"They really look like they're from an alien planet," said Greta Berg, a horticulturist at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, which took home the top prize in a recent water lily strength contest.
The idea for the contest started in 2021, when horticulturists at the Denver gardens came up with a zany idea: How about they put a bunch of sandbags on one of their giant lily pads to see how much weight it could hold?
Earlier this year, the Denver garden put out the word to botanical gardens worldwide about a giant water lily weigh-off in August, which saw 17 gardens sign up to take part.
During a two-week period in August, the competitors recorded their weighty endeavors and posted the results on TikTok, showcasing the immense strength of these remarkable plants.
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