The Waterlily may be branded the Queen of the Water Garden but she literally does not measure up to the beauty of the Lotus. Held sacred by Buddhists the Lotus is undeniably the largest bloom of the water world. Her round leaves and large blossoms are held high above the waterline, a perfect compliment to koi who’s rowdiness can destroy floating pads.

The tuber of the Lotus is considered a delicacy in the Orient and I’ve heard they are very tasty. These lotuses, however, are quite expensive (at $49.95) so I’m afraid I’ll not partake in the taste adventure anytime soon. The pricetag will not seem as high when you actually see the Lotus. The plant is huge. In even the most common varieties the leaves can grow up to 2 and 3 feet across (!!) and the bloom can be about 10 inches. The bloom opens in the morning and closes in the evening and lasts for about 3 to 4 days before the petals fall off and leave behind the very distinguishable seed pod. These pods are dried and used in flower arrangements, pretty expensive when you purchase them from craft supply stores already dried.

The tubers of the Lotus grow large and in mass. The vigorous rootstock can overtake a normal-sized pot in just a month’s time. Grow them in pots as large as you can buy to give offer as much room as possible. We sell them in a pot that will last a season or two. Eventually, however, you’ll need to repot them and give them room to grow.

The Lotus does not depend on water to float its leaves so you can put the Lotus anywhere in your garden, not just in your watergarden. Brenda & Charlie Atwell of Dunwoody have a collection of some of the healthiest Lotuses I’ve ever seen growing along their driveway of all places and the display is stunning! It’s a matter of keeping water in the pots.

The books say that Lotus need at least 6 hours of sun a day to bloom. We have some growing and flowering in partial sun. They get about 5 hours of hot sun in the afternoon. The blooms, however, aren’t as big as the ones that are in our plant tanks in full sun.

During Pondapaloosa I was lucky enough to hear Steve Stroupe of Davis Creek Nurseries speak. Besides being funny (he was one of those people who have almost a sinister expression and you’d never think he would have a sense of humor at all but he was hilarious) he was good at water plants! He sure made me re-think the way we do Lotus here at The Pond Doc’s.

I used to stick pond tabs into the soil of the Lotus just like I do waterlillies and bog plants. Don’t do that. The tubers are delicate and can be damaged that way. Get a buddy to help you lift the whole root section (carefully!) and place about 5 slow-acting fertilizer tabs under the roots.

Just because you plant the Lotus in a large pot doesn’t mean you should fill the pot up with soil. Use only 2 inches — yes, you heard me right — of soil. Do not use organic soil. Use a mixture of Georgia red clay and sand or dig it out of a nearby lake. A highly organic soil can harbor all kinds of nasty fungus that will rot the tubers. (This is true for all water plants.)

Mr. Stroupe was armed with an axe, a knife and scissors and, through audience participation, showed us how to divide not only the Lotus but other plants as well. If you all would like, we can set up our own workshop and, although I might not be as funny as Mr. Stroupe, I am pretty handy with an axe and knife. Perhaps too we might be able to talk Brenda Atwell into coming and showing us how she does it. It’s up to you to let me know that you would like to have a workshop!!!