Aquatic Garden

The Aquatic Garden was first opened in 1909, inspired, so it was said, by the sunken gardens at Hampton Court Palace. In the original design, the central tank incorporated hot water pipes to give the waterlilies an early start. The use of these pipes was discontinued long ago, and all the plants here are grown at ambient outside water temperature.

Currently there are more than 110 different species of water plant in the Aquatic Garden. Forty of these are different varieties of waterlily, which are housed in the central tank.

The corner tanks are used to display marginal aquatics such as sedges and rushes, with the "flowering rush" (Butomus umbellatus) and "bog bean" (Menyanthes trifoliata), being fine specimens.

The long narrow tanks alongside the central tank were formerly used to hold the garden's collection of British native bog plants. These are now displayed in the Rock Garden, and today, the long tanks hold floating aquatics.

All of the plants in the Aquatic Garden are grown in containers for ease of maintenance. The best time to come and see the Aquatic Garden is at the height of summer, when the waterlilies and aquatic plants are in full flower.

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