Aquatic Garden

Located beside the Jodrell Laboratory in the Gardens’ northeast corner, the present Aquatic Garden was installed in 1909.

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Aquatic Garden

Aquatic Garden (Photo: A. McRobb, RBGKew)

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Historical information

The Aquatic Garden replaced an earlier, more primitive, tank built in 1873. It comprises a large elongated pool, some 19 by 9 metres, along with four corner and two side tanks. The central pool was originally heated to give waterlilies a head start, but today plants grow at the ambient outside water temperature. In 1935, the central tank was repaired, re-faced and raised to provide greater depth for the water lilies.

Aquatic Garden plants

The main pool houses 40 varieties of hardy water lily, including Nymphaea ‘Masaniello’, which has pink flowers, N. odorata, which has apple-scented flowers and N. ‘Colonel A. J. Welch’, which forms new plants from its spent flowers. The corner tanks display marginal aquatics such as sedges and rushes including the flowering rush (Butomus umbellatus) and bog bean (Menyanthes trifoliata). The narrow side tanks exhibit floating aquatics.

Things to look out for

Several eucalyptus trees grow around the Aquatic Garden. These include a particularly impressive mountain gum (Eucalyptus dalrympleana), which has a distinctive white trunk and branches.

5 comments on 'Aquatic Garden'

mosope says

01/10/2010 6:58:33 AM | Report abuse

very nice

Kanij Fatema says

06/01/2010 12:00:00 AM | Report abuse

sooo nice!!! just like HEVEN!! I love KEW GARDEN!I'm from BANGLADESH! I'll try to go there!!!

Abigail Pajak says

20/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Report abuse

I'm going tomorrow! I can't wait!I'LL ASK IF WE CAN GO THERE,AND THEN REPORT BACK HERE.

luci says

15/10/2009 12:00:00 AM | Report abuse

very nice indeed!!!!!i am supposed to be at the kew gardens today butt i am ill !!!!:(

Aloysius Canterbury says

30/09/2009 12:00:00 AM | Report abuse

Love to come here in the summer and watch the dragonflies and the lovely lillies

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