July
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Nymphaea 'Escarboucle'
Common name: waterlily
Family: Nymphaeaceae
Vital statistics
Spread: Up to 1.5m spread
Form: Aquatic herbaceous perennial
Soil: Loamy soil
Aspect: Full sun
Hardiness: Hardy throughout the British Isles |
Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' is part of the collection of over 50 different hardy waterlilies growing in the Canal in front of the Laboratory. Constructed in 1969, to the design of Lanning Roper and Geoffrey Jellicoe, the Canal holds the world's largest collection of waterlilies on a single stretch of formal water.
Many other waterlilies can be found growing in the ponds and pools throughout Wisley Garden including the Temperate House which, during the summer, displays a collection of tropical waterlilies.
Genus Nymphaea
Distributed world-wide there are around 50 species of Nymphaea. Most are native to tropical and subtropical regions while only a few occur in temperate climates. All are herbaceous, submerged aquatic perennials which are cultivated for their showy, sometimes fragrant flowers and floating leaves.
All waterlilies, whether tropical or temperate, have horizontal or upright rhizomes or stoloniferous tubers, and produce rounded floating leaves, cleft into two lobes with a basal sinus, with a long leaf stalk. Flowers are borne throughout the summer in shades of white, yellow, pink, red and blue. Each flower has four sepals, numerous narrow petals and variously coloured stamens. If successfully pollinated, waterlilies produce berry-like fruits, with many seeds, which mature under water.
The botanical name Nymphaea is from the Greek word nymphaia which means water nymph.
Tropical waterlilies have larger leaves and larger, more colourful flowers than the hardy species and will bloom either at night or during the day with flowers held high above the water.
Tropical waterlilies have been used and cultivated for thousands of years. They were revered by the Egyptians, the Egyptian god Osiris was always pictured with numerous waterlilies surrounding him, and they have been grown for beauty, food and medicine for centuries in Japan and China.
Until the mid 1800's hardy waterlilies existed only as a few species and were rarely grown, but Joseph Bory Latour Marliac of France began to develop colourful hardy hybrids by crossing tropical waterlilies with hardy European species. His work was so successful that many high quality hybrids from the original crosses are still in cultivation today. Unfortunately, despite reporting the process of hybridisation to the RHS in 1898 his techniques, methods and records were lost when he died.
Nymphaea 'Escarboucle'
Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' was raised by Marliac in 1906 from N. tuberosa but its exact parentage is unknown. It has rounded, mid-green leaves with an undulating margin and produces fragrant, vermilion-red flowers, up to 20cm across, which have white-tipped outer petals and dark orange anthers.
AGM
The RHS Floral Committee A awarded Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' an Award of Garden Merit and described it as:
'Aquatic perennial with round, floating leaves 20-25cm wide, and fragrant, cupped red flowers to 20cm across, with yellow stamens.'
Cultivation
Waterlilies should be grown in undisturbed water in full sun. Plant in baskets or into the pond floor in a low-fertility, loamy soil with a low fresh organic matter content. Temperate species are generally cold hardy where temperatures fall to -15C and below, provided that they have the protection of a sufficient depth of water (about 30cm) above the crown to protect it from freezing.
The depth of planting also depends of the size and vigour of the plant. Ideally Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' should be grown at a water depth of 40-80cm.
Once established waterlilies are generally maintenance free but if they become overcrowded the flowers become smaller and fewer and the foliage lifts out of the water in which case they need lifting and dividing.
Waterlilies are susceptible to a variety of pests and diseases including the waterlily beetle, Galerucela nymphaeae, which can be a destructive pest and the waterlily aphid, Rhopalosiphum nymphaea, which overwinters on Prunus species and attacks many soft-leaved aquatics during the summer.
Propagation
Propagate hardy species by division in late spring by removing and replanting vigorous side growths. Care must be taken with some cultivars such as Nymphaea 'Escarboucle' as it is difficult to propagate since the rhizome grows slowly.
More information
The International Waterlily & Water Garden Society