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What's New? See articles below calendar and check the Bullets in white
Click on any event on the calendar for more detail. Or, Click on a Club/Society above for more information and links to websites. Want your Club here -- click on 'Contact' on the menu above.
What's New? See articles below calendar and check the Bullets in white
New Article by Soni Forsman
" Just Add Water"
By Soni Forsman -- previous articles under "Just Add Water" bullet above
Nelumbo lutea
the native American lotus
Nelumbo lutea flowers eluded me for four consecutive summers. Each summer the lotus grew into a lush, picture-perfect plant but nary a bud. I divided it every other year, fertilized on schedule and it was in full sun. At the end of the fourth summer and disappointed, I gave my potted lotus to my neighbor Rick who had given me the original tuber four years earlier.
Acres of Nelumbo lutea in south-central Indiana
Standing in his backyard by the small, liner pond he built specifically for the native lotus he grew from seed we talked ‘all things lotus.’ During that conversation, I had an aha moment. I was growing the native lotus the same as my hybrids, four-to-six inches of water over the top of the growing container instead of deep, nine-to-11 inches. ‘Grower Error?’
Nelumbo lutea, North American native lotus
A couple springs later (2023), Rick asked if I would like another tuber. I was grateful for the opportunity to try again. This time, I put the lotus growing pot on the bottom of the decorative container, not elevated, and by early July the first bud broke the water’s surface with two more coming. The single-petaled soft-yellow flowers are elegantly-simple in appearance with cone- shaped seed pods. Looking back at my abbreviated garden notes for 2023 the following stands out, ‘July 20th, 2nd Native (bud) opening, fragrant.’
Maturing cone-shaped seed pods, Nelumbo lutea
There are two lotus species Nelumbo lutea, the American lotus, and Nelumbo nucifera (pink), also known as the sacred lotus. The first is native to central and eastern United States down to Florida, some regions of the Caribbean and south through Mexico into Honduras and the other to middle and far east countries, the Philippines and north Australia. These two species are the ancestors of modern-days hybrids. Nelumbo lutea can be seen growing in the shallower waters of the Mississippi River and its back waters from the Twin Cities south.
Years ago, we drove the back roads of south-central Indiana and happened upon an unexpected sight, acres of the native lotus growing in wetland areas. Some places the water was almost to the road, an opportunity to see the expansive lotus display up close. The difference in appearance between Nelumbo lutea growing in their native habitat and a domesticated one in my backyard is dramatic. Ravaged by nature, the flowers and pads of the first are torn and tattered. The second looks sheltered and pampered.
Years ago, we drove the back roads of south-central Indiana and happened upon an unexpected sight, acres of the native lotus growing in wetland areas. Some places the water was almost to the road, an opportunity to see the expansive lotus display up close. The difference in appearance between Nelumbo lutea growing in their native habitat and a domesticated one in my backyard is dramatic. Ravaged by nature, the flowers and pads of the first are torn and tattered. The second looks sheltered and pampered.
