A chance meeting with Horticulturist Tim McColgan, when Rich Sacher, Kevin Joyce and I stopped in to see the magnificent conservatories at Orlando's Gaylord Palms Resort, led to a fascinating experiment with Victoria. "Everglades", the conservatory designed after its namesake swamp, features lush tropical plants, including aquatics in the lovely central pond. We asked Tim to consider putting a Victoria in the pond.

There were several obstacles to overcome. The water was cold for Victoria, kept in the low 70s. The light was somewhat low for Victoria. We proposed growing a plant to blooming size in Cocoa Beach, then moving it to Gaylord. We hoped that, as a young adult, it would tolerate the conditions of the conservatory pond.

In late April 2004, we planted two juvenile 'Longwood Hybrids' in 10 gallon Rubbermaid Rough Totes, temporarily housed in Reflection. We chose that size pot because it could be moved by four people and it would limit pad size without inhibiting blooming. The plants grew well but soon had to be moved because they and the plants installed in Reflection began crowding each other. They went to Riches where both produced first buds. Crowded again, the second plant went to another home.