Isn't it beautiful? I love the way the creamy petals are tinged with pink at the edges ... and the center appears to be glowing. I visit this stunning creature every morning after my almost-daily run (I'm training for a fall marathon).
A bud just opening. You can see the other buds that are rising up to the sun. I nestled the lotus in between Black-Eyed Susans and Coneflowers. These photos are taken with an iPhone camera ... I accidentally dropped my other camera and broke it so I'm not able to capture the true beauty of this amazing flower.
A close-up reveals the details. The petals look more pink at the beginning of the bloom.
The lotus on the right opened sooner than the one on the left. That camera I dropped? It's actually my husband's and I haven't told him yet. Guess I better fess up before he reads this!
I think my chippy white, aka "shabby chic" (ie too lazy/busy to paint it) fence provides a rustic foil for this elegant flower ... wouldn't you agree?
Here's a view of the Aquatic Patio Pond from Aquascape (which is where I work, in case you haven't figured that out yet). I added Aquascape's Once-A-Year Fertilizer to ensure the lotus had enough nourishment to satiate its appetite for the entire summer. This way, I don't have to remember to add fertilizer on a regular basis ... once is enough!
See the yellow center? Once the flower fades, it will turn green and contain seeds. I'll post photos when that happens. The pods are actually quite beautiful and you can purchase a variety of lotus seeds on the internet.
These are the blooms on day two. A neighbor out for her daily stroll tracked me down to ask what type of flower this was. I purposely set the lotus out by the sidewalk for passersby to enjoy and inquire. My strategy worked! We had a nice chat and she gave me tips on the sweet peas in my garden.
I love how the flower pops against the velvety green leaves. Some of the leaves are more than 12" in diameter and they have such a silky softness ... you can't keep your hands off them once you touch them.
I know I'm a little obsessive with my lovely lotus ... but hopefully these pictures explain the love affair. I thought I could only feel this way about impatiens (I have hundreds of them!). There's a wonderful story tied to this particular type of lotus, which my friend from Alabama is cobbling together. I'll share it when he's finished putting pen to paper.
Finally, a mosaic of lotus photos for your enjoyment, some of which were taken by my alligator-wrasslin', aquatic plant growing friend from down south.
Today I'm linking to Mosaic Monday at the Little Red House.
5 comments:
Fantastic photos, Jennifer.
Beautiful! That is an idea that I haven't tried...a small water pond to feature the lily. Excellent!
You are right, the lotus seemed to glow in the centre in your first photo! I love it too when its pink in colour, such a sweet colour against the green leaves. The huge pot of lotus are so right in its place near the fence and the other flowers, such a conversation piece!
Congratulations on your beautiful Lotus plant. It's really a stunner. We've propagated this plant from seeds because we like it so much. We had a difficult start but now there's so much that we had to stop. But we haven't stopped collecting the seeds for future use.
Your lotus is just gorgeous, so delicate and pretty. I love how you tucked it in your garden with your other flowers. You have some stunning photos and your mosaic is amazing!
-Karen
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