Lotus

I've been day-dreaming again about my lotus plants and water gardens.  And in those reveries, I was remembering the wonderful blossoms on my lotus plants. I planted three varieties last spring and watched in amazement as they developed and produced a simply stunning show of leaves and blooms.

First Small Leaves

The first small leaves were not impressive; they resembled very small water lily leaves but I suspected better was to come. After two or three small leaves, a large leaf spike started to emerge from the water reaching for the sky.

Unfolding, this leaf measured twelve inches across and was held about twelve inches on top of the water. It resembled a huge, flattened soup bowl more than anything else and when it got wet, the water would simply roll off the leaf. That is all except for a spot at the stem junction where the water would pool up into a ball and happily sit there - reflecting the sunlight and beaming away with apparent pleasure.

I love lotus leaves. I particularly like the last few to develop as they were even larger and held approximately two feet off the water on very upright stems. I could wax enthusiastic for even longer if I had the space but how exciting can a green leaf really be?

Timing

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.

I watched and watched as they seemed to take forever to unfold.

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.

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. If I shook the pods, I could hear the seeds rattling inside.

I collected the seeds and as I write these words, they are in the greenhouse newly planted in damp soil. With any luck, I'll have a bunch of babies to play with this summer down at Dug Lake.

How To Grow

There are two 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, (greedy feeder plant alert!) loam and I followed an old soil recipe; I packed two inches of composted manure on the bottom of the tub before I filled the rest of the tub.

Planting

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. The round tub prevents the plant killing itself in a corner.

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.

Do NOT cover the pointed ends.

Stand back. This plant is a fast grower.

Full Sun

The second growing condition this plant demands is 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 (Native to India) - it is forever associated with this area in myth and history. Egypt is not noted for its shady garden areas.

Hardiness and Overwintering

The lotus is quite hardy here in Eastern Ontario (USDA zone 4) and I overwintered mine by taking them out of the shallow pond and putting them in an old freezer. I fill the freezer with water (it is odiferous in the spring!) and place all my overwintering plants inside.

Shut the freezer lid and let them go dormant until spring if the water doesn't freeze
solid.

Come spring, they shoot up again.

You could drop them to the bottom of the pond if the pond doesn't freeze solid, bury them, pot and all, in the garden to protect against freezing (remember to be careful with the rhizome) or store them in a cold basement. As long as they are damp all winter, you'll not likely see a problem.

Naturally, 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.

The trick is NOT to let them freeze solid if at all possible.

Concerns

Some readers write asking why their lotus never grew much or just languishes in it's pot. A major problem with inexpensive lotus roots is the growing tip was damaged in some way. A damaged tip will produce a leaf (or maybe a few small ones) but that's about it.

The second question I get asked is why it didn't bloom in the first year? The answer there lies in the size of the root you purchased, If you went with an inexpensive root, it will take a year (or more) to develop the strength to throw a flower.

For more information on varieties, check out my lotus on my water gardens website








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