Nelumbo Pygmaea Pink - Sacred Lotus

The Nelumbo 'Pygmaea Pink' is a dwarf lotus with light pink double flowers that adapts well to small bodies of water and container gardening. This variety has the exotic charm of the sacred lotus of India, but the plant is shorter and less vigorous. It has beautiful original round leaves and blooms for long weeks in summer. This dwarf lotus is hardy if its rootstock does not freeze. It can also be taken out of the water in autumn and stored in frost-free conditions, in slightly moist mud.

The Lotus 'Pygmaea Pink' is a perennial plant of the Nelumbonaceae family. It is an aquatic plant whose foliage and flowers rise above the water unlike water lilies. The native range of the species, Nelumbo nucifera, includes Southeast Asia and Northern Australia. In these regions, it inhabits large ponds and muddy canals, standing out majestically.

The 'Pygmaea Pink' variety develops, from spring onwards, bluish-green leaves, more or less erect, with a flat or concave surface, slightly undulated on the edges. Water droplets projected on their surface bead up instead of spreading out due to the water-repellent quality of the epidermis. The entire, peltate lamina, measuring between 15 and 20 cm in diameter, attaches to the very brittle rootstock with a thin spiny petiole, fixed under the centre of the leaf. The plant will rise to about 55 cm above the water surface. The flowering starts in June-July and lasts until autumn. The flowers, double, with crumpled texture, measuring 10 cm in diameter, are solitary. They persist for several days before withering and will be replaced by new flower buds. This flowering is followed by the formation of highly decorative fruits shaped like a watering can with small holes from which the seeds escape when ripe. It is often used in the making of dried bouquets and contains numerous seeds that will eventually sink and germinate in the mud.

The Dwarf Lotus is ideal for small bodies of water and can be grown in various waterproof containers that will decorate the terrace or balcony. The number of flowers produced depends on the size of the growing container. In a container with a diameter of 30 cm, the plant will produce between 3 and 8 flowers, 8 to 15 flowers in a 50 cm container, and up to 25 in a basin or barrel with an 80 cm diameter.

Lotus and water lilies will be the main attraction of your pond plantings. Most of them bloom from spring until early autumn. The lotus is also essential for the proper balance of a garden pond as it contributes to water oxygenation. Its leaves provide shade and shelter for your fish, which in return, protect them from predatory insects such as aphids.

The entire plant is edible. The seeds are consumed candied, and the rootstock is a nourishing starch. The yellow stamens are used to flavour tea in Vietnam. The rootstock and seeds are also used in Chinese cosmetology to fight against ageing, as well as in medicine and perfumery.

The perfection of the flower and fruit of the sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) makes this aquatic plant a symbol of purity in several religions. In Buddhism, it derives its sacred character from the belief that Buddha appeared floating on its leaf. In Hinduism, it is perceived as the cradle of the universe.