Nelumbo Evening Showers - Dwarf lotus

Nelumbo nucifera ‘Evening Showers’ is a dwarf lotus with changing flower colour, well-suited to growing in a bowl, aquatic container, or mini-pond. This variety produces single flowers in summer, held above the water, whose colour evolves from pink to a pale yellow highlighted with pink tips. Its growth, less exuberant than that of large lotus, concentrates all the charm of the great sacred lotus in a format adapted to terraces and small water gardens.

The Indian lotus belongs to the Nelumbonaceae family. The species Nelumbo nucifera is a rhizomatous aquatic perennial, rooted in mud or a heavy substrate, native to Asia and northern Australia. It is characterised, among other things, by its leaves with peltate, almost circular, slightly waxy laminae, on which water forms beads.

‘Evening Showers’ is a small-growing cultivar, classified as a dwarf lotus or small lotus. It reaches 45 to 60 cm in height, but can remain more compact if grown in a narrow container. It also belongs to the group of versicolour lotus, meaning those with changing flowers: during the first hours after opening, the corolla is distinctly pink, then the petals lighten to pale yellow while often retaining a pink border. The golden stamens, with light tips, surround the receptacle; small internal parts are coloured a more or less tender green.
The single flower has fewer than 20 petals. Flowering begins early in the season for a dwarf lotus and renews abundantly throughout summer. It spreads from June to September, with a peak in summer. As with other hardy lotus, each flower lives for a few days, then gives way to the characteristic watering-can-shaped receptacle. In autumn, the leaves yellow and then disappear, and the rhizome enters dormancy.

In a small water garden, ‘Evening Showers’ can be grown alone in its container. Its beautiful foliage does not clutter the space, and its changing flower renews the appearance of the container over the days. You can associate it with other small lotus such as 'Double Bonheur' or 'Angel Wings', each in its own pot. In winter, the rhizome must not be frozen in ice: in a sufficiently deep body of water, the pot can remain submerged; in a small container exposed to the cold, it is preferable to shelter it from frost.

The lotus plays an essential role in a garden pond. Its leaves provide shade and shelter for fish. It also contributes to the oxygenation of the water, thus participating in the good balance of the aquatic ecosystem.
The sacred lotus is a symbol of purity and spirituality in several cultures and religions. In Buddhism, it is said that Buddha appeared floating on a lotus leaf. In Hinduism, it is perceived as the cradle of the universe.