A Giant Water Lily kindly donated by Royal Botanic Garden Kew: posted by Steve Porter

We have taken delivery of a young Giant Water Lily plant (Victoria amazonica), which has been kindly donated by Royal Botanic Garden Kew.

The plant has been placed in the Display House where it will acclimatise before starting its rapid annual growth, filling the heated pool and hopefully producing flowers later in the year. The Lily is native to South America and is grown as an annual in this country meaning that we have to re-plant at the start of every year.

Victoria amazonica is particularly important to us at Chatsworth as when this plant was first introduced to this country in 1846 it grew strongly at Kew but would not flower. A plant was sent to Chatsworth in 1849 and under the care of Joseph Paxton, Head Gardener to the 6th Duke of Devonshire, the plant flourished in a specially built Lily House. This plant was the first to flower in the country and was presented by Joseph Paxton to Queen Victoria after which it is named.

Due to narrow paths and heat loss this glass house is not accessible to the public but please peer in to see the Lily grow, and do visit the newly opened 1st Dukes Glass house.

Steve Porter, Assistant Head of Gardens