Day 17, Three of the new Chinese Lotus, ‘Drunken Concubine out of Bath’ (left), ‘Red Lantern’ (right), and ‘Dasa Jin’ (back). Each is growing faster as return to warm days in the 80s and lows in the mid to upper 50s.

Our lotus tubers ship with excellent growing tips. Only Lotus and water hawthorne are shipped as tubers. Our waterlilies and marginals arrive as adult sized plants usually with buds.

Lotus can be blooming in just 6 weeks from planting in warm weather. Plant shallow and wait to fertilize until you have a leaf standing above water. This is a tea-cup lotus in a 7 inch pot. The photos are taken during only 6 days from left to right. Medium and Large lotus need much larger containers.

Above is a larger 16 inch

Here you can see a tea cup lotus (front right), a small lotus (left), and a medium lotus (back). Each will need a little water each day in the summer as they will be heavy drinkers.  They will also love miracle grow once they have standing leaves.

This summer we will be documenting, Dasa Jin (large versicolor), Red Lantern (small / tea cup), Red Bowl, Loyalty Son, and Drunken Concubine out of Bath.

The reason they are called Tea Cup lotus is that some varieties are small enough to do well in a container the size of a cup. Don’t Believe me? See N. Nopchai Chansilpa’s photo, Mangkala-patum, a bowl lotus growing in coffee cup!

Mangala-patum,a bowl lotus growing in a coffee cup!

Mangkala-Patum is not yet available in the United States, however two new selections from China are available. Glowing Clouds in Evening, a Small Tea-Cup lotus with often multiple blooms, Laura describes this as of the most beautiful pink lotus, ‘Glowing Clouds in Evening’ has a perfect cup-shaped blooms. The color is a brilliantly clear pink on the first day flower. Do not plant under more than about 4″ of water as this is a small lotus. ‘Ye Xia’ Chinese lotus.Glowing Clouds is pictured below with Golden Horse with Jade Belt on the right side with many flowers. Golden Horse with Jade belt, yet another Chinese import, look for multiple blossoms on this small tea-cup lotus throughout the summer.  This white flower can have either bright green petaloids or a green receptacle in a large double flower on a small plant. The newly opened bud has a greenish tint to the petals. ‘Yutang Jin Ma’ Chinese lotus import. Likes shallow water no more than about 4 inches over the roots. Does well in bowls or pots. Fertilize only after standing leaves. These lotus and many dozen more can be found at http://www.PondMegastore.com from February-July or until supply has run out. Glowing Clouds… (Left), Golden Horse… (right)

Glowing Clouds... (Left), Golden Horse... (right)

This year I will try and use the tripod more often to better stay in focus and less shaky. Plans are to travel to 12 locations in 2011 on three different trips. Not even half of the video from 2010 has been added at this time. In HD it takes much of the day to upload just a few minutes of footage.

The 100th video we uploaded is per request from our friend Karen who wanted to see some shots of lotus growing in containers and in water gardens. The first shot is just a bee doing some work inside a lotus bud. Enjoy and we have more information coming as soon as we finish more spring preparations. Laura should soon be sending information on even more Chinese Lotus selections that will be available in February. (http://www.PondMegastore.com)

Luckily he told me there was nothing to worry about when I asked if the lotus would overtake the pond. RoundUp, which is a common weed killer found in any big box store and hardware store in the country carries most of the year can be applied to kill lotus without harming other aquatic life.

Lotus are connected through long rhizome like tubers often many many yards long. A siple spritz should kill most of the plant connected by the root. It may take more than one application on long growing areas but the method is quick and simple he explains.

After the lotus is browned you can clean up the area or reintroduce perhaps a new color to the area. POND PLANTS such as Lotus are available seasonally at http://www.PondMegastore.com .

Many canna such as the Longwood hybrids can be used as bog plants in the water garden. In fact they love the water and nutrients and bloom quite a bit. Plant only after the earth is warmed up probably in the upper 60s, the air temperature would have been in the 80s for 10 days or so a couple weeks after the last frost, you can also start them inside. If planting in water remember wet feet dry ankles, canna wont want to be submerged any deeper than the root.

Canna’s love sunlight and when planting in a pond make sure the container is big enough the plant wont blow over in a strong wind as some varieties get tall. I like to plant them in built in pockets along the edge of the ponds shelf.

There are dwarf canna that grow only to about 24″ or taller ones that can grow from four to sometimes seven feet under the best conditions.

Here we have some pink and yellow cannas planted along a stream bed. Cannas for the pond can be purchased already well established from places like www.PondMegastore.com .

Apricot Pink is a wonderful bloomer and can bloom from 6 weeks after planting until frost. Lotus are easy to overwinter in most of the united states. Leave them where they grow shallowly in the pond and only trim foliage back to just above the waterline. The stems are hollow and the tuber (roots) like to be able to breath. In spring before its warm enough to start foliage you can harvest the new tubers and replant them or let them grow a few seasons without replanting.

Lotus should have a wide shallow container with some good substrate. Fertilize only after there is an arial leaf and repeat until August.

Apricot pink can be purchased seasonally online and shipped almost anywhere in the USA from Feb-June or July.
See Lotus at PondMegastore.com

Learn more about Warner and he Auburn lotus in Issues 2 & 3 of the IWGS journal this year.

Tim Davis has recently published the 2nd quarter IWGS Journal for 2010 and a few of my photos from my southern trip were used. I hope to visit Auburn and Ten Mile Creek again. Everyone including Warner, Bills, Laura, and Steve let me in on some great lotus learning and shared so many new varieties with me. Thank you to all four of you for taking the time to show me around the great Lotus that are now in a few parts of Alabama.

Pictured below are Warner Obando (top), Laura Bancroft (bottom left), and Bill Bancroft (bottom right). I am not sure which tea-cup lotus Warner was beside but Laura is standing next to “Sparks” and Bill is in a pond with “Pink Lips” developed by Daike Tian, Ph. D.  from Auburn University.

The Lotus Issue (part 2) will continue in Sept/Oct as a continuation issue.

The second part of the video talks about Ken Landon’s fertilizer which is a wonderful binary fertilizer for waterlilies. Popular in Europe and especially parts of Asia where waterlilies are as  popular as any flower. In America we have become accustom to the tablets which are 50% (sometimes more) clay. A big waste of money. The binary composition of Landon’s fertilizer provides ample food for 2-3 months  at a time and the plants soak it up. Use 1/2 dose or less on baby plants so you don’t burn them up.  

Enjoy in High Definition and Full Screen Option

Here are some lotus available now. Notice the growing tips on the tubers have many more starts than most growers. (Over 60 named varieties available today!)

https://www.pondmegastore.com/shop/home.php?cat=251 

20 varieties are available to nurseries only in pots (45 per pallet, just about blooming size, contact us for details.

customerservice@pondmegastore.com  see current selection below

          I should start by saying that this works in properly maintained water gardens. If you refer to your water garden as fish pond or koi pond that is the first signal you might lean more on the fish and less on the garden. In the spring remember not to begin feeding your fish until your plants are well established. You can throw off the balanced ecosystem with a single feeding and can cause some damage to fish if its real early. After winter a fish’s stomach is a little fragile. It has not had a good amount of food in many months perhaps, floating pellets or other fish-foods can cause a fish’s stomach to swell and lead to bleeding & even death. You want to introduce feeding slowly (but that’s more for a blogging fish day, you want to know about the Iris’s secret to preventing the spring algae bloom. Iris are one of the first plants to come alive in the pond, perhaps the very first. This plant and Marsh marigolds can suck the excess nutrients out of the pond beginning around the time of the final few frosts. Having a few areas of iris can dramatically reduces nitrites in the water and begin the process of cleaning the pond months before hyacinths or other plants can begin filtering the water. Iris also add a nice spring flower when hardy lilies are just beginning to send up leaves.  In the spring, if you have a few areas of established iris (Flag Iris, Japanese Iris, Louisiana Iris are all partially aquatic and can handle a couple inches of water), dont feed the fish, and do not have dead leaves and debris in the pond the chances of a spring algae bloom or green water are greatly reduced. A good water garden is a biologically correct water garden.

Available Spring 2010!

 New for 2010! Buy this pond plant and others at Pond Megastore

• A broad, round base.
• Round stems with tiny hairs.

Hibiscus flowers bloom on the plant from late spring through early fall. Flowers are 6 to 8 inches in diameter and have: .

• A brilliant yellow central stamen.
• A deep pink to burgundy center.

.

2010 Eastern China Lotus Exploration

& Water Garden Tour

With Grant Mitchell and Warner Orozco-Obando

July 15-30 and Aug 3-17th 2010

Please contact if interested!   

Day 1 : Arrive Guanzhou Bai Yun Airport transport to hotel   

Day 2 : Day excursion to Lotus Mountain gardens. This garden is about 100 acres and includes many different parts. It overlooks the Pearl River estuary and is built around a 2,000 year old red sandstone quarry. This stone was only for use on the Emperors projects. In the old quarry there are high cliffs and ponds filled with lotus and waterlilies. On the top of the mountain is an old fort which controlled river traffic and a Buddhist complex with pagoda, huge traditional buildings and the biggest gilded bronze Guanyin in the world. There is also a Buddhist vegetarian restaurant.   

Photos Courtesy of Grant Mitchell

Day 3 : Visit several gardens and parks in Guangzhou. There are several different parks and gardens to visit with water-plants, orchids and other trees and flowers. [Soft sleeper class is a wide berth with 2 upper and 2 lower bunks with a door. The cabin is air-conditioned and there is a western style toilet and washrooms at the end of the carriage. Soft sleeper class is close to the dining car]  

Day 4 : Arrive in Fuyang. Afternoon visit to small lotus lake. 

Day 5 : Visit an incredible private lotus garden with over 1500 varieties of lotus. Mostly medium sized lotus grown in pots. There are many unique lotus in this private collection and can only be visited on this tour. Afternoon train to Hefei. 

Day 6: Visit Hefei lotus park. Check out the large lotus collection in this park setting. Afternoon bus to Pukou. 

Photos Courtesy of Grant Mitchell

Day 7 : Tour of the famous Yileen Water-garden. This well known water garden of several acres is incredible. There are hundreds of varieties of lotus as well as waterlilies and other aquatic plants. Yileen is responsible for the creation of many wonderful new hybrids and is a regular prize winner at the annual China Lotus Association convention 

Day 8: Bus to Hangzhou. Afternoon boat trip on the iconic West Lake. West Lake has been a famous beauty spot for hundreds of years. There is a classical Chinese saying…up above you have Heaven and below you have Suzhou and Hangzhou ! Every year the area around the lotus lined West Lake becomes more and more beautiful due to ongoing landscaping by the local government. 

Day 9 : Visit the scenic sites of West Lake and Hangzhou Botanical Garden. There are many different parts of the West Lake area with many separate parks joined by a variety of bridges. There are towers, causeways and pagodas along the way. In the evenings locals gather at the lakeside and play traditional instruments and sing and dance as they have done for centuries. Evening spectacular buffet dinner and variety show. 

Day 10 : Stroll around Lotus Swaying in the Breeze Park and the ancient Lin Ying Buddhist temple. Qu Yuan Feng He park was originally a brewery but has a history of several hundred years a park. There are bonsai and several small lakes with different varieties of lotus, waterlily and other waterplants with various bridges and lakeside pavilions, gardens and metasequoia forest. 

Photo Courtesy Grant Mitchell

Lin Ying temple complex is set in a lush forest not far from the lake.It also has a long history and is one of the most famous temples in China. Night sleeper train to Unesco World Heritage Mountain Park 

Day 11 : Rest in hotel then ride the cable car to the spectacular Heaven’s Gate mountain and Daoist temple and climb the stairs to Heaven’s Gate. This cable car ride travels several miles across the farmlands and foothills before a dramatic ascension to the mountain top. The views are incredible and the mountains are covered in a variety of trees, shrubs and other local flora. Another short trip brings you to a large Daoist temple and the walk back is on a pathway winding around the side of the mountain. On the return journey, a side trip in a bus takes you up a zig zag road to the base of Heaven’s Gate. A walk up the stairs takes you to a huge spectacular opening in the mountain. 

Photos Courtesy Grant Mitchell

Day 14 : Arrive in Guangzhou then a short bus trip to three Waters. Afternoon visit to Three Waters park with a huge brass reclining Buddha, Tibetan temple and Daoist temple complex.

Day 15: Wake up in the Ever-profit Lotus Hotel. Spend the day in the amazing, Lotus World, the biggest water garden in the universe ! Absolutely stounding! Farewell dinner in the evening.

Day 16: Depart from Guangzhou Bai Yun Airport. 

 TOUR INCLUDES: local transportation, entrances to the parks and locations, accommodation and all the meals. Total cost: $3,500 American dollars

(airfare it is NOT included). Maximum of 9 people. For small groups that can not make it during this time, we can customized the dates.

Contact Us for Information on Joining the exploration July 15-31 2010, or Warner Orozco-Obando Auburn Lotus Research Project Department of Horticulture Auburn University.

UPDATE Jan 17th 2010. More new Photos added.

Again, 

TOUR INCLUDES: local transportation, entrances to the parks and locations, accommodation and all the meals. Total cost: $3,500 American dollars

(airfare it is NOT included). Maximum of 9 people. For small groups that can not make it during this time, we can customized the dates.

Contact Us for Information on Joining the exploration July 15-31 2010, or Warner Orozco-Obando Auburn Lotus Research Project Department of Horticulture Auburn University.

       Recently I was asked about deteriorating shoreline on a lakefront property. Natural shorelines whether it be the ocean or a simple farm pond seem hard for us humans to keep exactly where we want them. Erosion can be caused by many things from wave movement to animal invasion. Often shoreline problems are caused by what we fell are solutions though.

From the IWGS Chicago Botanical Tour, this past summer we learned much from the shoreline redevelopment project of the shorelines of the lakes in the Chicago Botanical property. In one case they discovered former steel piling meant to maintain the shoreline created a horrible shock-wave from very small waves against the shoreline which lead to an area in front of the pilings where no plants could grow or thrive. Many factors including slope/gradient well into the water and above the water line affect plants growth. A strong healthy planted area into and above the water into the flood plain are required for a healthy shoreline that will hold stable and not move or erode. In Chicago the old steel pilings have been removed and the steep gradient was replaced with a proper contour. A geocell shorelines was put in place that would give dozens of species of properly planted species at multiple depths hold strong and begin to grow as they refilled the top of the lake.

old piling shorelines create disaster, prevent plant growth

Chicago restoration pics fron symposium 2009

The shores will now be able to handles small swells, high and low water (floods) without worry of erosion and also look much nicer than pilings. 

(Menyanthus trifoliata)

A marginal water garden plant or bog plant that can be grown down to about 9 or 10 inches deep. does well in slow moving water like streams too. In summer the plant has attractive  clusters of small star shaped white flowers. Plant in early spring in baskets directly in the pond at a maximum depth of 9″. Remove any dead or dying foliage and flowers as they appear for more blooms.

Found largely across Europe and now much of North America. It blooms from May to July, the flowers being borne on long stalks, 6 to 18 inches high, longer than the leaves and clustered together in a thick short spike, rendering them very conspicuous. Prefers full sun to part shade. Hardy in zones 5-10.

Bogbean plants Diagram

From Florida Aquatics: Nesaea pedicellata ‘Golden’ is a new release from Florida Aquatic Nurseries that will be available in January for the first time… This plant is a selection from Nesaea pedicellata and grows in similar conditions. The main difference between the two plants is the brightly colored golden leaves. These golden leaves are enhanced by a pink central stem that will give any planted aquarium new or old a bright new look. The leaves of this plant will get quite long under ideal conditions, up to three or four inches, and flow gently in the current creating a great visual appeal. You can choose to plant it in mass for a bright golden area or use it as single stems to highlight areas in the aquarium. Whether new to the hobby or one who has seen it all this plant is interesting to all.

The plants up north seemed to do best at 18 inches or less with more sunlight and thrived deeper during the warmest months of the summer. Note we had the coolest summer in over 100 years in Ohio. The plants grow to the waters surface and slightly above. This plant should be another great choice to plant on shelves and at the base of other bog plants or in bogs themselves. Sunlight is a plus and mild PH 7.0-8.0.

Nesaea pedicellata 'Golden'