INDIAN RIVER COUNTY —McKee Botanical Garden opened its wrought-iron gates over the weekend to accommodate the hundreds of photographers, artists and nature lovers who wished to view the night-blooming varieties of lotuses as well as the huge array of water lilies before the heat of the day.
A line formed at 8:30 a.m. to get in for the best shots, before the night bloomers closed their delicate petals for the day.
Guests wandered about, visiting with a section of vendors selling home accents, decorative driftwood sculptures, exotic tropical bromeliads, orchids and tillandsias by the education building, and the aquatic plants on sale by the Spanish Kitchen. Inside the Hall of Giants hundreds of photographs of water lilies were on display, and guests were invited to vote for a People’s Choice winner in the color, black-and-white, and manipulated categories, from adult and youth entries.
Home horticulturalists listened intently to a lecture on how to re-pot their own aquatic plants, and Andreas Daehnick, McKee’s Director of Horticulture, answered questions about the wide variety of plants in the garden.
“There are actually fewer water lilies than last year here since it takes so much manpower to take care of each of them. But we have changed our fertilization and potting techniques, adding cow manure and coffee grounds, and the plants have doubled and tripled in size,” said Daehnick. “They have just taken off and keep growing.”
Many of the visitors remarked on their spectacular vibrancy and increased size as they stood by the ponds, cameras pointed towards the water. McKee’s water lily collection, the largest in Florida, is home to roughly 350 individual plants and 100 varieties; their radiant colors dotting the waterways and ponds of the garden.
Explaining why many plants were held in plastic crates in the garden ponds, Daehnick said, “The plants will float off and escape and we put them in crates so we can track them to watch their progression. Also we have to crate them to keep the soil and fertilizer around the roots, since the waterways are all lined with concrete.”
“I have been coming to McKee to paint for years,” said local artist Marlene Putnam, who had her spot set up early to paint a stunning solitary plant before the heat sent her home to return another day. “I love it here. Sometimes I just like walking through it because it is so mystical and it inspires me.”
Photographer David Garrett said he generally enters the photo contest but did not get one in this year.
“I live just down the street so I come over all the time, always looking for that perfect shot. And when I get that best one, I come back and look for that one that is even better,” said Garrett.
Retired anesthesiologist Russell Metz, who said he likes to take photos of birds and flowers to relax, was concentrating on the dragonflies that were landing on the lilies.
“As far as I know there is no place you can see this variety and quantity of water lilies. I am so glad they chose them as their specialty,” added Metz.
