Water Gardener

The energy and dedication it takes to maintain a public garden is Herculean, perhaps even Sisyphian in nature.
This was brought graphically home to me watching the water gardener at Longwood. I watched him in his chest-high Cabela waders as he walked about in the pools picking up the leaves and slapping them back down... I suppose to shake off accumulated debris. Once is a while he would surprise me by cutting off a lily bud that looked perfectly good to my eye. The swiftness with which he would pluck it off told of the depths of expertise behind the act.
It was a very hot, sunny day and neither Pamela nor I envied him his job. It cannot have been so wonderful inside those waders.
And his caretaking was the most visible of all, I assume because it did provide a bit of theater for the conservatory visitors. I imagine there is a small army of gardeners that must rise up at dawn every single day and on their hands and knees free the gardens of unsightlies before the visitors arrive.
To all of these caretakers whose job is strictly behind the scenes, I give my deepest thanks also.
The outdoor water lily display is a sight not to miss at Longwood Gardens. For the delight of photographers, the waters are tinted with an organic black dye. As a result, remarkable portraits of perfectly framed water lilies are possible. Actually, the dye is not for the likes of me. Rather, it is for the benefit of the plants themselves and simpler maintenance. It's presence in the water slows algae growth by reducing the amount of light. There are also small golden orange fish keeping the mosquito and other pesky insect populations down and the ponds healthy environments for both plants and humans to enjoy.