Hundreds of visitors gathered at Civic League Park on Saturday for the annual LilyFest, celebrating the city’s renowned International Waterlily Collection, featuring hundreds of varieties floating in their expansive pools.
Attendees also enjoyed family-friendly activities including arts and crafts, face painting, bounce houses — and snow cones from Kona Ice.
First held in 2005, LilyFest has grown into a major community event, drawing both local residents and international visitors.
The collection is home to more than 300 different species of waterlilies, many sourced from around the globe.
Roughly 300,000 gallons of water are contained in the ponds and tanks showcasing the blooms, in addition to the fish that help control mosquito populations.
Civic League Park’s collection is said to be the largest of its kind in the world. The display spans multiple concrete pools, with many plants drawn from the late founder’s personal collection. Some varieties are considered exceedingly rare and even “priceless.”
Waterlily Collection History
The driving force behind the collection was Kenneth Charles “Ken” Landon (1946–2021). Locally known simply as Ken, he was the founder and longtime director of the International Waterlily Collection. His fascination with waterlilies began early — by some accounts, in his early teens — and evolved into a lifelong pursuit of hybridization, conservation, and international sourcing.
Landon’s work extended beyond public display. He rescued endangered and extinct-in-the-wild species, maintaining them in cultivation in San Angelo and helping distribute them to botanical institutions.
In 1990, Nymphaea ‘Texas Dawn’ received the American Award from the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society (IWGS). Also that year, Landon introduced the hybrid Nymphaea ‘Ineta Ruth,’ named for his mother. Later, on May 24, 2011, Nymphaea ‘Texas Dawn’ was designated the official state waterlily of Texas.
A founding member of the International Waterlily & Water Gardening Society (IWGS), Landon was inducted into the IWGS Hall of Fame in 2001 for his contributions to hybridization, preservation, and education in the field.
After his death in 2021, the collection has continued under city stewardship, supported by volunteers and ongoing maintenance efforts.
Plan Your Visit
The collection is open to the public at no charge and features active flowering displays from April to October each year.
For more information, visit International Waterlily Collection – Water Lilies in San Angelo, TX.
