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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. |
to the
Brilliance of Kirk Strawn
 ^ Early in the season |
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 ^ A young plant |
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| Being something of a tropical gardener in a temperate climate, hybrids like 'Starbright' are invaluable for giving that tropical look. In fact you could easily be forgiven for thinking this is a tropical water lily. Everything about it reinforces this belief. | ||
 ^ In summer |
Firstly the flower form - 'Starbright's' blooms are much more stellate than the classic image of a hardy water lily. Secondly the colouration is most unusual, not to mention unique among Kirk's hybrids. In common with Kirk's peach hybrids, 'Starbright' exhibits a great deal of variation. This is due to climatic conditions and is also greatly influenced by the maturity of the plant. Young plants, especially early in the season, produce flowers which at a glance appear almost white. It's not until the plants mature in high summer that the true glory of this variety comes out. These blooms display a wonderful mix of the most exquisite pastel shades of cream, pink and peach. Totally indescribable. Thirdly, and to me 'Starbright's' most tropical trait, is the way mature plants hold their flowers high above the foliage. Honestly it really is a hardy. | |
The foliage of this hybrid also deserves a mention.
The leaves are unusually dark with even darker, almost ink-like
patches.  The whole plant has a modest spread making it great
for smaller ponds. Then there's the autumn colour, well, sort
of anyway. As the old leaves decay at the end of their natural
life, something rather strange often happens. Technicolor leaves!
>'Starbright' is yet another of Kirk's hybrids which displays an exceptional flower to leave size ratio. It is not uncommon for mature blooms to be almost as large as the leaves. Once again Kirk came up with a wonderfully descriptive name for this beauty. It is free flowering late into the season, and seems to thrive on as much sun and heat as a British summer can provide. |
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For shorter downloads:
N. 'Barbara Davies' through N. 'Clyde Ikins' | N. 'Colorado' through N. 'Liou'
N. 'Little Sue' through N. 'Pink Pumpkin' | N. 'Pink Sparkle' through N. 'Yuh Ling'