Magic by Moonlight

Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ in the center pool of Longwood’s Waterlily Display

The mysterious behavior of Victoria flowers has stirred people’s imagination ever since this giant water lily was introduced into cultivation in the mid-nineteenth century. Native to South America, Victoria evolved into two distinct species: Victoria amazonica inhabiting the backwaters of the Amazon and its tributaries and Victoria cruziana found further south, along Río Paraguay and Río Paraná.

The massive leaves of Victoria cruziana are valued for their high rims

The huge flowers of the Victoria reveal much about the ancient origin of waterlilies as some of the earliest flowering plants on earth. They open at sunset, spreading numerous white petals above water, providing a safe landing platform for nocturnal scarab beetles, which are notoriously clumsy fliers. Beetles are attracted to the flowers by the nutritious starchy appendages on which the insects feast. The appendages are tucked along the walls of a spacious floral chamber hidden below the many whorls of petals. The pollen grains delivered by the beetles fall to the floor of this chamber, where they germinate sending pollen tubes to fertilize ovules embedded in the spiny ovary underneath.

While the flower spreads its petals in the evening its temperature rises up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above the ambient. This rare phenomenon facilitates the diffusion of the flower’s delightful and seductive fragrance, which guides the incoming beetles into the floral chamber and improves chances for successful pollination by keeping the insects warm and active throughout the night. In the morning, Victoria folds back its petals, closing the entrance to the floral chamber, effectively trapping the beetles inside. When the flower opens again the following evening, the most magical transformation takes place. The petals that were pure white the previous night are now variously suffused pink and purple.

Flower of Victoria ‘Longwood hybrid’ as it begins to close after its first night bloom

The color change is an indication that the flower is entering its male phase of development. The stamens—the male parts of the flower that circle the entrance to the floral chamber and were inactive on the first night—now shed pollen on the beetles scrambling out of the flower. Free at last, the beetles carry a new load of pollen to the next flower that opens that evening, thus assuring cross-pollination. Following the release of the beetles the flower closes for the second time and sinks under water never to be seen again. This mesmerizing ritual is repeated in the backwaters of South American rivers every night and has done so for millions of years.

The history, biology, and allure of the Victoria will be explored in my upcoming book, Victoria: The Seductress, which will be released in March of 2013. Visitors to Longwood can experience the mystery and the majesty of Victoria during a new exhibit produced by Longwood Gardens, opening in 2013. While visiting Longwood this summer, please be sure to spend some time in our Waterlily Garden, which reaches peak bloom in September, and enjoy the seduction of the Victoria for yourself.

UPDATE (May 2, 2013): Victoria: The Seductress is now available for sale online at shop.longwoodgardens.org

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Longwood Launches New ‘Fireworks’

I am excited to introduce to you a completely new type of Fireworks at Longwood Gardens—Clivia miniata ‘Longwood Fireworks’!

Clivia miniata "Longwood Fireworks'

This is the second introduction from Longwood’s clivia breeding program, which started in 1976. ‘Longwood Fireworks’ boasts a burst of yellow flowers that fills the skies above the foliage. The individual petals of the florets are reflexed and curve backward and the florets are arranged in a perfect sphere, creating an impressive display. The stamens curve and extend beyond the petals. The form and arrangement of the floret give the impression of the petals blowing back and the stamens shooting out to produce an explosion of bloom.

Fireworks & Fountains at Longwood Gardens

Last year, before receiving its name, ‘Longwood Fireworks’ was entered into the North American Clivia Show and won First Place and Best in Division ribbons. Traditionally, the summer skies above Longwood are filled with fireworks that accompany fountain shows and now we have award-winning floral fireworks as well.

You can see Clivia miniata ‘Longwood Fireworks’ in the Conservatory beginning March 17. Last year we released the first plant from our clivia breeding program—Clivia miniata ’Longwood Debutante’, which will also be on display in the Conservatory in March. A limited number of both plants are available for sale in our GardenShop.

Clivia miniata 'Longwood Debutante' in the research greenhouses.

If you are interested in more clivia festivities, don’t miss the North American Clivia Society Show on March 17 & 18 at Longwood Gardens. Clivia enthusiasts from across the country will exhibit their prize plants, and Longwood will be showing plants from our breeding program—including a sneak peek of possible future clivia introductions. Stop by the information table during the show to have your clivia growing questions answered and cast your vote on Saturday for the People’s Choice Award.

If you have a prized clivia at home that will be in bloom on March 17 & 18, please bring it to show off. There will be Novice classes this year for flowering and non-flowering plants, which are open only to those who have never won a Blue Ribbon for a clivia plant. Additionally, you can bring you plant for display in the Enthusiast’s class. In this class, your plant will not be judged, but you can still show it off. I hope to see you and your plant at the Clivia Show!

The 2011 North American Clivia Show at Longwood Gardens

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Experience the Psychedelic ‘Fifth Dimension’

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Fifth Dimension’ came to Longwood’s research greenhouses back in the late 1990’s when we were working on improving the vigor of the hibiscus display in our Rose House.  I soon fell in love with this psychedelic plant!

At first, it amazed me with its showy yellow flowers with silver centers.  Seeing silver on a flower stopped me in my tracks immediately!  It was mind altering.  Closer observation of this plant expanded my awareness to an even more amazing dimension. One day I noticed that the newly opening flowers were not yellow with a silver throat, but orange with a bronze throat.  Around noon, the trippy flowers morph from orange/bronze to yellow/silver. How groovy is that? It’s like having two kinds of flowers on the same plant.

When I told my photographer friend, Matt, about this amazing transformation over time, he decided to do a time lapse photography shoot, to capture the color change.  He did an amazing job.  I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do.

You can experience the ‘Fifth Dimension‘ in person at Longwood. The plant is on display in the Rose House and blooms throughout the year.

On a side note, we were able to improve the vigor of the hibiscus in the Rose House by grafting all of our hibiscus cultivars onto the vigorous rootstock, Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Pride Of Hankins’.  I will let you in on a little secret: if you look closely at the hibiscus plants in the Rose House, you can see the graft union near the base of the plants.  Sometimes it is a clear line across the trunk, and sometimes it is more subtle—with only bark texture designating that there are two different plants joined together.

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‘Longwood Debutante’ Ready for Debut

Clivia miniata 'Longwood Debutante'

After 35 years of clivia breeding, Longwood Gardens is releasing its first named clivia when the North American Clivia Society holds its International Symposium and Show at Longwood Gardens March 19 and 20, 2011.  Clivia enthusiasts from around the world will be in attendance when ‘Longwood Debutante’ makes her debut into Clivia Society in the elegant Longwood Ballroom.  Scarlet O’Hara would be jealous!

Inside the research greenhouses

Back in 1976 when the breeding program started, clivias were commonly orange. The yellow flowers existing at the time were not impressive and rare, so Longwood decided to initiate a breeding program to produce a superior yellow clivia.  ‘Longwood Debutante’ has achieved the goal of the breeding program with its luminous yellow flowers that rise above the dark green foliage.  Her flowers are slightly fragrant with petals that overlap to produce a beautiful floral display.  This is the first release in a series of Longwood clivia cultivars.

Clivia berries containing seeds

Cliva seeds removed from the berry

Why did it take so long to release the first plant?  Thirty five years is a long time to wait. A good number of current students and employees  at Longwood were not even alive when the program started! One factor that slowed the program was the extended time it takes for a clivia seedling to mature.  Seedlings can take up to eight years to bloom from the time the seed is planted, so patience is needed.  Longwood speeds up the process in our research greenhouses by keeping the seedlings actively growing all year long, rather than allowing them to go dormant in the winter. The trick is to get the seedling to mature quickly—and maturity occurs when the plant produces 13 leaves.  Once the plant has 13 leaves, it is ready to produce a flower.  Then, when you finally have a blooming plant, the plants are slow to multiply.  It can take years for the parent plant to produce offsets. Results are slow in clivia breeding!

While breeding for the superior yellow flower, interesting mutations began to occur.  Both yellow and orange flowers began to exhibit a raised area, or keel, in some petals.  The term “keeling” refers the shape of the keel of the boat. The keeling petals add extra depth and interest to the flowers. We decided that the breeding program would also focus on accentuating the keel, in hopes of producing a multi-petal flower.  The normal number of petals on a clivia flower is six, but if the keel separates from the petals, a flower with nine petals can result.  Keeling flowers are interesting by themselves even if they don’t have extra petals. We now have some potential keeling cultivars in the works in our research greenhouses.

Longwood decided that a perfect venue for the release of ‘Longwood Debutante’ would be at the North American Clivia Society Show and Symposium. We have lined up an international cast of speakers including: Ken Smith from Australia, who manages the clivia registry; James Abel from South Africa, who is an expert on clivia in the wild; Harold Koopowitz, who literally wrote the book on clivia; Jim Comstock, who dazzles with a 3D clivia slide show; and Dr. Robert Armstrong, who started the clivia breeding program at Longwood.

Longwood’s visitors can enjoy the clivia show March 19 & 20 in the Exhibition Hall, as well as a special display of ‘Longwood Debutante’ in front of the Music Room. Everyone can register for the conference—you don’t have to be a member of a Clivia Society.  Conference attendees are invited to a dinner and auction of rare clivia plants on March 19. You can enter your plant into the show, too! This is your chance to show off your clivia plant.  A limited number of ‘Longwood Debutante’ will be available for sale in the Gardens Shop starting on March 20. We will also have orange and yellow bi-colored clivias for sale. You can own your own piece of Longwood history!

Clivia miniata 'Longwood Debutante'

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How to Make Your Clivia a Blooming Winner

One of the most frequently asked questions on growing clivia is “how do I get my clivia to bloom?” This fall, I visited with the Director of the North American Clivia Society and Executive Director of the Delaware Nature Society, Mike Riska, to get his expert advice on clivias. Mike has grown clivia for many years, and has won numerous awards for his plants—both from the Philadelphia Flower Show and from Longwood Gardens. In this video, he shares some pointers on how to get a clivia to bloom, and gave advice on growing and grooming your plants for competitions.

Mike Riska with one of his clivias.

The North American Clivia Society is holding the International Clivia Show and Symposium at Longwood Gardens on March 17–20, 2011. The symposium will feature speakers from South Africa, Australia, the US, plenty of tours, and hopefully, the show will include your plant.  We encourage you to bring your clivia and show it off, and attend the lectures and tours. Don’t be frightened of entering your plant in the show! You have nothing to lose, and hopefully you will get to have some fun and meet some fellow clivia enthusiasts.

A Longwood clivia

Here are some key conditions that are necessary to get your plant to bloom on time for the show next year, or just getting your plant to bloom in general:

• Provide optimal light conditions for the production of flower buds. Mike grows his plants outside for the summer in protected areas.
• While growing outside, Mike fertilizes every two weeks with half strength Miracle Gro 20-20-20.
• Before the first freeze, move your plants indoors.
• Plants should get no water between October 1 and January 22.  It is critical that during this time the plants are chilled at temperatures between 35 and 55 degrees F for a minimum of 5 weeks to initiate bloom. If this cold treatment is not provided, the plants may not bloom until late summer.
• Hold the plants dormant until 8 weeks before show time.
• To bring the plants out of dormancy, begin watering and gradually raise the temperature to 60 degrees F.
• Flower buds should begin to show about two weeks after the temperature is raised.  The appearance of the flower buds signals that you are on track, and need to think about bringing your plant to the North American Clivia Society International Show and Symposium at Longwood Gardens!

For more information and to register for the symposium please visit the Longwood Gardens Website.

The Clivia Show at Longwood Gardens 2010



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