Reviewed by: Michael Seale
Where Huntsville Botanical Garden’s massive waterlilies rank in the worldwide ‘Waterlily Weigh-Off’
Reading time: 3 minutes
Has anyone else’s TikTok “For You Page” been taken over by the viral 2025 Waterlily Weigh-Off??? Just me?
Well, I’m here to fill you in on the most niche and magnificent competition taking over botanical gardens across the country: The Waterlily Weigh-Off. And the results are in 👇
About the Waterlily Weigh-Off
I stopped mid-scroll when I spotted garden staff member Max McKeown knee-deep in the Damson Aquatic Garden next to a giant lily pad.
His mission: seeing how much weight their carefully-grown Victoria waterlily can hold. And enter my deep dive of this unusual event.
The Waterlily Weigh-Off is a nationwide competition begun by Denver Botanic Gardens three years ago to celebrate public gardens and zoos while educating the public about aquatic plants.
- Fun fact: The species selected for the weigh-off, the Victoria Waterlily, can grow up to 10 feet and hold the weight of an adult thanks to its upturned leaf rims and strong network of hollow “veins” underneath that create buoyancy.
To enter, gardens and zoos must share a social media video showing their weigh-ins, with the videos themselves being part of the fun. Submissions feature comical editing and a variety of “weights” from toy frogs and acorns to sand bags and, in some cases, people!
HBG’s first entry ranks #3 in the world
This is Huntsville Botanical Garden’s first year entering the event, and they made quite the splash (😉). With 40 entries this year, the international competition doubled its participation from 2024.
Huntsville Botanical Garden’s stats:
- Name: “Tori,” a Victoria ‘Longwood Hybrid’ Waterlily
- Weight held: 176 lbs 0.4 oz
- Diameter: 58 inches
- Advantage: Waterlilies love North AL’s tropical environment
Here’s where our Garden ranks among entries from around the world:
- Bok Tower Gardens (Florida, USA), 183 lbs
- Missouri Botanical Garden (Missouri, USA), 182 lbs
- Huntsville Botanical Garden (Alabama, USA), 176 lbs
- Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (England), 168.7 lbs
- Longwood Gardens (Pennsylvania, USA), 165 lbs
- University of Bonn Botanic Garden (Germany), 154 lbs
- Redleaf Exotics (Tennessee, USA), 115 lbs
- New York Botanical Garden (New York, USA), 100 lbs
- Sarah P. Duke Gardens (North Carolina, USA), 90 lbs
- University of California, Davis, Botanical Conservatory (California, USA), 80 lbs
The smallest entry was University of California, Los Angeles, Mathias Botanical Garden (California, USA), weighing in at 0.007 lb (AKA one gummy bear).
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