Nelumbo nucifera Chinese Red Jiaxing - Sacred lotus

Nelumbo nucifera 'Chinese Red Jiaxing' is a large-growing Indian lotus, sought after for the intensity of its red colouring and its rather early flowering. This variety holds large, perfectly formed corollas well above the water, supported by handsome foliage. It is suited to sunny ponds, ornamental pools, and large aquatic pots. Its flower retains its raspberry colouring for a long time. This lotus will withstand our winters if its rhizome is planted deep enough under the water, protected from frost.

The sacred lotus belongs to the Nelumbonaceae family. A perennial aquatic with a fleshy rhizome, Nelumbo nucifera roots in heavy, submerged soil. It first produces a few floating leaves before raising its foliage and flowers above the water. This is one of the traits that clearly distinguishes it from water lilies: in the lotus, the circular, peltate leaf is borne on a long, rigid petiole, and the flower rises high above the surface.

'Chinese Red Jiaxing' is the name of a cultivar also distributed under the name 'Zhong Guohong Jiaxing'. It belongs to the Red City Series, a series of red lotuses created by the Chinese breeder Ding Yuesheng of Nanjing Yilian Garden for the Shanghai 2010 World Expo. The name of this series refers to several Chinese cities; here, Jiaxing.
This selection falls into the category of large lotuses. Its foliage reaches a minimum height of 1.20 m, up to 1.30 to 1.50 m. The bright green leaves measure 30 to 40 cm in diameter. They have a particular shape: the leaf is slightly hollowed towards the centre, at the point of insertion of the petiole, then rises gently towards the margin. They are concave, somewhat like a very open, shallow bowl. Their surface, slightly waxy as in other Nelumbo, allows water to roll off in droplets.
The flower is single. It has fewer than 20 petals and shows a particularly thick ring of stamens around the central receptacle. Its diameter reaches 20 to 25 cm. The colour is a brilliant raspberry red that remains stable in the heat. It is also an early lotus, which begins to flower in June. In autumn, its foliage yellows and then disappears, while the rhizome goes dormant.

Due to its size, this cultivar is made for a large pond, an ornamental pool, or a wide aquatic pot placed in full sun. It requires a container at least 50 cm in diameter, wide rather than deep, to give the rhizome the necessary space without letting it run freely throughout the pond. At the start, a few centimetres of water above the soil are sufficient; once the plant is established, the water depth should be between 20 and 50 cm, depending on the vigour of the specimen and the depth of the container.

In the water garden, 'Chinese Red Jiaxing' is used as a main feature. It can also be grown in a large, watertight container on a very warm, well-exposed terrace. In winter, the pot is left in place only if the rhizome is not at risk of freezing; otherwise, lower the container deeper into the water or shelter it from frost. If you wish to keep open water areas and associate the lotus with other plants, including water lilies, you must contain the lotus; otherwise, it often ends up taking over all the space. In a large pond, it should be grown alone in its container; it can be accompanied elsewhere in the water feature by a hardy water lily planted in another basket, or by shallow-water plants like Acorus gramineus 'Ōgon', Acorus gramineus 'Variegatus' or Iris laevigata.

Nelumbos and water lilies are the queen plants of ponds and large aquatic displays. They are also essential for the good balance of a pool, as they contribute to the oxygenation of the water. Their leaves provide shade and shelter for fish, which in return protect them from predatory insects.