The giant water lilies at the Ghent Botanical Garden are even larger than normal this year. The leaves of the plants have reached a diameter of 2.6 metres rather than the usual 1.5 metres. It is believed that a fertiliser mixture accidentally put together by an overzealous intern has resulted in the water lilies spectacular growth.
Giant water lilies at Ghent Botanical Garden grew so big thanks to fertiliser mix intern put together by accident
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The giant water lilies in the Ghent Botanical Garden are raised each year from seeds harvested the previous year. In their native South America, the water lilies live on through the winter and grow again the following year. However, here the giant water lilies that are raised in greenhouse don't get enough light during the winter months and they die.
The plant’s seeds that are about the size of a pea, require temperatures of at least 30°C in order to germinate. They also need to be kept permanently moist.
Several species of giant water lilies live in the wild. The species grown at the Ghent Botanical Garden is the 'Victoria longwood hybrid', It has large leaves with raised edges.
This year the botanical garden wanted to try out different fertilsers. However, rather than testing each of the fetilisers separately an intern decided to mix them. The results are quite spectacular. This year the water lilies have grown to be a 1 metre larger than usual.
Open throughout the summer
Those wishing to admire the water lilies can visit the botanical garden throughout the summer. It is open every day from 9.30am to 4.30pm and admission is free. You can reserve a time slot, but it is not mandatory to do so.
If you want to see the water lilies at their best, it is recommended that you plan your visit in the during the summer months. By September and October, the plant's leaves start to get smaller again.