Nymphaea 'Chromatella' Waterlily : A History

What is the best selling waterlily variety of all time? 'Chromatella' (aka 'Marliacea Chromatella') ^#Ad is arguably the most iconic hardy waterlily in the Western World of horticultural history. The story of this popular yellow hardy water lily runs through the most important names, places and events in modern waterlily history. In the northern hemisphere, white was the ONLY color of native waterlilies in the cool temperate regions. Chromatella was bred by Joseph Bory Latour-Marliac at his nursery in Temple-sur-Lot, France, and developed around 1877 making it one of his earliest and most successful cultivars.

Marliac was the first person to successfully hybridize hardy waterlilies, a feat seemingly impossible at the time that many suspected he'd invented a secret technique. He essentially had, taking his hybridization methods to his grave. Its parentage remains uncertain, but is generally believed to involve the white Nymphaea alba and possibly the yellow-flowered N. mexicana from much warmer regions. Chromatella became celebrated for its sulfur-like, soft canary yellow blooms, beautifully mottled and marbled lily pads, reliable flowering performance, and remarkable cold hardiness.

Marliac's Rainbow Of Waterlilies Introduced To The World

In 1889, Marliac exhibited his colored hardy waterlily hybrids at the Paris Exposition Universelle. It was the same world's fair that unveiled the Eiffel Tower and celebrated the 100 year anniversary of the French storming the Bastille. European and North American horticulturalists were stunned that hardy lilies could exist in pinks, yellows, and reds - and not just the native white N. alba. Marliac won major exhibition awards at the expo and his nursery was put on the world map overnight.

Artist Monet Made Marliac's Hybrid Waterlilies Famous

It is believed the expo was where Claude Monet first encountered Marliac's lilies, igniting his fascination and leading to his purchase of plants for his home garden pond at Giverny, a small village in Normandy, France. Monet lived there from 1883 until his death in 1926.

Monet's Paintings Featured This Yellow Waterlily

There, Monet constructed an elaborate water garden with a Japanese-style bridge and lily pond, planting Marliac's cultivars including Chromatella. He didn't paint from imagination: He built the pond, planted the lilies, and painted what he saw from his own garden for decades, producing the legendary Water Lilies (Nymphéas) series. The warm canary yellow blooms visible in paintings such as the 1916 "Water Lilies" are widely believed to represent Chromatella specifically.

Most enduringly, his ponds and gardens at Giverny today are a major tourist destination preserved to reflect Monet's lifetime. His art has graced museums around the world and to this day, the Chromatella Waterlily ^#Ad remains in wide commercial production and availability nearly 150 years after its introduction. It's a remarkable legacy shared by few plants in western horticultural history. The Waterlily Bear grows it in his patio watergarden as a tribute to Marliac and Monet's roles in water gardening history@