My baby doll lotus (or, patience is a virtue)

by Susan Maldonado
(North Georgia, USA)

I bought this lotus from a pond store several years ago. I kept it in it's original container for a couple of years with no luck in flowering. It was on sale due to storm damage, and I thought it was a goner. I purchased the preformed liner and buried it in my front yard by my house. We live in North Ga. I planted the lotus in the lovely red Ga clay that I removed from the hole for the pond. The first year I had no flowers, but many leaves. I added a small koi from petsmart, and a small fountain. Well the koi is now about a foot long, I added three more last year. I get beautiful blooms every year now! So Don't give up! I think the fish poop is sufficient for fertilizer, since I never have used fertilizer of any kind. My fish are healthy and beautiful. The key is, I think, Small amount of fish, and feed them sparingly.