BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens -- Exhibits in Visitor Center

DC -- Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens -- Exhibits in Visitor Center:

Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.

Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon

underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.

Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.

Accessing as Spider: The system has identified your IP as being a spider.
IP Address: 3.149.230.44 -- Domain: Amazon Technologies
I love well-behaved spiders! They are, in fact, how most people find my site. Unfortunately, my network has a limited bandwidth and pictures take up bandwidth. Spiders ask for lots and lots of pages and chew up lots and lots of bandwidth which slows things down considerably for regular folk. To counter this, you'll see all the text on the page but the images are being suppressed. Also, some system options like merges are being blocked for you.
Note: Permission is NOT granted for spiders, robots, etc to use the site for AI-generation purposes. I'm sure you're thrilled by your ability to make revenue from my work but there's nothing in that for my human users or for me.
If you are in fact human, please email me at guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can check if your designation was made in error. Given your number of hits, that's unlikely but what the hell.

Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]

Share: Facebook Twitter Digg
[1] AQUAVC_160808_001.JPG	[2] AQUAVC_160808_004.JPG	[3] AQUAVC_160808_008.JPG
[4] AQUAVC_160808_012.JPG	[5] AQUAVC_160808_015.JPG	[6] AQUAVC_160808_019.JPG
[7] AQUAVC_160808_021.JPG	[8] AQUAVC_160808_026.JPG	[9] AQUAVC_160808_031.JPG
[10] AQUAVC_160808_033.JPG	[11] AQUAVC_160808_036.JPG	[12] AQUAVC_160808_038.JPG
[13] AQUAVC_160808_041.JPG	[14] AQUAVC_160808_045.JPG	[15] AQUAVC_160808_049.JPG
[16] AQUAVC_160808_052.JPG	[17] AQUAVC_160808_056.JPG	[18] AQUAVC_160808_064.JPG
[19] AQUAVC_160808_067.JPG	[20] AQUAVC_160808_070.JPG	[21] AQUAVC_160808_073.JPG
[22] AQUAVC_160808_076.JPG	[23] AQUAVC_160808_078.JPG	[24] AQUAVC_160808_084.JPG
[25] AQUAVC_160808_086.JPG	[26] AQUAVC_160808_088.JPG	[27] AQUAVC_160808_091.JPG
[28] AQUAVC_160808_093.JPG	[29] AQUAVC_160808_099.JPG	[30] AQUAVC_160808_101.JPG
[31] AQUAVC_160808_104.JPG	[32] AQUAVC_160808_108.JPG	[33] AQUAVC_160808_109.JPG
[34] AQUAVC_160808_113.JPG	[35] AQUAVC_160808_117.JPG	[36] AQUAVC_160808_119.JPG
[37] AQUAVC_160808_122.JPG	[38] AQUAVC_160808_129.JPG	[39] AQUAVC_160808_132.JPG
[40] AQUAVC_160808_135.JPG	[41] AQUAVC_160808_139.JPG	[42] AQUAVC_160808_146.JPG
[43] AQUAVC_160808_153.JPG	[44] AQUAVC_160808_155.JPG	[45] AQUAVC_160808_160.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. AQUAVC_160808_004.JPG: A Labor of Love: "... I want you to know that one of the greatest satisfactions I have in life is to be able to pass on... the joy and inspiration that water gardening has given me." -- L Helen Fowler
2. AQUAVC_160808_012.JPG: Lucy Helen Fowler, Artist 1875-1957: During her lifetime, Helen Fowler distinguished herself as a world-renowned expert on the growth and development of water lilies. As the daughter of WB Shaw, founder of the aquatic gardens, she began quite early to share her father's love of water plants. Growing up here at Kenilworth, she delighted in her surroundings. With natural artistic talent, Helen Fowler began at age 50 to produce pastel drawings of her most inspiring subject -- aquatic plants.
3. AQUAVC_160808_021.JPG: L. Helen Fowler East Indian Lotus Blossom, ca 1950s Pastel on paper
4. AQUAVC_160808_031.JPG: The Business Prospers: As Helen Fowler assumed management of the water lily gardens, business began to grow. A truck was purchased in August of 1912, and Helen is reputed to have been the first female in the District of Columbia to be licensed as a truck driver. In 1913, business was so good that greenhouses and a sales office (the present visitor center) were built. The gardens were quickly becoming a big commercial operation. Through the efforts of Walter Shaw and his daughter, a unique and enduring habitat for cultivating water-loving plants was created at Kenilworth. Both then and now, the gleam of water combined with the star-like beauty of lily blossoms and exotic lotus blooms to create a tranquil paradise.
5. AQUAVC_160808_033.JPG: Helen Fowler sits proudly behind the wheel of the truck purchased in 1912 for the W.B. Shaw Water Lilies Enterprise. According to her own handwriting, it cost $800 -- a considerably sum at the time.
6. AQUAVC_160808_036.JPG: The Walter Shaw greenhouses are still in use today for the cultivation of water lilies by the National Park Service.
7. AQUAVC_160808_045.JPG: An Able Assistant: As the aquatic gardens grew and prospered, Walter Shaw needed help. Dredging ponds, collecting exotic plants, developing varieties of lilies, and selling the plants and blooms had become very time consuming. Fortunately, the perfect assistant was close at hand. In 1912, Shaw turned over management of the gardens to his daughter, L. Helen Fowler.
8. AQUAVC_160808_052.JPG: Growing up in the midst of the aquatic gardens, Helen Fowler learned to share her father's love of water lilies. It was a proud day when she assumed management of the gardens. A quick alteration to her father's stationery reflected her new status.
9. AQUAVC_160808_056.JPG: With great enthusiasm, Helen Fowler went above developing and promoting the aquatic gardens, making them famous to water flower lovers the world over. Her marketing success placed roots and tubers from WB Shaw Water Lilies of Kenilworth DC in foreign ports while cut flowers were shipped to the carriage trade florists of Chicago, Boston, New York, and Philadelphia. Helen Fowler once said of her lilies, "I love them as I would my own children." She nurtured them as I would my own children." She nurtured them and enjoyed acquiring exotic varieties such as, blue lilies from the Nile; lotus flowers from Africa, China, and Japan; and the great Victoria lily from the Amazon. Her hybrid lilies won medals at numerous horticultural shows.
10. AQUAVC_160808_070.JPG: In preparation for her travels abroad to visit other botanical gardens and search for exotic water plants, Helen Fowler obtained official letters of introduction. The one shown here indicated her successful status as a commercial grower of water lilies in the United States.
11. AQUAVC_160808_078.JPG: Creating the Ponds: The ponds of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens were created by blocking off a portion of the Anacostia tidal marsh with grass paths called dikes. The marsh was divided into irregular-shaped ponds separated by the five- and ten-feet wide dikes. Each pond is connected to at least two other ponds by underground pipes. Several ponds are connected directly to the tidal marsh via the same type of pipe system. The pipes to the tidal marsh are used to regulate the water level in their corresponding ponds. Water flow from these ponds keeps all other pond levels constant because of the interconnecting pipe system.
12. AQUAVC_160808_084.JPG: Many of the dikes which create the ponds at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens can be seen in this aerial photograph. Can you find all forty-four ponds? Lift this panel to locate the ones you may have missed, and to take a closer look at the intricate diking system at Kenilworth.
13. AQUAVC_160808_091.JPG: The diking system at the aquatic gardens contributes to the growth and well-being of water plants like this white water lily -- a descendant of the first lilies used by Walter Shaw to create the gardens.
14. AQUAVC_160808_093.JPG: Cultivating Aquatic Plants: Water lilies, with their diversity in color, fragrance, and size, are among the most admired plants in cultivation. The water lily family, Nymphaeceae, takes its name from the graceful female spirits of ancient myth who lived in lakes and streams. Many species live in different parts of the world, but water lilies are broadly grouped into two types -- tropical and hardy. Tropical water lilies are of two kinds -- day bloomers and night bloomers. At Kenilworth, the tender plants are stored in greenhouses all winter. When the ponds warm in May, the plants are moved outdoors in containers. Their large flowers, in various colors including blue and purple, peak in July and August. The serrated edges of of their leaf pads help distinguish tropical lilies from hardy lilies. Hardy lilies may be recognized by their round pads with smooth edges. They come in every tint and shade of color except blue. Once planted, and if left undisturbed, hardy lilies burst into life each Spring from the original root. For the most part, they grow without any help. As perennials, they begin blooming in May and peak in June and July. Their flowers open in the mornings and close in the afternoons.
15. AQUAVC_160808_099.JPG: The Essentials * Sun: The more sun the better (at least 4 hours). * Quiet Water: Avoid water motion close to plants. * Water Depth: 2"-18" from container top to water surface (see bricks in diagram). * Heavy Garden Soil: Some clay preferred. DO NOT USE COMMERCIAL POTTING MIXES. AVOID anything with insecticides or herbicides. * Equipment: Pans, pails, and/or tubs. Spring/Summer: 1. Fertilize monthly during season. 2. Prune old leaves. 3. Diving after 1 to 2 years, in the Spring. Winter: 1. Stop fertilizing. 2. Prune dead leaves and stems. 3. Lower all hardy potted plants to the bottom of the pool after frost. 4. If roots might freeze, remove them in containers to cellar. 5. Keep cool and moist until Spring. 6. Tropicals will not survive heavy frost and are considered annuals. In semi-tropical climates: cover pool with plastic during frost.
16. AQUAVC_160808_101.JPG: Wondrous Water Lilies: Water lilies grow in shallow, slow-moving water, usually from tubers rooted in the mud. Leaves form under water and grow to reach the surface and the sun. Flowers bloom for 3 to 14 days, opening and closing with the change of light. The seedpods dip under water to ripen. The most regal water lilies belong to the genus Victoria. Nineteenth century explorers discovered this unusual wondrous plant growing in the deep, wide lagoons of the South American jungles. The leaves, or "platters," of the Victoria lily are veined on the underside and float on the surface of the water in a magnificent expanse, often covering an area 6 to 7 feed wide. The edges of the leaves turn up to form a 2 to 8 inch rim making the "platters" buoyant. The flowers of Victoria, up to 15 inches wide, open at dusk and remain open all night during August and September. This spectacular plant is named in honor of Queen Victoria of England.
17. AQUAVC_160808_108.JPG: The extraordinary Victoria Water Lily, originally from South America, displays leaves like "platters" with upturned edges, some extending six feet across.
18. AQUAVC_160808_117.JPG: The most regal water lilies belong to the genus Victoria. Nineteenth century explorers discovered this unusual wondrous plant growing in the deep, wide lagoons of the South American jungles. The leaves, or "platters," of the Victoria lily are veined on the underside and float on the surface of the water in a magnificent expanse, often covering an area 6 to 7 feed wide. The edges of the leaves turn up to form a 2 to 8 inch rim making the "platters" buoyant. The flowers of Victoria, up to 15 inches wide, open at dusk and remain open all night during August and September. This spectacular plant is named in honor of Queen Victoria of England.
19. AQUAVC_160808_119.JPG: The Ancient Lotus: Clustered in a pool near the visitor center is the pink-tinged East Indian lotus, descended from ancient plants whose seeds were recovered in 1951 from a dry Manchurian lakebed. Induced into germination by the National Park Service, the seeds are believed to be one of the oldest viable seeds ever found. A recent estimate places their age at 640 to 960 years. Unlike water lilies, the lotus (genus Nelumbo) has waxy leaves that rise above the water and shed rain. Its showy flowers drop petals to reveal seedpods that look like shower-heads. Its seeds ripen above water. Eastern religions consider the lotus a sacred symbol. In India, Hindus believe Brahma was born from the heart of the flower. The Buddha is often seated on a lotus. The beauty of the bloom rising from murky waters gave the Chinese an image for purity and its lovely form figures in the design of Egyptian temple columns.
20. AQUAVC_160808_122.JPG: Eastern religions consider the lotus a sacred symbol. In India, Hindus believe Brahma was born from the heart of the flower. The Buddha is often seated on a lotus. The beauty of the bloom rising from murky waters gave the Chinese an image for purity and its lovely form figures in the design of Egyptian temple columns.
21. AQUAVC_160808_129.JPG: Establishing the Gardens: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens began in the 1880s as the private creation of Walter B. Shaw, a devoted lover of nature. After losing his right arm in the Civil War, Shaw doggedly learned to write with his left hand. In the post-war years, a job as a letter writer for the Treasury Department brought him to settle in Washington DC. After marrying Lucy Maria Miller, Shaw purchased more than 30 acres along the Anacostia River from her parents. He soon found his new estate lacking some of the beauty of his native Maine. To remedy this, he imported twelve white water lilies from his home state in 1882. By planting them in an abandoned ice pond, Walter Shaw began the aquatic gardens and a life-long hobby of cultivating water plants.
22. AQUAVC_160808_135.JPG: Becoming a National Park Site: During the 1920s, at their very peak, the aquatic gardens became endangered. The US Army Corps of Engineers wanted to claim the marshlands, without payment, for flood control purposes. The gardens seemed doomed. Refusing to give in without a fight, owners Helen Fowler and Charles Shaw rallied the support of the Kenilworth Citizens' Association. Together, they successfully lobbied Congress. In 1938, the federal government purchased the aquatic gardens for $15,000 to preserve them as a park. Later renamed Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, they remain essentially unchanged.
23. AQUAVC_160808_146.JPG: The Gardens Grow: On the marshy lands of his Anacostia River property, Walter Shaw made water lily culture his hobby. He cross-fertilized them and imported exotic varieties. As the lilies thrived, additional ponds were dug. Because the water lilies in Shaw's private garden multiplied rapidly, he soon had acres of ponds with thousands of magnificent blossoms. Using his keen business sense and enterprising spirit, he began to sell his lilies. What was once a hobby was now a life's work. Prior to his death in 1921, Walter Shaw made many contributions to the spread of water lily culture in the United States. He collected, developed, and distributed many varieties pf water lilies. Among those he developed, which are still grown commercially, are pink, opal and Helen Fowler. The latter is named after Shaw's daughter.
24. AQUAVC_160808_155.JPG: Prior to his death in 1921, Walter Shaw made many contributions to the spread of water lily culture in the United States. He collected, developed, and distributed many varieties pf water lilies. Among those he developed, which are still grown commercially, are pink, opal and Helen Fowler. The latter is named after Shaw's daughter.
25. AQUAVC_160808_160.JPG: Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens: Welcome to Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, the only national park site devoted to the propagation and cultivation of aquatic plants.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.) I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Photo Contact: [Email Bruce Guthrie].