I have always like flowers that float on water, but are they lotus flowers or waterlilies?
Last year before our trip to Japan, I bought 6 Lotus seeds at a farmers market here in Victoria, and I’m going to grown them so thought I’d share my Lotus adventure with you. Not as exiting as Japan but to me just as exiting in its own right.
If you Google “lotus flower” you get to see some of the most amazing flowers, have a look HERE
Now the difference between the 2 is quite obvious once you know it. Lotus flower leaves don’t lay on the water and their petals look more like closed hands, instead of spread out fingers. I found a good picture to illustrate this on another blog (check HERE). Funnily enough the only flowers I took photo’s of seem to be waterlilies, although I cannot find one group of pictures of water flowers.
Anyways, now we know the difference, which difference does that make to us? None really unless you plan on eating your flower, not sure if waterlilies are safe to eat, but Lotus flowers are.
This is the set I bought, a takeaway box, 6 seeds ( I had taken out the 3 I used already before picture), 2 pieces of sanding paper, and instructions.
I’ve decided to start with 3 seeds. if that works I will do the other 3.
Lotus seeds are known to be the oldest surviving and fertile seeds in the world.
While looking for info about the difference between lotus and lily, I read that carbon dating on a seeds indicated it was about 1300 years old, and when planted it germinated and produces a viable plant. Check out THIS article on the Kew Gardens website. By the way, Kew Gardens is one of my favorite botanical gardens. If you ever visit London, it’s worth a trip.
So I found myself a bowl with tepid water, about 5-10 cm deep. I took my 3 seeds and sanded off the flat end of the seeds to facilitate germination.
Then I popped them in the bowl and now we simply wait.
Each day you need to change the water and I will keep you up to date on my process.
Have a nice day
*R*
C'est l'histoire d'un escargot d’or 