Gardening in California 



the vegetable kingdom, is a native of tropical South America. It 

 bears leaves from five to seven feet in diameter with a vertical 

 rim from three to six inches high. Its deliciously fragrant flowers 

 measure from twelve to fifteen inches in diameter and open about 

 five o'clock in the evening, closing the following morning about 

 nine o'clock, reopening about five or six o'clock the same after- 

 noon and closing, for good, the morning of the second day. The 

 first time the flowers open they are white slightly tinted with 

 pink, the second time they open they are of a rosy pink. To 

 grow well, this species or any of its varieties, must have a sunny, 

 sheltered situation, and the water must be kept at a temperature 

 of about eighty degrees Fahrenheit, which of course necessitates 

 artificial heat, this being produced by hot water pipes running 

 through the tank or pond in which the Victoria is to be grown. 



Nelumbium speciosum (Egyptian Lotus) is one of the best 

 of the species, being a vigorous grower and a free bloomer with 

 flowers of rosy pink. 



Nelumbium luteum (the American lotus), is not quite so 

 strong-growing as the Egyptian species, but, on account of its 

 color, should be in every collection; its flowers are pale yellow. 

 There is also a white-flowered, strong-growing species named 

 Nelumbium alba grandiflorum, whose white flowers make it very 

 desirable, as they contrast well with the pink flowers of the 

 Egyptian. 



The Nelumbium all like a well-sheltered situation and plenty 

 of space to show to advantage. 



Propagate by seeds sown, in February, in pots filled with 

 light sandy soil, the seeds being covered about one-quarter of an 

 inch deep; submerge the pots, covering them to the depth of 

 about three inches and keeping the water at a temperature of 

 about*seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit. When the seedlings have 

 made two or three leaves, pot them singly in three-inch pots, 

 using a slightly richer soil than was recommended for the seed 

 pots; as soon as they have filled the pots with roots, give them 



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