It’s Summer and the sky is blue. It’s time to pay a visit to the Garden….

Wandering around the gardens is both tranquil and relaxing. It’s a great place to take the family and to capture amazing colorful water lotus; they are beautiful and so many varieties to see.

Whittlesea U3A is organising a bus trip to the Blue Lotus Water Gardens on the 16th March 2017. Please click here for more information about prices and bookings

ABOUT LOTUS PLANTS – Nelumbo Nucifer

The lotus flower is one of nature’s most beautiful creations. Nelumbo have existed on the earth for thousands of years and their distribution is widespread.

They grow in a wide variety of climates from South America to Russia and everywhere between. In Asian countries, such as India, China, Japan and Korea regard the lotus as sacred. In North America, the lotus ranges from Southern California all the way to Canada. And in Australia you can grow lotus from the tropics of North Queensland to the Snowy Mountains and Tasmania.

There are two types of lotus, the tropical and the perennial temperate varieties. Both species look almost the same, the main difference is the tropical type grows all year round and the perennial varieties go dormant during the cooler months and re-shoot in spring.

The lotus comes in a range of sizes with some varieties reaching 6-foot-high (in dams and lakes) while other miniature varieties grow happily in a 6-inch bowl; there’s a lotus to suit every situation. The lotus can be grown in a wide variety of ways from free standing bowls on your patio to a pond in your backyard, or a large earth lake on your property.

A seasonal “alfesco style” cafe called the Lily Pond Cafe is located on the covered deck just inside the garden. The cafe overlooks one of our waterlily ponds with amazing views, lovely food and friendly service.