Lotus Pond

These are pictures of my lotus pond in my front garden. The lotus blooms are closed during the night and open up slowly during dawn and are in full bloom by mid day. This plant has been very prolific and I have had at least one lotus every single day. The lotus pond also has lots of fish - hardy river guppies that can survive chlorine water - and also is a home for 3 large frogs that sleep in it during the day and hop out at night in search of insects to eat. The lotus pond is bordered by Balsam (Impatiens) which has spread all over my garden. The lotus pond is very low maintenance and needs a lot of sun. It has its own little ecosystem and the fish thrive in it without any feeding on my part. Of course from time to time, I drop in a few crumbs of cake or bread and the fish are all over it - flashing their colorful tails. An occasional water top up is all the lotus pond needs along with leaf pruning from time to time. I've had it for over 2 years now and absolutely love it.

A water hyacinth which looks very pretty but is actually a very fast growing weed that has clogged up many rivers in Pune. This plant is a native of South America and has overrun the indigenous plant population in rivers in many parts of India.

Top view of the lotus plant from the terrace.