James Knock, who lives in the United Kingdom, has been a dedicated collector of Strawn waterlily cultivars for many years and is an expert in their identification and cultivation. Most cultivars were obtained directly from Strawn Water Gardens in the years 1994 through 1998.

In these galleries, James takes us through seasonal and age related changes in coloration of many Strawn cultivars. High summer in England, sometimes only two to three weeks long, provides the most dramatic colors of all, often not seen in other climates. None of the images have been color enhanced or color adjusted.  

This I regard as one of Kirk's most important hybrids.
Not only is it a superb plant, but more importantly Kirk used it to produce many later hybrids. So without it the world of water gardening would definitely be a poorer place.

Flowers are fully double, very fragrant and have one of the most pleasing forms of any hardy lily I know. They are held high above the foliage on mature plants. In common with many pink lilies, young plants will produce somewhat paler flowers, but by maturity they become a good rich pink. Reliably free flowering.

Nigel has a running rootstock (odorata) so requires a large container in which to spread. Planting in small containers can result in distorted flowers and leaves, caused by the growing point coming into contact with the sides of the pot.

There is some confusion regarding the true identity of this hybrid, this has led to more than one plant being sold under the name 'Nigel'. The plant I regard as the true 'Nigel' is a far superior plant (fully double and superior flower form) to the others I have seen . This leads me to believe that the others are merely seedlings. 'Nigel' is a prolific producer of viable seed, so when you combine this with a warm climate, seedlings are the inevitable result. The true 'Nigel' is also quite slow to produce offsets and is therefore rare in cultivation.

^ High summer