The International Waterlily Collection has been designated by the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society
as a premiere collection of lilies in existence. This collection is the life work of one man with the mind of a scientist, the heart of a poet and the soul that embodies preserving waterlily heritage for the generations to come. His name is Ken Landon.
Ken is only able to display about 1/2 of 1% of the collection each year so there is always something new and wondrous to see.
Where does it exist?
The collection is displayed at Civic League Park in San Angelo, Texas in the United States of America. Directions to the Collection.
What will I see?
You'll see old favorites, new hybrids, lilies that may not exist anywhere else in the world, huge Victorias, the spectacular N. Blue Cloud and the first glimpse at new species material collected in the wild.
Commentary about the big Oak Tree in the park at the IWC
Commentary about the new Oak Tree in the park at the IWC
2nd Annual
New Waterlily Competition
Sponsored by International Waterlily Collection and World Waterlily and Lotus Association
The International Waterlily Collection is hosting our Second Annual Waterlily Competition.
We invite all hybridizers who are interested in entering to fill out this form and arrange to ship your plants as soon as possible. The plants will be grown out and displayed at the International Waterlily Collection (IWC) in San Angelo, Texas, USA.
Initial guidelines:
1) The competition is open to any waterlily hybrid that has not been in the trade for more than one year and has not previously won any New Waterlily Competition.
2) Divisions Hardy / Tropical / Intersubgeneric (ISG’s)
3) Awards for the Best plant in each division with 1 overall winner
4) Limit of 4 entries per hybridizer
5) No entry fees
Reasons to enter the San Angelo Competition
1) Ken Landon
* Growing waterlilies for over 50 years
* World acclaimed grower, collector, hybridizer and conservationist
* Innovator of superior a fertilizer formulation, tuber production and tuber storage techniques.
* Perry Slocum and Kirk Strawn sent their newest hybrids to be trialed by Ken to see what their maximum potential would be
* Ken has work intimately with Patrick Nutt formerly of Longwood Gardens on growing techniques and preserving collections from such famed hybridizers as Pring and Randig
* Ken’s efforts were featured in the New York Times and he recently received a Texas conservationist award
2) The waterlilies will grow under optimal conditions so it maximum growth potential and flower production will be realized. In 2012, plants grown in another competition only achieved half the growing size of those grown under Ken’s expert watchful eye. We had Anecypha and Brachyceras entries that exceeded 12 feet (3.6 meters) and Nymphaea that exceeded 8 feet(2.4 meters). The image below has a standard 3 foot measuring stick. As you can see, the plant dwarfs the measuring instrument. If you want to enter a competition where your entry has the greatest chance to reach its maximum potential, the IWC contest is the perfect choice.
3) The International Waterlily Collection at San Angelo’s Civic League Park is a botanical exhibit exclusively dedicated to aquatic plants.
4) A superb staff and team of volunteers maintain the exhibit in peak condition.
5) Civic League Park is free and open to the public 24 hours a day.
6) Lengthy growing season – March until November
7) High Temperatures and maximum sunlight availability assure excellent growing conditions.
8) The competition will be viewed by tens of thousands of annual visitors to the park
9) Outstanding publicity by the International Waterlily Collection’s websites, the City of San Angelo and office of WWALA assure maximum public exposure of the plants and the competition.
10) Excellent photo and video documentation of the competition and all of the waterlilies.
11) The IWC is one of the top-ranked water gardens in the world.
New Named Waterlily Announced
Congratulations to Arianna Renee McCollough as the 2013 recipient of a newly designated nymphaea in her honor by IWC Director Kenneth Landon. With his permission this plant created by hybridist Mike Giles as H X T 50-09 is the first intersubgeneric Nymphaea named for an honoree at the IWC. The newly designated name of this plant will be Nymphaea'Arianna Renee'.
The formal presentation will be at Lily Fest September 21, 2013.
Funding for the Architecturally
Formal Waterlily Pool display.
The IWC received some great news this week. We were named the recipients of $20,000 for a misting system from the San Angelo Health Foundation.
This will be great for the viewing public during the hottest months of the year in San Angelo.
Quote from Ken Landon "We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the funds that will be used to enhance the International Waterlily Collection facility for the thousands of visitors to our Great City of San Angelo each year." http://www.sahfoundation.org/index.php
We are still moving forward to try and raise the rest of the funds to build the final pool to finish out the pool layout in 2013. The San Angelo Council of Garden Clubs were given permission by the City Council of San Angelo through the Aquatic Beautification project to do anything necessary to enhance the International Waterlily Collection. We are confident that once the funds are in place the San Angelo Council of Garden Clubs will direct us to continue to enhance the Collection's ability to draw tourism from the far reaches of the world through the new pool and the new misting system.
We are looking for donors who have the ability to make sizeable tax deductible contributions through a 501 C3 Organization. All funds collected would be used exclusively for construction of the final pool in the formal layout.
We have an offer to build the final pool, pool number 7 to make the park layout complete for people who come from around the world to enjoy this aquatic display. This is a fantastic offer after vetting multiple construction bids because the value of the project would normally be much more.
The funds would be donated to the esteemed San Angelo Council of Garden Clubs under the direction of Irene Meitzen. They will manage the funds distributed by the San Angelo Health Foundation. Irene is one of the best supporters of the original project and the current Collection.
Jimmy Rogers the then Superintendent of Parks approached Ken in 1985 and asked what Ken could do to beautify the existing pool in Civic League Park. It started out as the Aquatic Beautification Project that the City Council of San Angelo would enact. Irene Meitzen along with Reta Sage and Ken Landon envisioned the dream that this Collection has become. They were supported by visionary leaders in the system at the beginning of the project by people such as Stephen Brown the then City Manager and then Tom Adams a later City Manager.
We are looking for individuals or groups who wish to become a significant part of history as we finalize the formal pool layout. We will place permanent metal plaques into the park for individuals or groups that sponsor in Silver, Gold or Platinum levels for all to see for posterity.
A donation of $2,500 or more would be considered Silver level.
A donation of $5,000 or more would be considered Gold level.
A donation of $10,000 or more would be considered Platinum level.
Donations can be sent to the following address...
San Angelo Council of Garden Clubs care of Irene Meitzen
1701 Christoval Rd.
San Angelo, Texas
76903
LilyFest 2013
We have picked the date for LilyFest for 2013.
Saturday September 21st, 2013.
IWC / WWALA Contest
Here is the list of our entrants for this year's IWC / WWALA New Waterlily Contest.
Most of them are active on Facebook.
Please give them your best wishes and help us thank them for their hybridizing efforts.
2012 New Waterlily Contest Entries – IWC - WWALA
International Waterlily Collection and World Waterlily And Lotus Association Contest
These plants were grown out for us by Ken Landon of the International Waterlily Collection.
Tropical Waterlilies
Nymphaea ‘Tropic Punch’ by Florida Aquatic Nurseries courtesy of Brandon McLane
Nymphaea ‘Duangtasawan’ by Dr. N. Nopchai Chansilpa
Nymphaea ‘Tropical Illumination’ by Garet Uemura
Nymphaea ‘Paramee’ by Roengshak Klinpayom
Nymphaea ‘Nangkwaug Muang Prai’ by Primlarp Wasuwat Chukiatman
Nymphaea ‘Sirilarp’ by Primlarp Wasuwat Chukiatman
Hardy Waterlilies
Nymphaea ‘ Fuchsia Pom Pom’ by George Tony Moore
Nymphaea ‘Lucky Red’ by Surarin Nursery
Nymphaea ‘Snowflake’ by George Tony Moore
Nymphaea ‘Sarannlarp’ by Dr. Sam Wasuwat and Primlarp Wasuwat Chuckiatman
Nymphaea ‘Citrus Twist’ by George Tony Moore
Intersubgeneric Hybrids (ISGs)
Nymphaea ‘Purple Silver’ by Mike Giles
Nymphaea ‘Tango’ by Florida Aquatic Nurseries courtesy of Brandon McLane
Nymphaea ‘Kiss the Sky’ by Mike Giles
Nymphaea ‘Deep Purple’ by Florida Aquatic Nurseries courtesy of Brandon McLane
Nymphaea ‘Purple Damselfly’ by Mike Giles
Our Great Panel of IWC / WWALA New Waterlily Contest Judges
We are on Facebook now. If you have ever been to visit and are a fan of The International Waterlily Collection, please join our group. We hope that in this way you can share your photos, videos and personal experiences. This is a way for you, the fans of Ken's life's work to interact with the collection. We might even contact some of you for permissions to use your materials on our site to help spread information to the world about this fabulous place. You must be a member of Facebook to join but it is free and a way to see people who share your interests.
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