Plant profile: Lotus

Nelumbo nucifera

Hasu – ハス – 蓮

Indian Lotus

Originally from India.
Height: ~2m
Bloom: July

Normally, Lotus is frost-resistant as long as the rhizome has 30cm water above it.
It likes sandy-clay-soil and needs several days above 20°C to start building flowers. If you want to plant Lotus, do it in spring as long as the plant hasn’t grown new leaves.
The rhizome and bud should not break. Otherwise, the plant will die.

Please note the difference between water lily and Lotus! They are different plants and you can tell them apart when you watch the leaves and flowers!
Water lily has a cut in its leaves and a different color. In the middle of the flowers of Lotus, you can find the seed head that is so famous in flower arrangements!

Lotus is used in very different ways. You can eat the rhizome and young leaves, stems, and seeds. The rhizome is also used in traditional medicine. You can make a tea out of the stem.

There are only two variations of Nelumbo. Nelumbo nucifera and Nelumbo lutea. N. lutea is native to Asia and North Australia.

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Anika

With twelve years of professional landscaping experience under her belt, Anika Ogusu is your perfect guide to the world of Japanese gardens. Her love of nature began early, in the woods near her childhood home and the garden of her grandmother’s house. During her teenage years she developed a strong interest in Japanese culture, and after university she decided to combine her love of Japan and gardens into a profession. Anika started her career as chief gardener in charge of the perennial valley at the Botanical Garden in Hamburg, Germany, then moved to Tokyo in pursuit of her dream. For two years she apprenticed under local landscape designers and learned the art of Japanese garden design, construction and maintenance. Now, in partnership with Real Japanese Gardens (www.japanesegardens.jp), her wish is to spread the magic of Japanese gardens to the rest of the world. Her in-depth guide books on gardens throughout Japan are available in eBook format or paperback. In her free time, Anika enjoys exploring her adopted country (especially green moss gardens), and soaking up nature and any details that interest her.

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