When August heats up and the flower garden crisps, I turn my eye to the quiet and cooling water gardens. We all know garden ponds and pools are supposed to be reflective and tranquil, languid and soothing to the soul. A place to restore the spirit and enjoy the subtle beauties of nature.
Not at my house. The ponds are positively teeming. Snakes check in regularly. Frogs and toads are hopping, the water lilies are overflowing, the parrots feathers and horsetails are lush, and the elegant "Mrs. Perry D. Slocum" water lotus is well ... making shower faucets like mad!
Shower faucets? You bet!
Happy lotus bloom and make seed pods and the seed pods look for all the world like shower faucets gone berserk. Trust me on this, they do. Eventually.
My poor beloved "Mrs. Perry D. Slocum" is a work in progress in the garden. Her husband, Mr.Perry D. Slocum (photo), would probably be appalled, but at least I do appreciate my lotus and feed it regularly.
Now some people may grow water lotus for the spiritual qualities or for the touted Magickal Properties of aromatherapeutic strengthing and protection of powers. But I don't. I don't want them for their dried leaf wrappers or for their cooking quality, either. Nope.
I just like 'em. I have always wanted one and this spring I finally had a pond big enough to grow one in so I was on the lookout. On my way home from a long day of garden consults and feeling that proverbial money burning a hole in my pocket I snapped one up from a small side-of-the-road local nursery. It was already potted and growing on well. No blooms, of course, as it was early in the season, but essentially a "garden to go" - the ultimate Container Fantasy! I had wanted one for years and I finally bought one!
When I got home at dusk my husband helped me unload the huge pot from the back of my covered pickup truck and transport it across an acre or so to the designated spot: a galvanized stock tank about six feet across and two and a bit feet deep.
"Wait!" I said, as I ran to find old sturdy plastic plant pots to up-end and use as a support. (Lotus don't need to go so deep - and we didn't really want the edge of the pot to show.)
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