With favorable conditions and the growing popularity of lotus plants, now is the perfect time to start a lotus garden.
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While the lotus has long been a garden staple, the gardening community has declared it to be trending this year. In the wild, lotus flowers can be found in lakes and ponds. However, you don't need to have a water feature in your backyard to enjoy the beauty of lotus. You can grow lotus by simply filling a pot with water.
This flower is known for its striking blooms that bloom well above the water surface, and their colors range from vibrant hues to gradient petals that appear to glow. If you're looking to seriously impress your garden party guests or add a touch of elegance to your backyard, lotus is the modern way to do it.
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Should I plant lotus plants in my backyard?
First step: Determine what zone you're planting in. Lotus can usually be grown in zones 4-10.
They also need six hours of sunshine each day and temperatures above 75 degrees to bloom. Luckily, a few weeks of warm temperatures will help encourage the flowers to bloom (this heatwave is a good thing), and the flowers close at night, so you don't have to worry about overnight freezes.
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Lotus flowers prefer a humid environment, but outdoors you won't have to worry too much about this as the flowers will receive plenty of moisture from the water they grow in.
How to Start a Lotus Garden
The easiest way to plant a lotus is to buy lotus tubers, which allows you to skip the germination process and focus on getting the plant to flower.
Other than that, all you need to get started is a waterproof pot, soil, and water. Usually, a single layer of soil (usually up to 5 inches) in the bottom of the pot will be enough soil to grow a lotus in. Then fill the rest of the pot with water, depending on the size of your tuber.
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Different lotus species have different water needs, but they all need a certain amount of standing water, usually up to 10 inches. Unlike water lilies, lotus plants grow above the water line, so don't worry if the leaves and flowers in your pot grow well above the water line. Because you're not growing them in a pond, the water will evaporate over time, so you'll need to rewater the pot regularly.
Lotus flowers last just under a week, providing your garden with a sweet fragrance and beautiful color. Lotus flowers usually begin blooming in June and continue to bloom throughout the summer into autumn.
Once your lotus has finished blooming, continue watering it to encourage it to bloom again next year. Remove the leaves and bring the lotus plant indoors for the winter or place it in a sheltered spot.
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It's not too late to jump on the lotus trend. You can start growing lotus seeds indoors; lotuses usually take about seven months to fully grow and bloom in their second year of growth. Or, with temperatures expected to soar across the country this month, you could try growing tubers in your backyard.
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