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Botanical Garden Kicks Off Their Annual Water Lily Weigh-Off In Style!
At the Huntsville Botanical Gardens in Huntsville, Alabama, they have an annual tradition to celebrate their magnificent water lilies. The giant water lily weigh-off is celebrated in botanical gardens around the world. The Huntsville team loaded their giant water lily with just over 176 pounds.
@hsvgarden Weighing in for the #WaterlilyWeighOff25 Tori, our Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ Waterlily, made quite the splash, measuring an impressive 58 inches across and holding a little over 176 pounds. Not bad for her first year! The competition is tough, with gardens and zoos from around the world showcasing their waterlilies as well, and we’re honored to be part of this global showcase of nature’s wonders. There’s nothing quite like standing beside a giant waterlily and realizing just how much strength and beauty nature holds. For the very first time, we joined @denverbotanic’s global challenge to see how much our waterlily could hold, and what an adventure it was! As first-time participants, we learned so much and are already dreaming of coming back stronger, bigger, and better next year in 2026! This is the third-annual event organized by Denver Botanic Gardens. Head to @Denver Botanic Gardens to find the live results linked in their highlights folder! #HSVgarden #NaturallyDelightful ♬ original sound – Huntsville Botanical Garden
In 2024, the Missouri Botanical Garden won by piling 142.1 pounds onto its five-foot-wide water lily. This year, Claire and Greta return to weigh in for the Missouri Botanical Garden. In true St. Louis fashion, the girls piled it on, beating last year’s total by 40 pounds. Their lily cried “uncle” at 182 pounds!
One of the international entries came from Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London, England. They take this competition seriously over there. The water lily measures two meters at its widest point (roughly six and a half feet in non-metric). They were able to pile 76.5 kg (168.7 lbs) onto their water lily. Sadly, that didn’t beat Missouri’s entry, but it does allow them some big smiles.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kew Gardens (@kewgardens)
For anyone worried about damage to the water lilies during this competition, Kew Gardens assures us that the water lilies have air-filled veins on their underside that give them great buoyancy. There were more than 40 entries to this year’s weigh-off.
This contest was started as an online challenge by The Denver Botanic Gardens. Their giant water lily isn’t so giant, only measuring in at 29 inches across. Apparently, it is difficult to grow tropical plants in the cool Colorado climate. They were only able to load 50 pounds onto their water lily, but it was a valiant effort.
@denverbotanic It is time for the Waterlily Weigh-Off! More than 40 public gardens and zoos will publish their entries this week! All confirmed participants will enter tomorrow and Wednesday, Aug. 19-20. Any other public garden or zoo with waterlilies of any kind are welcome join through Sunday, Aug. 24. The winner will be announced on Thursday, Aug. 28 on our channels, in collaboration with the winner. Follow #waterlilyweighoff25 to see your favorite public gardens and zoos compete for the coveted title of Heavy Weight Waterlily Champion (and receive a trophy)! The list of participating gardens and zoos, as of Aug. 18, are below in the comments. Denver Botanic Gardens kicks off the competition with a 50 lb weigh-in! Phew! May the strongest waterlily win! ♬ PUMP UP OF THE BAILE – DJ LP
The Denver crew reinforced the buoyancy message by showing the underside of their giant water lily.
Please be sure to check Denver BG’s website for the final results when available.
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