April 17, 2009

I came out to visit with Ken and to check out the collection. As I expected there are only hardies in the pools at this time. The water temps are in the 60's. The night time temps tonight are expected to be in the 40's. That is unseasonably cold for this time of year. For anyone not in the business of raising waterlilies I would like to offer some information. There are always visitors coming to San Angelo to view the waterlily collection. Many people do not understand the relationship between hardy waterlilies, tropical waterlilies, the water platters and the Australiens. In this environment, the hardies will survive the winter and early spring temperatures. All others have to be treated as annuals. They will not survive in the water temps in the middle of winter here because the pools are not heated, 40 degree and lower temperatures are not uncommon.

Annuals by definition are plants whose life cycle may last only one year.

Perennials, like old friends return year after year, growing in size and stature until they reach their full maturity. Hardies are the only waterlilies that can be considered perennials in San Angelo.

What makes this collection one of "The" places in the world to see waterlilies is that Ken knows better than anyone I have ever met how to propagate and force tubers in waterlilies to ensure survival. Most people struggle with overwintering dormant tubers and there is usually some plant failure and death. I have seen Ken pull an 11 year old tuber out and grow it to a mature plant in a few months time. This is a rare ability. That is why he has the largest collection around.

The tropicals will not be going into the pools for another month or so. If you are planning a trip to see the collection the best time to view it is between mid summer and mid fall. Right now the only plants in the pools are the hardies. Now if you live near and are looking for a great viewing experience, come on down. I counted 40 different hardies yesterday at 6 pm that were blooming well. There were at least 4 species plants blooming as well. For anyone who is in the business, seeing that many different waterlilies at one time is extraordinary especially at this time of year. The fact that many of these are old, old lilies that are lost to the trade is even more significant. Ken probably has the last true stock of N. Attraction left. It was stock that was sent from Marliac's to a private collection in Japan and held for decades and then sent to Ken for posterity. There are many others that fall into this same impossible to find category. The fact that no one can just go out and buy these lilies off a store shelf is what makes this collection so special.

This is a one of a kind place to view very rare material. The pools were deisgned by Ken specifically to view the tropicals. Anywhere else that you view waterlilies they are in a pool at ground level. The pools with the exception of the primary basin are at a 26 inch deep level so that the blooms of the lilies are very near eye level for maximum viewing pleasure of the tropicals. This was a conscious decision by Ken when he designed it so that he could showcase the tropical collection. The funding was made possible for these extra pools by a City of San Angelo Health Foundation grant and from a Housing and Urban Development grant that Ken was instrumental in applying for and the Council of Garden Clubs and the City of San Angelo received. The design is such a success that it has been copied by another botanic garden and it is also being built commercially by the man who helped Ken save the primary basin by getting a spray liner installed.

Some of the concerns from last year's spring visit have been addressed. The bushes on the top rail area that had impeded the view of the full collection from above have been removed. The rock wall that had been defoliated the prior year was causing extreme temperatures at the ends of three pools from the radiant heat coming off the wall. The climbing vines that were planted last year are doing well and have nearly climbed to the top of the wall already. This should alleviate much of the extreme heat issues. I applaud the city for helping with these issues.

Unfortunately the biggest concern in the park is still the biggest problem as well. The huge tree that is on the west side of the collection is wreaking havoc with the pools and the ecosystem. It throws tassels and debris into the pool all of the time. Those tassels make the water very unsightly as they float on the surface. Then as they saturate and sink they cause even more problems. They decay and make the water tannic in nature. The pools are difficult to maintain in a balance because chemicals cannot be used to control algae that this debris breeds. The tree drops leaves, branches, tassels and acorns throughout the entire waterlily growing season. This is a great concern as most of the year there are near drought conditions in this part of Texas. The tree is also causing structural issues with the concrete sidewalks. Once the final pool is installed to create a finished symmetrical view of the collection, it would be devastated by this tree. In addition to the already mentioned items it also throws larger items in high winds that are frequent in the wide open flat land. Larger debris from the tree can destroy pads. If it hits the Victorias before they put up more than a few pads, you will have lost the plant. The tree attracts black aphids that produce honeydew throughout the season. It is sticky and a nuisance. The aphids fall into the pool and then begin to infest the pads on the waterlilies. This damages the plant. Once the pads die, the plant will die. Once again, no chemicals can be used for control measures.
The decision has been made several times to remove the tree but still it stands and still it causes problems.

This is the view before cleaning out the pool and draining it.

Notice how it's shadow covers where the last pool is to be placed.

This is what it looks like when they saturate and sink. They will now release tannins in the water. This would cause clear water to appear brown. In the blue dyed water here it turns the water a bright green... see below.

If you are a friend of the collection and you want to enjoy it in all of it's possible beauty, please implore the city to take care of this problem once and for all.

The City of San Angelo Feedback Site

I will get off of my soapbox now but I feel that everyone needs to know of these issues.

NOW... for some great news for 2009.

I have been in contact with Leeann Connelly. She will be sending Nymphaea 'Perry Slocum' to Ken in a couple of weeks and it will probably be in the pools before the end of May. There is a lot of anticipation on what exactly this plant is. Perry asked her to name something for him after he left us. He did this because he cared about her as a person and had great faith in her hybrids. If Leeann created it and wants to name it for Perry, it must be pretty special. We cannot wait to get the plant and post information for you our visitors and friends.

Brad McLane of Florida Aquatics has confirmed that he will also be shipping his three new knock out plants to be grown out and displayed in the collection for this year very soon.

Nymphaea Ultra Violet' was the IWGS award winner of Best New Waterlily and Best New Tropical Waterlily from last year.

Nymphaea 'Virginia McLane' was the Second Best Tropical Waterlily in the contest last year.

Nymphaea 'Bulls Eye' is a sibling of N. 'Virginia McLane'. It has many characteristics in common with N. 'Virginia McLane' except it has green pads whereas N. 'Virginia McLane' has mottled pads.

All three above photos courtesy of Florida Aquatic Nurseries

We were hoping to get at least one of these. The fact that Ken has a great relationship with some of the foremost authorities in the world allows this collection to showcase great new material that can be found virtually nowhere else. We want to publicly thank the McLane's for their friendship, their support of the collection and their tremendous hybridizing skills. We look forward to showcasing your future winners as well since we know you will produce many more to come.

I will be posting some pictures on this page after I get some shots today.

Tim