Nelumbo nucifera
Premium Lotus!
EXCELLENT BLOOMER!
Plant Height: Medium/Tall, 36" and taller
Flower Type: Single, less than 25 petals
Suggested Pot Size: 18" or wider, 10-18" deep
Holy Smoke!! This lotus is a deep, deep red! Plus, it blooms extremely prolifically - flower after flower after flower. Bold, elegant, and intensely colorful, Ancient Capital Red Palace is a spectacular single lotus that brings a touch of royal drama to the summer water garden.
Ancient Capital Red Palace is a breathtaking lotus for anyone who loves a truly dramatic red. This brilliant, dark-red single lotus has a wonderfully elegant form, with broad petals that sweep outward and create a graceful, open cup.
The flowers are held high above the leaves, making each bloom impossible to miss. The rich red petals seem to glow in the sunshine, while the center provides an unforgettable contrast—a bright golden-yellow receptacle surrounded by a ring of striking red-tipped stamen. The combination of deep crimson petals, glowing gold, and those colorful stamen gives this lotus an almost regal appearance.
And it isn't just a one-time show. Ancient Capital Red Palace blooms throughout the summer, sending its tall, brilliant flowers above the foliage again and again.
HOW TO FERTILIZE LOTUS
For conventional fertilizer (tablets or loose prills) which releases quickly when water is added:
Wait until the lotus plant has several floating leaves or begins to put up aerial leaves before adding fertilizer.
Choose a good fertilizer such as Waterlily World Tablets, Pondtabbs or Landon’s Aquatic Fertilizer and follow the instructions carefully. The amount of fertilizer to use is usually based on the size of the pot and the amount of soil in the pot. For example, most of the small tablets are added at a ratio of 1-2 tablets per gallon of soil in the pot. Once the lotus has started to grow vigorously tablets can be added every 2-3 weeks. Stop fertilizing in late summer to allow the lotus to use up all the fertilizer in the pot before going dormant. This encourages the lotus to form better rhizomes.
For SLOW-RELEASE FERTILIZER like Nutricote 14-4-14, 100 day fertilizer:
*follow amount directions on package. Place fertilizer around the bottom of the pot then add soil. Plant rhizome in the soil at the top of soil layer and let it grow down to find fertilizer. We use slow-release fertilizer but begin adding extra Pondtabbs after 3 months when growth gets vigorous and we continue adding extra fertilizer until late summer.
Do NOT use 360 day fertilizer because it will release fertilizer for too long and the lotus will not form as many rhizomes when it goes dormant.