Working with the most beautiful plants in the world
Every summer brings a new sense of anticipation in the greenhouse: will the giant waterlilies emerge, how large will their leaves grow, and when will the first flowers appear? For horticulturist Theo Teske, it has been an annual ritual for 27 years – and it never loses its appeal.
When Theo Teske talks about his favourite plant in the Victoria House, it is easy to forget the stifling heat and the sweat running down your back. Yet that warmth is one of the conditions this tropical plant needs to thrive.
Teske first joined the Hortus as a volunteer. He trained in horticulture at vocational college, but most of his knowledge of tropical plants and botanical heritage came from hands-on experience, learning from his predecessor.
‘And one day, I’ll have to pass that knowledge on as well. It’s a time-consuming process, but essential if you want to preserve this specialised expertise.’
Exciting work with a living result
Every winter, the process starts all over again. Seeds of the giant waterlily arrive from Longwood Gardens in the United States, a botanical garden that specialises in waterlilies. Whether they will germinate successfully is always uncertain. ‘You can never be sure it will work,’ says Teske. ‘Everything has to be just right: the water, the light, the temperature.’
This year has been particularly successful. ‘We’ve even been able to supply plants to other gardens in the Netherlands.’ Plants were sent to botanical gardens in Utrecht and Amsterdam, as well as Rotterdam Zoo.
The leaves have also grown exceptionally large this season, with the biggest exceeding two metres in diameter. Teske suspects this may be because more light is now reaching the greenhouse following the pruning of other plants. ‘We also reused soil from the restored fern stream in a large container placed in the Victoria pond. It seems to have been incredibly fertile.’
Giants on the water
The giant waterlily is famous for its enormous floating leaves. They are like natural air mattresses. On the underside is a framework of ribs that trap air, while the ribs themselves are filled with tiny air pockets. Thanks to their size and buoyancy, the leaves can even support the weight of a small child. ‘That’s always a remarkable sight, year after year,’ says Teske.
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He also takes the opportunity to correct a persistent myth about the plant’s flowers. ‘At one point the news reported that the giant waterlily flowers only once a season. That’s simply not true. On average, it flowers every five days. There have been years when a single plant produced as many as fifty flowers.’
Always something new to discover
Alongside well-known species, Teske also experiments with new aquatic plants. One example is Nymphaea thermarum, the world’s smallest waterlily and an exceptionally rare species. ‘Together with other botanical gardens, we’ve helped save this plant from extinction. That’s what makes it such an interesting challenge: figuring out the best way to grow it.’
Teske is currently working with another endangered waterlily from Rwanda. ‘In the future, we hope to carry out more RNA research to determine whether it is a distinct botanical species or a natural hybrid. In any case, cultivation is going well; the pond is now full of them.’
His work is therefore not only beautiful but also important. By cultivating and studying these plants, Teske is helping to ensure their survival for future generations.