. . . the drama of limited exotic blooms . . .

Our exotic Victoria water lilies bloom once a year at night in late July to early August for just 48 hours! See a slide show of Victoria water lilies now. The day before the plant flowers, a tennis-ball sized bud rises out of the water. At sunset on the first night of its bloom cycle, the bud opens to reveal a 50+ petal bloom that may be up to 18" in diameter.

The bloom is sharply white and "glows" in the darkening night sky. As the flowering Victoria opens, it emits a strong fragrance of tuberose, pineapple and banana that can be sensed from 20 - 30 feet away. Don't miss this dramatic spectacle!

The Victorias at The Hudson Gardens were first donated and introduced in 1997, and have been flourishing ever since. They are maintained by a single dedicated volunteer. Because all of the water lilies at The Hudson Gardens, including the Victorias, are raised from seed each spring, the numbers and types of lilies displayed changes each year.

Get the whole story on Victoria Lilies as an Adobe Acrobat PDF file.