After a year, we are once again delighted by the flowers of Victoria, the largest lily in the world. Its enormous leaves, measuring one and a half meters in diameter (up to two and a half meters in nature), and the nocturnal flowers, which change color from white to pink over two nights, attract the attention of visitors every year. This year, however, the blooming is especially significant — we are celebrating the hundredth anniversary of the first time Victoria bloomed in our botanical garden.
100 Years of Cultivation in Brno
The history of cultivating Victoria in the Botanical Garden of the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, dates back to 1925, when the gardener at that time, František Jirásek, first cultivated this rare tropical plant in a greenhouse on Kotlářská Street. Cultivation was an extraordinary achievement at the time, and despite complications during World War II, it has continued uninterrupted to this day. Victoria has thus rightfully become one of the garden’s symbols.
The Yearly Cycle of the Queen of Lilies’ Life
Victoria (now a cultivated variety called Victoria cruziana) is an annual plant, which is grown every year from its own seeds in our conditions. For the past 100 years, its seeds have been sown on March 8th, International Women’s Day. In mid-April, the young plants are transplanted, and by May 1st, the most beautiful individual is planted into a large cultivation container in the middle of the pond in the greenhouse. From that moment, it literally grows before your eyes — each leaf bigger than the previous one.
A Summer Attraction in Bloom
From June until autumn, Victoria blooms — up to 25 times per season. The flowers open in the evening and change both color and function over two nights — the first night as a female flower, the second as a male. Since the flowers mostly bloom at night, and this year Victoria celebrates a beautiful jubilee, we have prepared a new feature — evening tours, allowing visitors to experience the nocturnal magic of the tropical greenhouse.
Gifts for the Centennial
To mark this special anniversary, we gifted Victoria with five new informational panels. Thanks to these, visitors can learn more about the history of Victoria’s cultivation in Brno, its adaptations to aquatic tropical environments, and behind-the-scenes interesting facts. The panels are located in the conference room near the greenhouses.
Invitation to Evening Tours
We warmly invite the public to evening tours of the greenhouses on August 12th, 13th, and 14th, from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
Victoria are proud queens, so we cannot guarantee that they will bloom exactly on these days. And even if the flower does not bloom at that time, visitors will not be disappointed because Victoria remains the queen of lilies mainly thanks to its enormous leaves — the flowers are simply a beautiful bonus.
Come, Admire a Botanical Wonder
We invite all plant lovers and summer enthusiasts to come and see this botanical marvel. Victoria blooms only in summer, and only a few botanical gardens in Europe cultivate it each year. Don’t miss the opportunity to admire the queen among flowers — right in the center of Brno. We are open daily from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The garden is also currently hosting an exhibition of sculptures by students of sculpture at the Faculty of Fine Arts, VUT: Sculptures Among Flowers.
Photo: Hana Ondrušková
As part of its retreat, the Learned Society of the Czech Republic, in cooperation with our Department of Experimental Biology at the Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, organized two events for the general public.
DTPA invites you to a public lecture marking the centenary of quantum mechanics by Subhroneel Chakrabarti. The lecture will take place on December 3rd at 6 p.m. in lecture room F1.
