Growing Lotus
Don’t expect too much from the first few leaves.
The first small leaves were not impressive; they resembled very small water lily leaves. After two or three small leaves, a large leaf spike emerges reaching for the sky. Unfolding, this leaf should measure approximately twelve inches across and be held about twelve inches on top of the water. It resembled a huge, flattened soup bowl more than anything else and when it gets wet, the water simply rolls off the leaf. That is all except for a spot at the stem junction where the water reflectsthe sunlight and beams away with apparent pleasure. Once the leaves had finished expanding - and we're now talking the end of June - the flower stalks started to emerge from the banana shaped root (or more properly a rhizome). These tremendously strong stalks reached up three to four feet above the lotus leaves and formed a huge fist sized, egg-shaped bud.
To make a long impatient story much shorter than the wait, the opening of the lotus blossom was worth the wait. We're talking gorgeous here. A wonderful show of colour! Each blossom closed at night and seemed to last three or four days before fading away.
Lotus Seed
And, after the blossom was finished, the seedpod formed creating an upside down rounded pyramid full of seeds. After a month, the seed pods were ripe and a dry brown with seeds rattling away inside. Here's how to grow lotus from seed.
How To Grow
There are several key factors needed to keep these plants going in our climate.The first is damp soils. Most gardeners grow them on the ledges of their ponds, keeping the rhizomes submerged at all times and this works quite well. These plants do best in a rich loam and following an old soil recipe; I pack two inches of composted manure on the bottom of the tub before I fill the rest of the tub. You could use a water lily food stake but I prefer the compost. Grow this plant in full and hot sun. Remember this is a river edge grower so sunlight is part of its genetic inheritance. It might help if you remember that the most famous home for this plant is the Egyptian Nile River area. I mention this even though the Lotus is not native to Egypt - it is forever associated with this area in myth and history. Egypt is not noted for its shady garden areas.
How To Plant
The second is to be very, very careful when handling and planting the rhizome. The pointed ends are very fragile and if damaged or bruised, they will not grow properly and will eventually die. To plant, simply lay the rhizome horizontally on the soil and cover the middle with approximately one inch of good soil. Leave the two inches or so of the pointed ends clear of soil. Cover them at your peril. Stand back. This plant is a fast grower.Safe To Plant
If you get the tuber from a nursery before it is safe to go out in the garden, here's how to plant and handle it. A water depth of 4" to 6" over the soil line is best right after planting. However, as the plant grows and leaves shoot up above the water, you can increase water depth by two to three inches. There are several tricks to planting lotus rhizomes in the shallow pond. The first is to use a round tub, not a square one. If a square one is used, the rhizome might find itself stuck in a corner and will not know how to get out. I said this was a beautiful plant, I did not say it was a smart one.Overwintering Lotus
I overwinter potted lotus in this way. If you plant them in a natural pond, they'll be fine overwintering right where they sit. I caution you that the muskrats will enjoy these as much as they enjoy water lily roots.Some easily available plants include
The Hindu lotus is another storied plant and one of the most famous plants in the world (and it too requires full sun) Asiatic Lotus (Nelumbo alba grandiflora) This is a large, somewhat fragrant bloom with cup-shaped flowers of clean white. There are numerous golden stamens that provide a yellow centre and colour contrast. It grows to four feet in height. Chawan Basu (Nelumbo ‘Chawan Basu’) This is a semi-dwarf variety and the blossoms are white delicately edged with pink. This plant is a favourite of mine because it is great for small ponds and tub gardens like my current one. It grows only to two feet in height. Momo Botan (Nelumbo ‘Momo Batan’) This is another dwarf and one of the smallest lotus on the market making it excellent for small ponds and tub-ponds. Its rose-pink flowers are fully double. Looks like a small peony sitting in your pond. Two feet tall. Mrs Perry Slocum (Nelumbo ‘Mrs Perry Slocum’) This one is for the large garden. At four feet in height this imposing plant throws a flower that opens pink but changes to soft yellow by the third day. Perry’s Giant Sunburst(Nelumbo ‘Perry’s Giant Sunburst) Another plant for the large garden, the flowers are held well above the foliage (that grows to four feet tall) The huge flowers (some ten inches across) are a cream-yellow colour with outer petals of pale green. Roseum Plenum(Nelumbo ‘Roseum Plenum’) Commonly available, this large plant reaches four feet in height. It has fairly large (six inch) flowers that are fully double in a deep rose-pink shade. Sacred Pink Lotus (Nelumbo nuciferum speciosum) This plant is a special one in that the monstrous leaves can reach two feet across. They come well above the water line but the flower stems shoot up to four feet tall and have large pink flowers. These blooms are fragrant. Excellent plant for the large garden when used as a specimen (only plant one).Have A Great Story or PIcture About Your Lotus?
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What Other Visitors Have Said About Lotus
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White Lotus
I saw this lotus at the Chicago Botanic Gardens and I don't know it's name. But I want one for my garden.
