The Lotus experiment.........continued

Part one -
http://gardensofetsy.blogspot.com/2011_07_01_archive.html

Here's an update on my experiment over the summer, growing a lotus from a seed.
I had placed the 8 lotus sprouts in pots in different places, 5 went in my pond and two on my deck in a tub.
Well it turns out, the ones placed in the pond had a ever so slight trickle of water near them from a nearby water fall and in less than a week, the 5 baby lotus plants here did not survive :(
They definitely must be placed in STILL water.
Out of the two plants I placed in the tub on my deck, one perished ? and one flourished!

Here it is in late August ~



It even had a resident frog all summer long :)



The plant that survived ended up with 12 floating leaves and 5 standing leaves.
They were a Gorgeous blue/green. Such a cool leaf, totally waterproof, any droplet of water on them would just roll right off.

.... Late October now.... getting frost here in New York, so I needed to decide weather to bring it into the basement or place in the bog that was ready. After much research, others have been successful leaving them out in my zone, so I decided I would be planting it right in the bog.
We lifted the pot out and to my surprise there were shoots of roots up to 15 inches long that found their way out of the 4 holes in the bottom of the pot. The plant was totally root bound. Now I see how they can become evasive in a pond.



I decided to cut the pot as to try not to disturb the plant in any way.
(My husband so nicely did this part for me).



The bog I created is 18 inches deep filled with a mixture of soil and peat moss. I left 3 inches of room on the top for water to sit. It took the two of us to plant it with our arms totally immersed in mud. Had a lot of fun with it!

My finished Bog ~



So far so good. It loves it there!
Even in these cold temps down to 40 degrees, new shoots were emerging in the last two weeks. Fingers crossed.




Next to the lotus I placed a water iris in a pot for now.



In this last picture in the left lower corner, you can see the money plant sprouts from the seeds Julie from willowtreepottery sent me. Reaserch for my zone said to plant the seeds in Late Summer. They are doing wonderfully and will be a Beautiful backdrop for the bog. Thanks again Julie for the seeds and your awesome bog idea. It has been a wonderful adventure.
Here are the links to Julie's bog blog ~
http://gardensofetsy.blogspot.com/2011/04/bog-blog.html
http://gardensofetsy.blogspot.com/2011/09/bog-garden-continued-before-and-after-i.html
http://gardensofetsy.blogspot.com/2011/09/bog-garden-continued-before-and-after-i.html

I am counting the days till spring :)
to be continued.........................................

For the Love of Birds

In the Gardens of Etsy

The Season of "The Gathering"

~ Welcome Autumn ~

Here in the Gardens of Etsy, Artisans Gather Together to Celebrate Autumn
The work featured in this treasury is just a glimpse of the Beautiful work created by the talented members of our team.




Here you can see more of their Beautiful creations:
http://www.etsy.com/people/GardensOfEtsyTeam/favorites?ref=pr_faves

The Season of the Gathering ~ by Julie DeGroot
Autumn to me is the earth preparing for it's long winter slumber. Getting ready to start the circle of life yet again. I am so inspired by the beauty and vibrate explosion of color that surround me.

I smell the cool crisp sweet scented air and that distinct aroma of rotting leaves, ever falling from the trees, creating a blanket onto the earth for cover & mulch for Spring's new growth.

Natures carpet becomes alive with dancing whirling leaves as the winds begin to blow more intense, scattering the seeds of life about. I meander through my gardens planting and gathering.

Time to collect my wind chimes and garden art and bring them to safety.

I anticipate the glorious arrival of the Harvest and Hunters' Moons, as they greet me and envelop the night sky.

Autumn to me is the Season of The Gathering.
In the skies, birds flock to begin their journeys together.
In the forests, wildlife herd up once again.
In the water, my Koi group at the deepest depths of my pond to start their hibernation.
On the land, we gather together to harvest our crops, game and seeds. Gathering in kitchens and pantries canning, baking and freezing.

Autumn to me, it is a Season of Celebration, as we gather together at tables with family and friends. Grateful and Thankful for them and for natures bounty, The Harvest.

"Winter is an etching, Spring a watercolor, Summer an oil painting and Autumn a mosaic of them all."......Stanley Horowitz