Church Thank You For Donation Letter

evergreens, nymphs

S in doubt the lilies are one of the most beautiful flowers you can have in a pond garden. The ancient naturalists who gave their name, probably before Linnaeus, in a fit of romanticism associated with this beauty with mythological nymphs. These relate to the aquatic environment, being protective and capable of awakening the natural events such as flowering, fruiting and seed germination.

The scientific name is Nymhaea alba, white as are the flowers of the wild species in Europe and North Africa. However, in gardening, selection and hybridization with exotic species, have achieved wide variety of colors and sizes of flowers and leaves. Its flowers selfing is often because, although there may also be insects that pollinate it, I never seen it. Also I can not say they have produced seeds in my pond, because although the literature says that mature in the water and submerged the seeds germinate, the information I have from an expert in ponds is almost opposite. That is, fructify, ripen and then germinate only when the lily is short. I like that theory, it fits very well with a logical way of survival: to reproduce asexually when conditions are good, ie when the plant remains submerged and sexually when there is drought, the seed being a form of resistance. But I can not say a more certain than the other.

addition to white water lilies, friends "tobacconists" I got plants with yellow flowers and roses that I never tire of admiring each spring until late autumn practically.

Flores return

The lilies have a curious habit of close to nightfall. Indeed, one of the best memories I have of this plant is when I first time in a long pond that existed previously in the Retiro park in Madrid. As the shadow moved on dozens of flowers, these were closed overnight for safekeeping.

Now I've been enjoying this show on numerous occasions in other places and at home, but it's enchant. It is curious that on cloudy days the flowers open as usual, but do not feel the same way the fall of the shadows and close much later. Perhaps their "light detectors, which trigger the closure of the flowers, not work by itself nor by light intensity the time, but by contrast sun / shade. Or maybe it's the nymph wanders. The flowers last a week opening and closing every day.

Another anecdote connected with this is that when I traveled to the Amazon I saw the huge leaves and flowers older sister of our water lilies, the impressive Victoria regia. flowering species is nocturnal and is curious that the flowers at the close of a beetle trap have to stay inside all day. This load of pollen to fertilize the next night, the first flowers where to settle.

Anyone who has grown lilies in your garden and has been removed for cleaning or divide, you may have seen their rhizomes, thick, fleshy, twisted, they are a little edge. Many of them come pretty thick roots also have an impressive ability to cling to the boulders of the fund. In that way I guess the wild lilies drag not to be drawn when there is flooding. Draw a lily pad with several years in a pond is an adventure, then take over all the pots and stones forming a network almost impossible to break, if not ATANCE with sharp knives.
I have not read anything about this way to catch the stones or in books or web pages, however, if repeated many other things. One of them is that "underground stems are sometimes used as food in northern Europe." Is also said that in the convents was used as anaphrodisiac, to quell sexual ardor of monks and keep away from "the other nymphs." It seems to do the flowers were used in infusion. It is also said that the roasted seeds can be a substitute for coffee.

convents, in fact, had ponds with water lilies. They grew mainly carp and tench, to eat fresh fish and own at the time of Lent, in places where there was no sea near.
in our geography is also a water lily with yellow flowers, though more discreet, I have not managed to adapt to my pond, which is Nuphar lutea.

As can be seen in the last photo, the biggest smashes-lily is a good hailstorm. Moreover the water lilies are the preferred host for frogs, dragonflies and many other aquatic insects, are a lifeline for animals that may fall into the pond water and shade in preventing excessive growth of algae. They are a point of attraction in the garden and, like the mythological nymphs, announced this spring.