History - Waterlilies and Victoria
| History plays an important part in everyone’s lives, even though it is not always appreciated. This applies equally with water gardening, especially with the study and appreciation of Nymphaea and Victoria. Not only is history essential for having a full appreciation of the plants, vital background for the student of botany or horticulture, but it can often unravel mysteries of a popular present-day plant’s parentage, and thus be of immense value to the plant breeder and ultimately commerce. With waterlilies there are more mysteries than with most decorative plants, their development having been shrouded in secrecy for commercial reasons.
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 Tooth-leaved Lotus
(Curtis' Botanical Magazine)
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There was also apparently deceit about what had taken place during the production of new hybrids. Even today, there is still little consensus about what early breeders, especially the Frenchman Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac, did when creating his wonderful hardy hybrids. There has long been discussion about the authenticity of a number of his claims and the possible smokescreens that were created in his presentations and writings to protect his livelihood.
However, the best way to understand about the past is to read the words of the people who were there. For the most part what the early pioneers wrote was what they sincerely believed. Although sometimes their opinions and beliefs were distorted by lack of information, often information that was not available at the time, as the mechanism for garnering it had not been invented.
This part of the website is a collection of some of the early references to the identity and origins of the waterlilies that we grow and enjoy today, together with background information to the introduction of the giant Victoria. This is an on-going and developing resource, with articles from publications that are often cited as references in horticultural and botanical books and publications.
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