellowish, shading to red at centre of flower. Leaf with a notch on border of sinus. ISI. Robinsoni. Sinus entire. TV. Seignoreti; N. Aurora; N. fulva; N. Andreana; N. lucida; N. Laydekeri fulgens; N. chrysantha; N. Arethusa; N. Arc-en-ciel The Tender Day Blooming Water-lilies »s CHAPTER VIII The Tender Day Blooming Water-lilies There are two great groups of tender water-lilies. In one group the flowers ex- pand in the evening, remain open all night, and close during the following morning (these are discussed in the next chapter); in the other group the flowers open at various hours during the morning, and close, as variously, in the afternoon. These day bloomers have sweet-scented flowers, six to twelve inches across, carried on strong stalks several inches above the water. The leaves are often very large (up to two feet) and float upon the water like those of the hardy kinds. The leaf margins are often wavy, while the hardy kinds always have smooth-edged leaves. In this group we have — or soon shall have — flowers in all colours: red, blue, yellow, and white! Splendid 107 I08 WATER-LILIES creatures they are. It Is no wonder the Egyptians carved pictures of them on their temple walls, painted them on their coffins, covered the dead with wreaths of them, and bore them in their processions, as offerings to the gods. GLISTENING WITH BLUE AND GOLD The king of all the water-lily tribe is the Zanzibar water-lily {Nymphcea Zanziharien- sis). Its flowers are of the richest royal blue, often ten inches across, and borne eight or ten inches above the water on strong stalks thicker than one's thumb. The broad, blunt petals make a solid cup-shaped ring, sur- rounding a large number of stamens. These last are truly *' gleaming with purple and gold" — golden anthers, with carmine purple backs. In the centre of the flower, seen only on its first day of opening, is the cup-shaped golden yellow pistil, an inch in diameter. This lily opens on three, four, or rarely five successive days, from ii a. m. until 5 p. m. TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES ICQ A well-grown plant has dark-green leaves, mottled with brown, eighteen to twenty-four inches across, with deeply wavy margins, and the under side a dull purpKsh blue. It will accommodate itself to a great variety of circumstances. It will flower even in a 6-inch pot, sunk in a tub of water, but the blooms will be only three inches across, and the leaves small in proportion. The more room, the more and the larger the flowers and leaves will be. With a 3-foot tub for the roots and ten feet square of water surface, you can get the maximum results. A new flower comes up every two or three days, so you always have one, often two or three blooms from a single root. It blossoms from the middle of July until kiUing frosts arrive. PALE BLUE AND RED ZANZIBARS There are two forms and several hybrids of the Zanzibar water-hly, all of which no WATER-LILIES deserve a close acquaintance: the azure Zanzibar (M. Zanzibariensis, var. azurea), with flowers of light blue, and leaves pale blue beneath; the pink Zanzibar (N. Zanzt- bariensis, var. rosea) which has flowers of bright rose pink, and leaves reddish beneath. There is a tinge of purple about the pink petals of the latter variety, which betrays its origin. Just how it sprang from its deep blue parent is not quite clear. It makes a mas- sive, beautiful flower. THE GORGEOUS HYBRIDS Next to the two just mentioned must be placed the hybrids of similar colour, N. Wil~ liam Stone ^ Mrs. C. W. Ward, and Stella Gurney. From a broad spreading circle of large green leaves the slender flower stalks rise, topped with graceful, starry blooms. William Stone is bright blue, Mrs. C. W. Ward is pink, with a tinge of purple, and TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES III Stella Gurney is a very bright pink. In all three, the inside of the sepals shares somewhat of the colour of the petals. They are from seed of the white-flowered N. flavo-vtrens (known in American gardens as N. gracilis but different from the plant of that name in Europe). The petals are narrow, and taper to an acute point. The flower is " star-shaped, '* the parts spread- ing out in all directions, like rays of a star. They are borne on tall stalks, a foot or more above the water. The effect is very striking. A RED DERIVED FROM A BLUE Deserving of special notice is Nymphcea flavo-virens, var. rubra (The "red gracilis" of our gardens). It is much hke Mrs. C. W. Ward, but the purple tone of the latter is ehminated, and we get a pure deep pink, approaching red. This is at once a pleasure to the cultivator and a notable triumph for the plant breeder. 112 WATER-LILIES for it came from a blue parent, N. Zanzi- hariensis. A GOOD PINK FOR ANYBODY Another pink water-lily among the tender day bloomers is in this country, though not offered in catalogues. This is Nymphcea stellata, var. versicolor. The flower is from four to five inches in diameter, pure pink with few and rather narrow petals, rising but a few inches above the water. The leaves have wavy margins, are pink beneath, and about eight inches in diameter. While its size is not equal to that of many of its relatives, this variety is very pretty, and gives promise of value, as one easy to propagate. In the fall, the base of each leaf, where it separates from the short stem, develops a little, hard tuber. This tuber may be kept along with ordinary tender bulbs during the winter, and will produce one or more plants the following summer. The plant ^H o ^ 1 i > TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES 1 13 is native to India, Indo-China, and the Philippines. THE LONGEST ENDURING — GIGANTEA If for massive, dazzling splendour the Zan- zibar water-lily deserves kingly praise, cer- tainly the giant lily {Nymphcea gigantea) is the queen of water-lilies. Its flower is a huge, airy head of soft azure blue, with a centre of purest gold. The original speci- men in the Kew herbarium is twelve inches across. The blossoms are borne a foot and a half above the water, on slender green stalks, sHghtly bending with the weight they carry. It is open on five to seven successive days from 8 or 9 a. m. until twihght; it is therefore of much longer duration than any other species. The petals are twenty to fifty in number, broad and rounded, and of a shghtly crinkled texture, Hke crepe. The colour shades from a deep blue at the point of the petal to a very pale blue at the base. The tints are exquisitely chaste and pure; the 114 WATER-LILIES flower is an embodiment of grace and dig- nity. The leaves are large, a little more oval than round, dark green above, but deep Tyrian purple beneath. The margins are very evenly scalloped, each wave ending in a sharp tooth. The plant is separated from all others of its kind, by several botanical differences, the most notable of which is that there are no gradations from petals to stamens. NymphcBa gigantea is the most difficult of the day bloomers to cultivate. It can hardly be grown at Philadelphia without artificial heat. If you wish to grow it, get a large plant, and have it shipped in the pot or basket in which it was grown. Set it out two weeks later than the other tender kinds, and hope for warm weather at the time of its arrival. Place it in the tank with the utmost care. Any check in its growth is likely to cause it to stop growing, and drop its leaves; and it can only be coaxed into growth in warm water after a rest, too late for the current season's TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES II 5 use. The perfect plant is so stately, so noble, that it is worth much effort and risk. THE ONE POPULAR WHITE Of blues and whites we may have a con- siderable assortment, inside the present group. N. flavo-virens (commonly cata- logued in America as N. gracilis), already mentioned, is the only well-known white. Its flowers are borne on tall, slender stalks. The petals open quite widely, and are arranged in a graceful star form. The very sweet- scented flower opens on three successive days from early morning until 5 or 6 p. m. The petals are narrow and pointed, and of a dull rather than a snowy whiteness. The leaves reach a diameter of eighteen to twenty inches, and are bright green on both sides. While this is not a showy species, it is graceful and pleasing. It is very easily increased, either by seeds or tubers. In the fall the main stem, as big as one's fist, or bigger, hardens and ripens no WATER-LILIES into a rough tuber. It should be taken in- doors about the first of November, or earlier, if ripe, and kept in dry sand. Pringle says he has seen them lying on the ground in dried- up pools in Mexico, like old pine cones. In spring each tuber gives rise to several lusty plants for summer blooming. This hardy character is shared by its offspring, William Stone, Mrs. C. W. Ward and Stella Gurney, making these the best ones for most of us. THE BEST W^HITE NOT OFFERED A nearly allied species is Nymphcea ampla, from tropical America. While it resembles N. flavo-virens in colour, the flower is larger (four to seven inches across) and the petals broader, and rounder. The leaf is often very large, twenty to twenty-four inches across, and reddish purple beneath. The sepals are marked with numerous black specks and Hnes, whereas those of N. flavo- virens are pure green, or very rarely with black markings. Unfortunately, this fine TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES 1 1 7 species has yet to be introduced to the Ameri- can trade; the plant commonly known in the American trade as N. ampla is N, Ama- zonurriy a night bloomer. A BLUE GEM FOR THREE DAYS We have a native blue water-lily which is the daintiest of all its group, Nymphcea ele- gans. The smooth-edged oval leaves lie separately on the water, without crowding one another. They are about eight inches long, by six inches wide, of very graceful out- line. The dark green upper surface is hand- somely blotched with brown, the under surface a rich red-purple, with blue-black specks. Each flower lasts three days, and is open from 8 a. m. until i p. m. Think of the most delicate shade of violet in the rainbow, and you have an idea of the colour that plays on the petals and shades in and out between the golden stamens and the pale sepals of this charming little water-Hly. It rarely exceeds six inches in diameter. Like II 8 WATER-LILIES all the others, it needs no special care in summer, and it is as easy as any blue kind to flower under glass in winter. THE REAL EGYPTIAN LOTUS The true Egyptian lotus, or blue lotus (Nymphcea cceruled)^ is a water-lily of this class, and one of the easiest blues to raise. The flowers rise well above the water, and are open for three days, from 7:30 a. m. until noon. They never open very widely, but remain in a broad cup-shape, so that the four green sepals, with the characteristic copious black spots, are always evident. The petals are of a pale-blue colour, shading to dull white at base, not very numerous, and rather narrow. The flowers will measure six and a half inches across, with petals three and a half inches long. The leaves reach a diameter of twenty inches under very favour- able circumstances. They are entire, dark green above, copiously spotted with black beneath. TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES 1 19 This species produces many seeds, which are easily grown. Its seeds have been known to He out in the mud of a pond near Phila- delphia over two winters, and to come up vigorously during the second summer. The same thing occurred once with the Zan- zibar lily, the seedlings actually coming into bloom in September. OPEN AS LATE AS FOUR o'cLOCK The last real species of blue water-lily is Nymphcea Capensis. It is a strong plant, with pale blue flowers like the azure Zanzi- bar. It differs from that chiefly in keeping its flowers open from 7 a. m. to 4 P. M., and in having the leaves pure green on both sides. The sepals and petals are narrower. The flowers are very large, and of perfect shape, making this a desirable kind. THE BEST BLUE STAR From the blue lotus (Nymphcea ccerulea) have sprung two hybrids of prominence. 120 WATER-LILIES AT. pulcherrima and ISf . Pennsylvania. N. pulcherrima has long been known as the best ''stellate'' light blue. By stellate is meant that the petals are few and narrow enough to give the flower a star-like shape. It is a fairly free bloomer, and produces very large flowers and leaves. Its big, sharp, cone-shaped buds, heavily mottled with black dots, are very striking and characteristic. The leaves have wavy margins. A DANGEROUS RIVAL — PENNSYLVANIA It is said, however, that Nymphcea Penn- sylvania is to outshine ISf ymphcea pulcher- rima. Pennsylvania is a most prolific bloomer, always having two or three flowers up at once. They remain open from 8 a. m. until 5 P. M. Each one is a great, bright blue cup, with a golden centre. The buds are big, blunt, and egg-shaped. The four heavy sepals are thickly marked with black dots and lines. The original plant bore petals four and a half inches long. None TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES 121 of its kin surpasses it in size and freedom of flowering. The leaves, too, are as large as those of any of its allies, spotted with brown above, and more or less bluish beneath. THE YELLOW GLORIES TO COME There are two treasures awaiting intro- duction, and which promise great things. Africa hides in its vast interior two yellow tender species, allied to the present blues and reds and whites. One has excellent double flowers six or seven inches across {Nym- phcea Stuhlmannii). The other {Nymphcea sulphur ea) is a pigmy, with flowers and leaves two to three inches in diameter. Aside from their individual attractions, think what a future they offer for hybridisation! It is earnestly hoped that they will not long be absent from our gardens. KEY TO THE TENDER DAY BLOOMING WATER-LILIES Colour of flowers white. Lvs. green beneath; petals acute N. flavo-virens Lvs. red-purple beneath; petals obtuse. . . .N. ampla T22 WATER-LILIES Colour of flowers pink or red. Lvs. with little wart-like pustules beneath, N. stellata, var. versicolor Lvs. not pustulate Petals broad and rounded, N. Zanzihariensisy var, rosea Petals narrow; flower stellate Flowers pinkish N. Mrs. C. W. Ward Flowers pink A/". Stella Gurney Flowers red N. flavo-virenSy var. rubra Colour of flowers blue. Sepals densely marked with black spots Fl. small; stamens 50 to 70; fertile N. ccerulea Fl. large; bud sharply conical; sterile, Isf. pulcherrtma Fl. large; bud rounded ovoid A^^. Pennsylvania Sepals pure green or with very few spots The stamens all round-stalked N. gigantea The outer stamens with broad flat stalks (filaments) Lvs. entire; petals delicate violet N. elegans Lvs. sinuate, large Fl. deep royal blue, cup-shaped, N. Zanzihariensis Fl. azure blue Shape stellate; flower stalk tall, N. Wm. Stone Shape cup-like; fl. stalk shorter Lvs. bluish beneath, N. Zanztbariensisy var. azurea Lvs. pure green beneath. . .N. Capensis The Night Blooming Water-HUes 133 CHAPTER IX The Night Blooming Water-lilies The night blooming water-lilies, which we may properly term the lotos group, open the flowers between 7 and 8 p. m., and they remain open until from nine to one o'clock of the following day. Each flower does this on three successive nights. These are therefore preem.inently the busy man's water-lihes; the proper kinds for the suburban dweller who is away from home and garden throughout the day. They are all tender. In habit they re- semble their day-flowering relatives. The leaves are numerous and mostly large — up to two feet across — and lie flat on the water. A single plant will cover a space ten or twelve feet square. Yet they get on well in smaller quarters. We know of a red one 125 126 WATER-LILIES that bloomed all one summer In a tank four feet square, where two hardy water- lilies and the water-poppy also shared the space. The margin of the leaf in all the species of the lotos group is scalloped, with sharply pointed teeth. The flowers, when well grown, are large and massive, and are borne on stout stalks six to twelve inches above the surface of the water. In colour we have all shades, from pure white through pink to magenta and deep red. A REALLY BEAUTIFUL MAGENTA The most splendid member of this splendid group is Nymphcea Omarana. Its noble flower reaches a diameter of ten or twelve inches. In colour, it is of a brilliant purple-red hue, close to "magenta'' of the colour charts. Each petal has a narrow, nearly white, stripe along the middle. It has, as Tricker says, "an indescribable glow" when seen THE NIGHT BLOOMING WATER-LILIES l^^ in the early morning sunshine. The petals are thin and soft in texture, and spread gracefully in all directions in the fully opened flower. The sepals and lowermost petals become reflexed. The many brownish- red stamens stand erect in a ring at the centre of the flower. As this kind is a very free bloomer, a single root will always have one or two mature flowers. It begins to bloom in July and continues until frost. The circle of large bronzy-red leaves alone is an ornament to the garden. Comparable with this is Nymphcsa Star- tevantii. Under favourable conditions these flowers, too, may reach a foot in diameter. But it never opens more than to a wide cup- shape. The bright pink petals are broad and concave, evenly coloured and very numerous. The incurved stamens are of a brownish orange colour. The bronzy leaves are often very large, and always much crum- pled at the margins. It requires plenty of room and a high temperature to give the best 128 WATER-LILIES results. It is the most massive in flower and foliage of all the true water-lilies. THE BEST RED LILY Of a darker shade than either of the pre- ceding, though a parent of both, is Nymphcea Devoniensis. This again has flowers of the largest size, but of a pure red colour. The petals are ovate, four or five inches long by an inch and a half wide. The flower does not expand so widely as that of Omarana, although it is more open than that of Sturtevantii. Devoniensis is a mostly sterile hybrid, and is a very free bloomer. The plant gives rise during the summer to a num- ber of lateral crowns. When several of these get started, a single plant may cover two hundred square feet of pond, and may have as many as thirty-six flowers and buds visible at one time! Under these conditions the leaves are badly crowded, and the flowers are under size, but the eff^ect is superbly rich. When the leaves first come up they are dark red. THE NIGHT BLOOMING WATER-LILIES I29 As they grow older, they become greener, finally reaching a bronzy-green. A GROUP OF VERY DARK REDS Among recent introductions are some reds much deeper in shade than Devoniensis. Probably N. Geo. Huster is the best of these. It is a strong grower and free bloomer. Its flowers are not so large as those of Omarana, being only eight to ten inches across at the best. Otherwise the two kinds are much alike. N. Frank Trelease is a variety with still deeper crimson flowers, of medium size. The colour is so dark as to give very deep shadows between the petals. Its leaves are dark bronzy-red, and about fifteen inches across. N . James Gurney, Junior (not in the trade) is very much like Frank Trelease, but darker, being dark magenta overlaid by bluish purple. N. Columbiana, an old variety, is not so deep in colour as the last two, and its flowers are only about six inches across. The leaves are bronzy-red. It is only a moderate grower. 130 WATER-LILIES Passing to the other extreme of colour — for colour is our chief means of classifying these kinds — we have several pure whites. The chief of these goes by the name of Nym- phcea dentata. The petals of dentata are about three and a half times as long as they are wide. In a fully open flower they stand out in a ring or disc exactly at right angles to the petiole. In the middle of the flower the light yellow stamens stand erect. The whole effect is rather curious and a little stiff". It might be likened to a short, stout candle standing in the middle of a white saucer. The leaves are bright green. As varieties of this there are three forms offered, undoubtedly improvements in size and profusion of flowers: Nymphcea dentata, var. grandiflora, described as having petals twice as wide as the old form. N. dentata, var. superha has more numerous petals than the originial, and JSf . dentata^ var. magnifica, a larger flower. The old dentata only reaches eight or ten inches across. Distinguished from dentata by the shape of Plate XX.— THE FLOWER-BUD OF A VICTORIA This one (F. Cruziana) differs from V.regia in being less spiny on the sepals. At the time of opening a delicious fragrance, like pineapples, pervades the air THE NIGHT BLOOMING WATER-LILIES I31 its flower is the white night lotus {NymphcBa Lotus). Horticulturally its chief virtue is its great fecundity. Both lotus and dentata bear big balls of seed in great profusion. And their hybrids inherit this character in more or less completeness. The petal of lotus is broad and concave, the outside often tinted with pink. The flower opens only to a cup-shape. NymphcEa thermalis is identical with NymphcBa Lotus. From these we may pass to Jubilee, of a dehcate pinkish white colour, and on to Smith iana, with sHghtly more pink; delica- tissima, light pink; Deaniana, deep pink; Kewensis, a little paler than Sturtevantii. With the flower colour goes a bronzy tint of the leaves. The leaves of delicatissima show a distinct metallic tint, which in Kewen- sis reaches a definite bronze. In shape of flower, dehcatissima resembles dentata: it opens widely, and the petals are narrow. The other three have broad ovate petals, which only open to form a cup-shaped flower. The cup-shape is only desirable when the 132 WATER-LILIES flowers are looked at from above. Ordi- narily the widely opening kinds are to be preferred, as water-lilies have generally to be viewed from some distance. And in this group there is no odour to invite a closer inspection. Only the white night blooming water-lilies can be relied upon to come true to seed. Our reds and pinks are all hybrids, and will produce a great variety of tints from seed. Of course there is a pure red species, ISfym- phcea rubra, from which the hybrids have derived their colour. Regarding this Dr. Conard writes, "in spite of the offerings in catalogues, I am convinced that the true N. rubra is not in America. Its home is in India. Will not some one import a pure strain } " For the curiosity seeker, we must mention here an odd species from South America, the Amazon water-Hly (Nymphcea Amazonum; known in the trade as N. ampla). It needs the same treatment as those just described, though requiring a little more heat. The leaves are bright green, smooth edged, and of THE NIGHT BLOOMING WATER-LILIES I33 a graceful oval shape. The flower is yellow- ish white, and four or five inches across. It floats on the water like the hardy kinds. The bud rises just above the water surface to-day, let us suppose. Between 3 and 4 a. m. to-mor- row it opens to a narrow cup-shape, and closes again before six. The next day it begins to open about half-past six in the evening, and by eight it has four white petals spread out around a firm white bud. Thus it remains until half-past three in the morning, when the whole flower bursts into full bloom. It thus remains spread for about fifteen minutes; by six o'clock it is entirely closed, and is already retreating into the water. There are several other kinds in South America of unknown, but probably similar, habits. They are only likely to appeal to the night watchman. THE GIANT VICTORIAS The queen of all the water-lily tribe, if not of the whole vegetable world, is the wonderful night blooming Victoria. Everyone should 134 WATER-LILIES know its gigantic saucer-shaped leaves. They are often six feet across, perfectly circular in outline, with the margin turned up, four to eight inches at right angles to the water surface. Each leaf is a veritable boat, with capacity to float the weight of a man. The under side of the leaf presents a marvellous network of girder-like veins for the support of the giant structure. A strong plant should have three or four such leaves in perfect con- dition at one time. The flower is no less remarkable. It floats on the water, and regularly reaches twelve to eighteen inches in diameter. In appearance it is a huge and very double water-lily. The numerous petals are delicate, almost like chiffon in appearance (although really having plenty of substance) and spread out widely in every direction. In spite of its size, there is nothing coarse about it. Let us watch one open. About four o'clock in the afternoon, the great brown prickly bud looks very forbidding. Soon a most delicious fragrance assails our nostrils; THE NIGHT BLOOMING WATER-LILIES I35 it speaks of apples, peaches, pineapples — what might be called a "symphony'' of scents. We look and see that the pale petals are showing through four crevices in Victoria's bud. As evening advances the great creamy blossom opens fully, and the odour becomes almost oppressive. Next morning, about nine o'clock, the flower closes. The second evening it opens an hour or two earlier than before. It has lost all its scent, but has assumed a pink colour. On the second morning it looks half wilted, and during the day it descends slowly into the water. The Victoria blooms almost continuously after it once gets started. But it requires a long season and a good deal of heat. Nearly allied to Victoria is the Gorgon plant {Euryale ferox), of Indo-China. It has small flowers whose royal blue petals make a brilliant contrast with the red inner surface of the sepals. The flowers, however, are not often seen, and sometimes do not open at all. The leaves are circular, two or three feet across, without any upturned border. 136 WATER-LILIES It is cultivated like Victoria Cruziana, but is more hardy. These two plants are dis- cussed in greater detail in another chapter. KEY TO THE TENDER NIGHT BLOOMING WATER-LILIES Leaves with upturned margins Victoria Sepals smooth above V. Cruziana Sepals prickly to the tip V. regia Leaf margins not turned up Leaf peltate, entire (not cleft) Euryale ferox Leaf cleft on one side Nymphaa Leaf margin smooth N. Amazonum Leaf margin sharply toothed Lotos group: — Flowers pure white Petals spreading flat N. dentata and varieties Cup-shaped N. Lotus Flowers pink Delicate pinkish white; cup-shaped Jubilee Blush pink; cup-shaped Smithiana Light pink; opening flat delicatisstma Pure pink; cup-shaped Deaniana Pink to red; cup-shaped Kewensis Pink; cup-shaped Sturtevantii Flowers red Magenta; 10-12 in. across Omarana Red; 6-10 in. across Devoniensis Red; 6 in. across Columbiana Deep red; 8-10 in. across Geo. Huster Crimson; 9-10 in. across F. T release THE NIGHT BLOOMING WATER-LILIES I37 The differences between the water-hlies of the Lotos group are too sHght to express by an analytic key. We never could do better than to arrange them in a Hnear series accord- ing to the colour of the flower. Indeed, of the hybrid Kewensis it is positively stated that but one plant was raised originally, and it died without leaving any progeny. What we now know as Kewensis, therefore, bears the name only by courtesy. It is a new cross which came out so nearly like its predecessor as to be horticulturally the same. Growing the Giant Victorias 139 CHAPTER X Growing The Giant Victorias The Victorias or giant water-lilies are natives of the warmer portions of South America, where they thrive in lagoons and in the quieter portions of rivers. Their gigantic leaves, often measuring more than five feet across, as well as the immense flower, fully a foot across, naturally produced a profound impression upon the European botanist Haenke who, in 1801, first reported their discovery. Numerous early attempts to introduce the plant into cultivation in the Old World were unsuccessful; seeds (sent both dry, and packed in wet clay) failed to germinate, and young plants did not survive long enough to produce flowers. It was not until about fifty years after the Victoria became known that the first flowering plants were grown from seed in Europe. At the 141 142 WATER-LILIES Duke of Devonshire's estate at Chatsworth, England, on the eighth day of November, 1849, the first flower opened. During the same year two other plants blossomed in England, the one at Chiswick, the other at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Regent's Park, London. The latter plant was under the care of Mr. James Gurney, the veteran water-lily grower subsequently of Shaw's Garden, at St. Louis, Mo., and now the super- intendent of Tower Grove Park in that city where the annual displays of water-lilies have become famous. For him it was a never-to-be-forgotten moment when Queen Victoria, accompanied by the French Pres- ident, later Napoleon IIL, came to view the first flowering of the plant that had been named in her honour. A few years later seed was sent to America and the late Thomas Meehan obtained a flowering plant in 1851, in the gardens of Caleb Cope at Springbrook, near Philadelphia, Pa. At the present time there are recognised two distinct species of these giant water-lilies. ^ night blooming N. rubra, var. rosea red ) N . favo-virens white \ N. William Stone blue >• day blooming N.Mrs. C.W.Ward pink ) THE MOST DOUBLE Hardy: N. tuberosa, var. Richardsoni white N. James Brydon red N. Marliacea, var. chromatella yellow Tender: N ckntata, var. magnifica white | ^.^^ j^j^^^j N. Sturtevanttt pmk J * ^ N. Zanzibariensis blue .... day blooming WATER-LILIES FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES 215 FRAGRANT FLOWERED WATER-LILIES All the tender day bloomers N. odorata, and varieties N. odorata rosea and hybrids N. tetragona THE BEST RED WATER-LILIES Tender: N. gracilis, var. rubra day blooming N. Omar ana magenta ^ N.ruhra-rosea largest red | N. Columbiana i )■ night blooming N. George Husler .... > deepest color | N. Frank Trelease . . . . ) J Hardy: N. Marliacea, var. ignea deepest colour N. James Brydon strongest plant THE BEST YELLOW WATER-LILIES N. Marliacea, var. chromatella "| N. odorata, var. sulphurea >■ day blooming N. tetragona, var. helvola J THE BEST WHITE WATER-LILIES Hardy: N. alba, var. candidissima "| N. Gladstoniana >■ day blooming N. Marliacea, var. albida J Tender: N. dentata, var. grandifora night blooming N. favo-virens day blooming THE BEST BLUE WATER-LILIES Tender: N. Zanzibariensis ") N. Pennsylvania > day blooming N. William Stone ) 2l6 WATER-LILIES WATER-LILIES WITH LARGEST FLOWERS Hardy: N. Gladstoniana white N. William Doogue pearl Tender: N. dentata, var. magnifica white ) N. Omarana magenta >• night blooming N. rubra-rosea red ) N. Zanzibar ien sis deep blue \ j ui N. gigantea light blue / ^ EARLIEST BLOOMING WATER-LILIES Hardy: N. alba, var. candidissima white N.W.B. Shaw pink N. Marliacea, var. chromatella yellow N. James Brydon red WATER-LILIES FOR WINTER FLOWERING N. Pennsylvania blue N . Zanzibariensis blue N, William Stone blue } day blooming N. Stella Gurney pink N. Mrs. C. W. Ward pink N. dentata white ) -1.^1.1 j.yi. ucniuiu . . y night bloommg N.Devomensts red J ^ ^ WATER LILIES-WITH SMALL SPREAD ON THE WATER Hardy; N. odorata, var. minor white N. tetragona white N. tetragona, var. helvola yellow N. Laydekeri, var. rosea pink WATER-LILIES THAT SPREAD SIX FEET OR MORE Hardy: N. odorata, var. gigantea white N. tuber osa, and varieties white and pink All tender kinds except A'^. Mexicana and N. eJegans WATER-LILIES FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES 217 FOR CUT FLOWERS Hardy: N. odorata ^^"^ N. odorata, var. rosea P*°*^ N. Marliacea, var. rosea P^^^ N. Marliacea, var. chrotnatella yellow N. W. B. Shaw ?'^^^ N. James Brydon red N. Rohinsoni ""^^ Tender: N. rubra, var. rosea red J N.Omarana magenta V night blooming N. dentata, and varieties white ) JV. Pennsylvania blue ^ N. William Stone blue I day bloommg N. Mrs. C. W. Ward pink | N. Stella Gurney pink j SIX RECOMMENDED FOR BEGINNERS Hardy: N. Gladstoniana ^^^'^^ N. Marliacea, var. chromatella yellow N. W. B. Shaw P»n'' Tender: N. dentata white ) -^^ blooming N. Omarana magenta J N. Zanzibar iensis blue day bloommg WATER-LILIES THAT SEED THEMSELVES, AND COME TRUE FROM SEED Hardy: N. odorata and varieties white, etc. N.alba ^ N. Candida I white N . tetragona f N.tuberosa J N. Mexicana ye"ow 2l8 WATER-LILIES Tender: N. ccerulea blue N. Capensis " N. Zanzihariensis " N. elegans " N. favo-virens {gracilis) white JV. dentata " N.Lotus " Victoria Cruziana white, then red V.regia " Euryale ferox red day blooming night blooming WATER-LILIES WHICH SEED BUT LITTLE AND CANNOT BE EXPECTED TO BREED TRUE Hardy: JV. W. B. Shaw pink N. Gladstoniana white N. odorata, var. Caroliniana pink Tender: N. Omarana"^ magenta N. Sturtevantii pink N. Kewensis* " N. Deaniana " N. delicatissima pearl N. Frank Trelease crimson N. Smithiana " N. Jubilee'^ " A'^. Devoniensis red N. rubra, var. rosed^ * Mr. Gurney says these seed liberally at St. Louis WATER-LILIES THAT NEVER PRODUCE SEED Hardy: JV. alba, var. candidissima All yellows or yellow tinted, except iV. Mexicana All pinks or reds except N. odorata, var. rosea, and N. alba, var. rubra All Marliac and Laydekeri hybrids Tender: iV. Pennsylvania blue ^ iV. pulcherrima I N.William Stone " j N. Mrs. C. W. Ward pink J WATER-LILIES FOR SPECIAL PURPOSES 219 TENDER WATER-LILIES WHOSE MATURE PLANTS WILL MAKE WINTER TUBERS IN THE CELLAR N. favo-virens (gracilis) ^ N. William Stone ! „ , , , N. Mrs. C. fV. Ward ] "^^ ^^^ ^^°°°'^" N. elegans J WATER-LILIES FOR WATER MORE THAN TWO FEET DEEP Hardy: N. alba, var. candidissima white N. odor Ota, var. gigantea <* N, tuberosa " N. Marliacea, var. albida " N. Marliacea, var. rosea pink N. Marliacea, var. carnea « WATER-LILIES FOR WATER LESS THAN ONE FOOT DEEP Hardy: N. odorata, var. minor white N. tetragona " N. tetragona, var. helvola yellow N. Mexicana " N. Laydekeri, var. rosea pink N. Laydekeri, var. Jul gens magenta Tender: N. Zanzibar ien sis blue ] N. William Stone " > day blooming A'". Mrs. C. W. Ward pink ) All kinds will do well in one to two feet of water INDEX INDEX Accessory plants, 191, 213. Acorus, 199. Algae, 50, 183. Aquatic grass, 160. Aquatics, choice, 157. Arrow-leaf, 169. Arundo Donax, 200. AzoUa Caroliniana, 168. Barrel ponds, 3, 6. situations for, 7. Baskets, planting in, 48. Bed of pond, 11. Beginners' water-lilies, 217. Bladderworts, 165. Blue vitriol for algas, 183. Blue water-lilies, 215. Bog garden, 16. Bordeaux mixture, 186. Border plants, 165, 206. Boxes for planting, 47. Brick and cement, 21. Cabomba, 165. Calla palustris, 200. Caltha palustris, 200. Cape Cod water-lily, 95. Cardinal flower, 1 7, 1 69, 204. Caspary, Professor, 83. Cattail, 168. Ceratopteris thalictroides, 166. Chelone, 202. Chinese water-hly, 89. Cicuta maculata, 201. Cimicifuga racemosa, 201. Clay puddling, 32. Cleaning the pond, 35. Compost, 48. Concrete, 24, 26. Construction, pond, 12, 21. cost of, 23, 26, 30. Copper sulphate, 183. Crawfish, 9, 184. Cut flowers, 17, 217. Dates for planting out, 41. Day-blooming water-lillies, 89, 107. Depth of pond, 13, 35. Ditch moss, 206. Double water-lilies, 214. Drainage, 176. Draining a pond, 35. Duckweeds, 168. Earliest blooming water- HHes, 216. Egyptian lotus, 118, 158. paper plant, 160. 223 224 WATER-LILIES Eichhornia, 5, 157, 162. Elodea Canadensis, 206. Euryale ferox, 135, 136. Evaporation, loss by, 15. Ferns, 166, 168. Floating moss, 168. Floods, prevention of, 36. Floriferous water-lilies, 2 1 4. Flowering rush, 200. Flowers, young and old, 17. Foster, B. G., notes by, 26. Fragrant flowered water- lilies, 215. Fungus growth, 186 Garden in a tub, 5. Giant Hly, 113. reed, 200. Golden club, 167. Gorgon plant, 135, 136. Growing under glass, 173. Gurney, James, 84, 142. Hardy swamp plants, 199. water-lilies, 89. water-liHes, key to, 100. water-liUes,wintering, 53 Heating ponds, 175. Hedges for small ponds, 191. Hibiscus Moscheutos, 17, 168. Horn fern, 166. Horsetail rushes, 202. Hybridisation, 75. Jussieua, 45. Kerosene emulsion, 185. Key, hardy water-lilies, 100. tender day-bloomers,i2i. tender night-bloomers, 136. Large spreading water- Ulies, 216. Leaf cutter, 185. miner, 185. Lemna, 168. Limnocharis, 45, 163. Lizard's tail, 167. Lotos group, the, 136. Lotus, American, 157. Egyptian, 118. Indian Csee Nelumbium), 46, 158. night, II. Lysimachia Nummularia, 204. Lythrum Salicaria, 205. Magenta water-lilies, 126. Maidenhair fern, 169. Mallow, 17, 168. Marginal protection, win- ter, 12. treatment, 9. Marsh marigold, 200. MarsiHa, 10, 166. Meehan, Thomas, 142. Mentha aquatica, 205. Moss, ditch, 206. floating, 168. Mould, 28. Muskrat, 181. INDEX 225 Myriophyllum proserpina- coides, 166. Natural ponds, 42. springs, 13. Nelumbium, 158. _ Nelumbo lutea, 157, 160. nucifera, 158, 160. planting time for, 46. rosea, 159. Night-blooming water-lilies, wintering, 54. Nymphaea alba, loi. var. candidissima, 100, lOI. var. maxima, loi. var. plenissima, lOi. var. rubra, 96, 103. Amazonum, 117, 132, 136. ampla, 70, 116, 121, 132. Andreana, 103. Arc-en-ciel, 103. Arethusa, 103. Aurora, 98, 103. caerulea, 56, 70, 118, 119, 122. Candida, loi. Capensis, 70, 119, 122. Caroliniana, 102. chrysantha, 103. Columbiana, 129, 136. Mrs. C. W. Ward, 61, no, 116, 122. Deaniana, 131, 136. delicatissima, 131, 136. Nymphaea dentata, 84, 130, 136. var. grandiflora, 130. var. magnifica, 130. var. superba, 130. Devoniensis, 11, 82, 128, 136. elegans, 70, 117, 122. ElHsiana, 103. exquisita, 92, 96, 102. flavo-virens, 54, 61, in, 115,116,121. var. rubra, 11, 122. Frank Trelease, 84, 127, 136. Froebelii, 103. fulgens, 103. fulva, 103. Geo. Huster, 129, 136. gigantea, 70, 113, 114, 122, 169. Gladstoniana, 93, loi. gloriosa, 102. graciHs, 70, in, 115. James Brydon, 97, 103. James Gurney, 97, 103. James Gurney, Jr., 129. Jubilee, 131, 136. ■ Kewensis, 83, 131, 136, 137- Laydekeri, 92. var. lilacea, 102. var. rosea, 91, 102. var. rosea prolifera, 102. purpurata, 97, 103. Lotus, II, 82, 131, 136. lucida, 103. 226 WATER-LILIES Nymphaea Marliacea, var., albida, 94, loi. var. carnea, 94, 102. var. chromatella, 92, lOI. var. flammea, 102. var. ignea, 102. var. rosea, 95, 102. var. rubra, 103. Mexicana, 90, 97, 100. odorata, 99, 100, loi. var. gigantea, 100, loi. var. Luciana, 102. var. minor, 99, loi. var. rosea, 99, 102. var. sulphurea, 93, loi. Omarana, 84, 126, 136. Pennsylvania, 120, 122. pulcherrima, 120, 122, Robinsoni, 76, 98, 103. rosacea, 102. rubra, 82, 132. sanguinea, 97, 103. Seignoreti, 98, 103. Smithiana, 131, 136. Stella Gurney, no, 116, 122. stellata, var. versicolor, 112, 122. Stuhlmannii, 121. Sturtevantii, 11, 62, 84, 127, 136. sulphurea, 121. var. grandiflora, loi. thermalis, 131. tuberosa, 99, 100, loi. Nymphasa tuberosa, var., Richardsonii, loi. var. rosea, 102. var. rubra, 85. var. superba, 102. versicolor, 70. Wm. Doogue, 95, 102. Wm. Falconer, 97, 103. Wm. Stone, 61, no, 116, 122. tetragona, 89, loi. var. helvola, 90, 100. Zanzibariensis, 70, 84, 108, 122. var. azurea, no, 122. var. rosea, no, 122. Orontium aquaticum, 167. Outline of pond, 34. in relation to size, 8. Papyrus antiquorum, 160. Parrot's feather, 166. Pickerel-weed, 167. Pink water-lilies, 112. Planting, boxes for, 47. in baskets, 48. in concrete ponds, 44. in natural ponds, 42. out, dates, 41. out, methods of, 42. time for, 41, 46, 177. Plants, wintering, 61. Pond bed, n. cleaning, 35. concrete, 24, 26. construction, 12, 21. INDEX 227 Pond bed, depth of, 13, 35. draining, 35, 176. heating, 175. outUnes of, 8, 34. two feet square, 3. Pontederia cordata, 167. Propagation, forcing, 59. methods, 59, 60. Protection for winter, 53. from wind, 191. of margins, 12. Puddling, clay, 32. Red and yellow blends in water-lilies, 97. water-HUes, 96, 128, 215. Repairs to ponds, 35. Sagittaria latifolia, 169. Salvinia, 168. Saururus cernuus, 167. Scum, 50. Seed development, 67. growing from, 61. mixing, how to prevent, 68. ripening, 68. time to sow, 69. Seedlings, curious facts about, 119. how to plant, 43. transplanting, 70. Sides of pond, slope of, 21. Sium cicutaefolium, 45. Small spreadingwater-liUes, 216. Snails, 186. Snapping turtle, 182. Soil, 48. Sorting tubers, 57. Springs, 13. Sturtevant, E. D., 159. Submerged plants, 164. Sunfish, 183. Swedish water-lily, 96. Temperature, of water, 62, 145- Tender day-bloomers, 70, day-blooming water-lilies, 107.^ wintering, 54. water-lilies, to make win- ter tubers of, 219. ThaUa divaricata, 161. Transplanting, 58. seedlings, 70. Trapa natans, 187, 207. Tricker, W., 12, 83. Tub garden, 5. Typha, 168. Utricularia, 165. Victoria, 133, 136, 141,178. Cruziana, 37, 136, 143. regia, 136, 143, 149. Walks, 177. Water arum, 200. chestnut, 187, 207. clover, 10. 228 WATER-LILIES Water, depth, 13, 35. gardens, situations for, 3. hemlock, 201. hyacinth, 5, 157, 162. level, in tanks, 63. loss by evaporation, 15. poppy» 45» 163. supply for ponds, 22, 176. temperature, 62, 145. Water-HHes, blue, 215. day-blooming, 89, 107. for beginners, 217. for cut flowers, 217. for deep water, 219. for shallow water, 219. night-blooming, 125. pink, 112. red, 96, 128, 215. small spreading, 216. that never produce seed, 218. Water-lilies that seed but Httle, 218. that seed themselves, 21 7. under glass, 173. white, 215. winter flowering, 216. with largest flowers, 216. yellow, 97, 121, 213. White water-lilies, 215. Windbreaks, 191. Winter flowering water- Ulies, 216. protection, 53. of margins, 12. quarters, 55. Wintering, 61. Yellow water-lilies, 97, 215. Zanzibar water-lily, 108. OCT 23 1907 LIBRARY OF CONGRESS QQ0Q^20a7ai