DAILY NZ P A G E 1E COLOR P U B D A T E 08-05-06 O P E R A T O R RREINHARD D A T E // TIME:

Coming Sunday Spaces

State

State
SAN ANTONIO
EXPRESS-NEWS
Chapter 6 of the A New Braunfels couple
SATURDAY Express-News’ collect favorite ideas and
AUGUST 5, 2006 staff-written ‘Cora’s Heart’ build their castle
SECTION E PAGE 10E

Mr. Snippy’s
really bad day
Oh, come on!
I was already tired, cranky and, as
those who were with me moments be-
fore might attest, snippy. Call it Mur-
phy’s Law, karma or dismiss it as just
having a bad day, but sometimes it feels
as if every molecule in the universe is
out to get you. Or at least in the mood
to have a solid laugh at your expense.
Not a giggle, chortle or a snicker. A full-
out, hard-to-catch-your-breath, belly
laugh.
Early last Saturday morning my wife,
Diane, was taking me to pick up our
new car. She had an appointment on
the other side of town, so she would
drop me off, I would close the deal and
then drive the car
home. It was all so sim-
ple, really.
Attitude can compli-
cate the simplest task,
and even I will admit
my attitude was bad. It
wasn’t one thing. It was
just a bunch of straws
and a camel with a bad
lower lumbar. I’ll blame
lack of sleep because
MICHAEL that is kinder than
blaming whatever char-

O’ROURKE acter flaw it is that

makes one snippy. When
one is predisposed to be-
ing crabby, fatigue is
simply an accelerant poured on the ill-
tempered fire.
We were running late and, as we TRACY HOBSON LEHMANN/STAFF

pulled onto a side street, I got out of the ‘Attraction,’ a hardy day-blooming red lily, puts on a show in a pond at San Angelo’s Civic League Park. It’s part of horticulturist Ken Landon’s International Wa-
car and began to walk into the dealer- terlily Collection. INSET BELOW: A damselfly rests on the petals of ‘Texas Dawn,’ a hardy yellow water lily that can produce as many as 120 blooms a year.
ship. Given my state of mind I didn’t
walk as much as I stomped. Diane
slowly pulled away. I was already start-
ing to feel guilty about my behavior. It
wasn’t a pleasant drive or a pleasant
morning for that matter. I was grunting
out monosyllabic answers to harmless
conversation starters. She tried to cool
my mood but, after two decades of me,
knew it was better to cut her losses.
I was almost to the door of the dealer-
ship when I noticed it. My breast
pocket seemed heavy. A quick glance
told me I had twice as many cell
phones in my pocket as usual. I had
Diane’s. Honestly, my first instinct was
to call her on her phone and tell her I
had her cell. Fortunately, I realized the
stupidity of that idea almost immedi-
ately. Had I actually dialed my phone TRACY HOBSON LEHMANN/STAFF

only to have her phone ring in my

pocket I would have felt like the dumb-
est human on the planet. I’m familiar
Grower amasses world-class collection Nectar pools in the gold-
en center of a ‘Rhonda
Kay’ star lily at the Inter-
with that feeling. It has happened be- national Waterlily Collec-
fore. BY TRACY HOBSON seven years out of my tion.
I took off running. I could see her LEHMANN life,” he says.
brake lights. She was heading down a EXPRESS-NEWS HOME & GARDEN Fellow lily expert Pa-
EDITOR trick Nutt, retired from
See O’ROURKE/11E Longwood Gardens in TEXAS SUPERSTAR LILIES

S
AN ANGELO
— Giverny had
Claude Monet.
This West
Texas city has
Ken Landon.
G OOD TO G R OW Monet created lasting
water lilies on canvas.
Landon’s are born of
seed in concrete ponds
or in pools in his green-
house, and he dedicates much of his work to
making the mystical aquatic plants last.
“They’re my kids,” Landon says of the plants
in the International Waterlily Collection. And
what a colorful brood it is.
Pink, yellow, purple and white flowers reflect
in the pools at Civic League Park, colorful ac-
cents amid the varied green leaves. There are
smooth leaves and ones with ruffled edges.
There are glossy green circles and ones speck-
led with maroon. And there are the giants of
the family, the platterlike Victorias that pro-
duce leaves up to 8 feet across.
Landon, 58, is no braggart. But like any
proud parent, he likes to boast about his kids.
Take ‘Ineta Ruth,’ named for his mother and
the only yellow star lily produced. “That took
Pennsylvania, elabo-
rates on ‘Ineta Ruth,’ a ‘Texas Dawn,’ a yellow water lily
hybrid developed from a developed by Ken Landon, was the
leading bloomer among lilies tested
lily called ‘St. Louis
Gold.’ “He’s the only for the Texas SuperStar program, ac-
cording to Jerry Parsons of Texas
man who’s been able to
get fertile seeds from ‘St. Cooperative Extension. It and seven
Louis Gold,’ ” Nutt says other water lilies earn SuperStar sta-
TRACY HOBSON LEHMANN/STAFF tus this month for their adaptability
of Landon.
‘St. Louis Gold’ is an to growing conditions throughout
the state.
older lily developed by Nutt’s mentor, George
The selections include:
Harry Pring of St. Louis. Pring, he says, intro-
■ ‘Texas Dawn,’ hardy yellow
duced more Nymphaea hybrids than anyone in
the world, “although Ken will probably rival ■ ‘Colorado,’ hardy salmon
him in time.” ■ ‘Laydekeri Fulgens,’ hardy red
“We’ve tried to preserve his hybrids, and be- ■ ‘Perry’s Double White,’ hardy white
tween the two of us we probably have the best
■ ‘Clyde Ikins,’ hardy apricot
collection of Pring’s hybrids in the world,”
Nutt says. ■ ‘Panama Pacific,’ tropical purple
Landon estimates he has created about 60 ■ ‘Star of Siam,’ tropical blue
“keeper” hybrids. “In horticultural work, you ■ ‘Red Flare,’ tropical night bloomer
keep maybe 5 percent of what you create in a
lifetime.”
Another star in Landon’s family tree is Nym-
phaea violacea. “I was told I couldn’t grow
them in North America,” Landon says, point-
Keyword: Gardening
See WATER LILY/12E
Learn more about water lilies.

PETER A. HOGG/MONROVIA

Split-leaf philodendron
(Philodendron selloum)
With frilly leaves that grow as big as 3
feet long, the split-leaf philodendron
makes an impressive stand in the land-
scape. And it does so without causing a
fuss.
The cascade of dark, glossy leaves on the
mounding plant make it a nice addition to
the landscape. The plant tolerates even
deep shade and gives a tropical accent but
tolerates our Zone 8b winters if planted in
a protected area.
Use as a foundation planting, near a
pool or in large containers.
■ Light: Shade to part sun.
■ Size: 10 feet tall; 15 feet wide.
■ Water: Low.
■ Bloom: Creamy white spathe in summer. PATRICK DOVE/SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS

Not a significant bloom. PATRICK DOVE/SPECIAL TO THE EXPRESS-NEWS The ‘Larissa Racine’ water lily is a new cre-
■ Cultivation: Water regularly to establish. ation by San Angelo’s Ken Landon. The
Landon wades through the center pool at the International Waterlily Collection to collect
flower has not yet reached the market.
plants to send to gardens near Houston. Landon develops and collects the plants.

DAILY NZ P A G E 1E COLOR P U B D A T E 08-05-06 O P E R A T O R RREINHARD D A T E // TIME: