Friday, May 27, 2011

The Lovely Lotus

I'm in love with the lotus. Is there any other aquatic plant as beautiful or graceful? It belongs to the genus Nelumbo and consists of only two species ... the yellow-flowered American lotus (Nelumbo lutea) and the pink Asiatic lotus (Nelumbo nucifera). These two species have been grown and bred for centuries, resulting in hundreds of hybrids that range in size and color.


In my mind ... this is what Heaven looks like.






The delicate intricacy blends the beauty of pink and yellow. {Dreamy Sigh}




The highly popular 'Momo Botan.' It's easy to see why this is the best-selling lotus in the US. It reminds me of a cabbage rose or peony.




A sea of waterlilies provides the perfect backdrop for this regal lotus.




The outer petals of the 'Shiroman' appear like tissue cradling the flower.



The 'Empress' aka Alba Striata, is white with light red streaks. Stunning!



Even the lotus pod has a beauty all its own.



The seeds can be stored and replanted. The immature seeds are considered a delicacy by the Cajuns of southern Louisiana and are delicious eaten raw.




Even the waxy leaves of this amazing plant are breathtaking.




Look how large some of the leaves get!



Even the undersides of the leaves are beautiful. Oh, to be a frog and enjoy this view every day!




A yellow-flowered American lotus provides a striking contrast against the deep green leaves.




Even the buds are beautiful. This plant captivates the heart and soul at every stage of growth.




You can grow these amazing beauties in a container ... so no need to fret if you don't have a water garden. A great book to help you get started is About the Lotus. I just potted my first lotus in a large aquatic container and placed it in a sunny location in my yard. I check on it daily! The first leaf is already 6-inches in diameter. I'm taking photos of its growth and will post them once it has a few blooms. Can't wait!

5 comments:

realsis77 said...

Soooo beautiful! I can't wait to see the pictures of your lotus blooms! This year my older two lotus will bloom and I can hardly wait! I dedicated a small preformed pond just for the lotus. Then I built a new bog and planted my new baby lotus inside. I actually got my first aerial leaf today! I can't wait for the bog to mature! It will take another season for my babies to bloom but its worth the wait! I just love lotus! My lotus are nelumbo nuciefera. I lost several lotus last winter :( (the ones that were not in the pond) even though I live in zone 9a and we do not freeze. I am not sure what happened. So I'm starting again with the second bog pond! The two that did survive (the ones in the premade pond) are huge and beautiful this year! I keep checking for my flowers, it should be anytime now! I have surely been bitten by the lotus bug! I love your blog site, sooo amazing and beautiful! Good luck with the progress of your lotus and I can't wait to see pictures of the blooms! When I saw these beautiful pictures I just had to comment! It would be wonderful to be able to have a lake of lotus! Since I can't do that, I'll settle for my bog ponds! Lotus are my favorite flowers! Take care and happy lotus growing!

Aquascape Your Landscape said...

realsis77: Thanks for your comments. I love hearing about your lotus. Mine hasn't bloomed yet but the leaves are up out of the water by about 2 feet now. A web site you might be interested in is www.aboutthelotus.com. Lots of good info there.

Aquascape Your Landscape said...

For those of you who love the Lotus, you can read about them on another blog about the flowers of Malaysia. http://www.mynicegarden.com/2011/05/nelumbo-nucifera-sacred-lotus.html?m=1.

Autumn Belle said...

Jennifer, I'm so sorry I forgot to inform you about my link to your blog post. I though I have already done that as this is my usual practise each time I link to another blogger. I thought I had made a comment here!

Your lotuses are gorgeous and there are many examples. Some varieties I don't usually get to see. I love your first picture.

I have 'like' you facebook page too as I really do.

HolleyGarden said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog. I have loved seeing these beautiful pictures of the lotus plant. They really are a gorgeous flower, and a stunning plant.

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