Page 24 - Landscape-Issue153

FEATURE

MONET-INSPIRED POND

AT PRETORIA UNIVERSITY

A lily pond at the University of Pretoria’s Hatfield campus was first built in 1960,
serving as a tranquil space and a source of inspiration for budding painters and

sketch artists. A dedicated quiet zone, the pond brings to life the paintings of French
impressionist artist Claude Monet, known for his dreamlike depictions of nature.

xplaining the history of the pond,
Jason Sampson, head of the Manie
Evan der Schijff Botanical Garden at
UP, stated that renowned botanist, Prof
Hermanus van der Schijff, after whom
the campus botanical garden is named,
took an unorthodox approach to creating
the lily pond. He initially proposed the
building of a pond outside his office but
was denied permission to do so. Taking
matters into his own hands, he had plans
drawn up to construct a square pond that
could hold several species of water lilies.
However, it was never constructed in a
square shape.
The pond’s appearance was inspired
by Monet’s famous series of lily pond
paintings featuring a bridge and a variety
of hybrid lilies with pink, yellow and white
flowers. Up to 30 species of water lilies
were cultivated for Monet, and the pond
currently holds approximately 13 of those
varieties, four of which were confirmed as
featuring in Monet’s paintings. Another
species of water lily in the pond was
thought to be extinct, until one specimen
was rediscovered in a remote pond
overseas.
The original square design of the
pond was also intended to house the

The Monet-inspired lily pond, located in UP’s Manie van der Schijff Botanical Garden

Water lily varieties in the pond, with bridge in the background

22 Landscape SA • Issue 153 2025 Check us out www.salandscape.co.za