The air changes as you enter the otherworldly Waterlily Court. Obsidian pools reflect the floating foliage and vibrant blooms, while verdant platters–some as large as 6 feet across–glide to and fro ever so slightly. Masterfully curated, the space showcases aquatic plants from around the world, including nearly 100 varieties of hardy and tropical waterlily specimens alongside the beauty of lotus and South American water-platters.
About This Garden
The elegant and intriguing beauty of our Waterlily Court is thanks to a diverse array of aquatic plants from around the globe—as well as hybrids developed at our Gardens. The massive forms of the South American water-platters are the centerpiece of the display, and their entrancing beauty has, at times, led guests to believe they were part of an artist’s exhibition. Nestled among the platters, waterlily blooms pepper the pools from May through October, offering a sweetly scented layer to the space. Aquatic cannas, many from our own breeding program, reach up to 8 feet high, adding a vertical element to the display. The lotus, revered for thousands of years as a symbol of beauty, purity, and enlightenment, also thrives here. The court’s collection reaches its peak in late summer, when the intoxicating fragrance of the Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ fills the air as its magnificent, pineapple-scented blooms unfurl.
Originally opening in 1957 and re-envisioned by renowned landscape architect Sir Peter Shepheard (1913-2002) in 1989, this engaging space is a central haven in our historic Conservatory, bridging the east and west sides of the complex. With the opening of Longwood Reimagined in 2024, the space will be framed by a new covered arcade to the north and west, with the peaked roofline of the new West Conservatory visible beyond the arcade.
