The Lotus is one of the world’s most beautiful flowers. No other flower holds such universal fascination. The attraction affects us all, no matter your station in life–scientists, historians, artists, spiritualists to gardeners and pond owners. Experts the world over have shared their knowledge regarding the lotus’ secrets, from its medicinal value, to its nutritional value to its spiritual value.
The book by Kelly Billing and Paula Biles, “The Lotus”, is an excellent source of information for the lotus enthusiast. The authors cover the lotus’ botanical background, cultivation, landscape uses, cultural traditions and much, much more.
Plant lovers have often confused the lotus with the waterlily. One quick way for the layman to spot the difference is that the waterlily bloom will rest on the water, while the lotus bloom holds its’ head abovethe water, along with its’ leaves. There are other visual differences as well, such as leaf shape, stature, seed pods, etc. Several hundred cultivars of the lotus are grown around the world, although there are only two existing Nelumbo species. The lotus is an ancient plant that has been around for thousands of years and has sometimes been referred to a living fossil.
There are both tropical and hardy lotus. Hardy lotus go dormant in the fall while tropical lotus will bloom through the fall if grown in the apporpriate climate. Most people are intimidated by the lotus, but it doesn’t take much to fill its basic requirements. Confined space, food, sunlight and a calm water reservior to keep it from drying out. You will want to use a confined container to keep the lotus in bounds. Use good grade topsoil, not too much clay or organic material, and this should keep your lotus pretty healthy.
The more you learn about the lotus, the more you will be able to appreciate its importance–and the more you will be able to appreciate its beauty and fascination world-wide.
Some interesting facts about the lotus from the book “The Lotus” Know it and Grow it, by Kelly Billing and Paula Biles 1. The lotus is one of the most widely researched plants on the planet
2. Lotus leaves have a self cleaning property called “the lotus effect’
3. Almost all parts of the lotus are edible
4. All parts of the lotus are used for medicinal purposes–from cardiac illnesses to antidotes to mushroom poisioning.
5. The oldest propagated lotus seeds were 1300 to 2000 years old.
If you would like to learn more about lotus plants–look for the book “The Lotus” Know It and Grow It, by Kelly Billing and Paula Biles.
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We ordered your crystal beauty and chawan basu and planted them last month here in south Mississippi and we have three leaves on the yellow one already. The basu is in a smaller container and has two very strong leaves. I will send insome pictures when they begin to bloom. We are growing them on the patio in container gardens around our pond.
Our “Peach with raindrops” is about two feet tall with 9 leaves above the water. Won’t be long now! We are fertilizing with miracle grow as suggested instead of the tablets. This is our first lotus in our new home. I hope she is even nice than the one we parted with.