Chapter VII 
A WORLD OF GARDENS 
W ATER lilies are not so different from 
other plants as might be thought. Like 
all plants, they need air and sunlight, food and 
water. There are air chambers in the leaves 
floating on the top of the water. Therefore the 
plant can get plenty of air and sunlight. They 
live in the water so they never have any trouble 
in getting enough moisture, and they do not 
have to provide against drying out as land plants 
do. In Italy, where the summers are hot and 
dry, the leaves of ordinary plants must have 
an extra thick skin to keep the water from 
evaporating too fast. The water lily does not 
need any such help. The skin on its leaves is 
soft and tender. 
A water lily could not live in water alone. 
It has roots which go down to the soil under- 
95 
How do water 
lilies grow? 
