Nympha

by Connie Handscomb

Canvas Print

$47

Framed Print

$73

Art Print

$23

Poster

$23

Metal Print

$71

Acrylic Print

$79

Wood Print

$51

Tapestry

$42

Throw Pillow

$28

Fleece Blanket

$53

Duvet Cover

$135

Shower Curtain

$70

Bath Towel

$44

Tote Bag

$29

Weekender Tote Bag

$59

Zip Pouch

$28

Portable Battery Charger

$48

Yoga Mat

$65

Greeting Card

$5.98

Spiral Notebook

$15

iPhone Case

$27

Beach Towel

$44

Round Beach Towel

$89

Weekender Tote Bag

$59

Coffee Mug

$15

Title

Nympha

Artist

Connie Handscomb

Medium

Photograph - Photography - Fine Art

Description

It took me time to understand my water lilies. I had planted them for the pleasure of it; I grew them without ever thinking of painting them.
~Claude Monet

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Waterlily

Family : Nymphaeaceae (from the Greek "nympha", meaning water-being)

These lovely plants are (along with magnolias) one of the most primitive flowering plants in existence, being on our planet for over 100 million years. They have been found all over the world, from Egyptian tombs -- who considered the blue Nile waterlily holy -- to Monet's Giverny gardens in France. Asian cultures also considered this blue plant to be sacred, believing the Buddha was born from its heart; they called it Lotus.

The flowers open up wide to pollinators; you will know when it has been since the fruit sinks when pollination has occurred, and matures underwater.

The flower is composed of many whorls of petals. Some can be a foot across. It releases a strong fragrance when it first opens, which attracts pollinators, particularly beetles which the plant traps overnight before releasing.

The leaves can be massive. They can span 6 feet (1.8 m) across.

Sir William Paxton, a member of the British parliament, began his career as a gardener; at one time he was the head gardener at Chatsworth House. He designed the greenhouse in Hyde Park, London -- the Crystal Palace -- using as his inspiration the graceful, yet rigid, strong, criss-cross structure of the veins that support this plant's flowers. It was a revolutionary design.

The waterlily has a calming effect, and its essence is used in healing of the nervous system, and helping with insomnia.

Sources:
The Gardener's Atlas : Origins, Discovery, And Cultivation Of The World's Most Popular Garden Plants [Dr. B. Ward]
The Flower Healer [B. Olive]

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The Waterlily House is a large, humid structure. It was, as I recall, fairly warm inside as well. The lilies floated on the water, most of them quite large.

This image was captured in natural light in the Waterlily House at Kew Gardens, London -- uncropped, unedited -- nature in all her splendour :)