Viral social media contest challenged botanical gardens to see how much weight their water lily pads can hold
Denver Botanic Gardens started a viral social media contest challenging botanical gardens around the world to see how much weight their Victoria waterlily pads could hold.
On Aug. 29, Garden horticulturists Claire Krofft and Greta Berg hopped into the pools to measure the largest lily pad and see how much weight it could hold. The lily pad measured exactly 5 feet across and held an impressive 142.1 pounds of weight.
Denver Botanic Gardens declared the Missouri Botanical Garden the winner on Tuesday, Sept 3.
Other participants included New York Botanical Garden, Kew Botanical Garden in London, Chicago Botanical Garden, Atlanta Botanical Garden, along with many others.
Missouri Botanical Garden archive photo: Victoria Water Lily and Violin
The Garden has had Victoria waterlilies in its collection since 1894. One of the largest waterlilies in the world, the lily pads of Victoria water lilies can grow as large as 10 feet across in the wild. In 2019, a generous donation allowed the Garden to heat its waterlily pools in front of the Climatron, allowing the lilies to grow even larger than they had in the past.
Visitors can see the impressive water lilies in the pools in front of the Climatron through the end of September.
Environmental Echo 