Product Overview
'Lady Bug' Dwarf Red Water Lotus (aka Ladybug) (Nelumbo cultivar)
Lady Bug is a fantastic new dwarf red single-petal lotus. It is the most free-blooming lotus we have ever seen, with blooms in various stages all through the season.
Lady Bug is also very versatile, as it can be grown as a small lotus in a pot 12-24" in diameter, and will get 12-18" tall; as a mini lotus in a 10" diameter pot, and can get around 12" tall; and also grown as a micro lotus in a 6-8" diameter pot and get 6-8" tall.
Mini and micro lotus require extra care due partly to the difficulty in maintaining the narrow range of temperature and fertilizer needs in a small pot (particularly outside the pond on a table or counter, which is how minis and micros are usually grown), and also partly due to the fact that most mini and micro lotus are more delicate in nature. Lady Bug is exceptional, not only in its profuse blooming habit, but also in its vigorous and robust nature--it is an excellent choice for those wanting to grow a mini or micro for the first time, and its hardiness much improves the chance of success.
SIZE: Small (Height 6-18")
Planting Container: We recommend a 6-24" diameter pot, depending on the size plant you want to grow
Light Requirements: FULL SUN
WATER DEPTH: 3" TO 6", up to 9" in a pot 15-24" diameter (Maximum water depth is for mature lotus)
USDA HARDINESS ZONES: 4-11
Lotus are sold as bare root tubers, or sometimes later in the Spring as runners with small leaves. The growing points of both tubers and runners are fragile, and must be handled very carefully.
'Lady Bug' is a small lotus, and has correspondingly small tubers. In fact, most of its tuber production consist of very, very slender tubers with lots of growing points, and they more closely resemble runners than the more conventional tubers of larger lotus. Because of the extra growing points, these grow very quickly and before you know it, they will be blooming!
For planting instructions see our: Planting Instructions for Hardy Water Lotus.
