The parentage of these thrillingly-colored purple, violet and lavender flowers includes the legendary Egyptian blue water lily (Nymphaea caerulea) which is sometimes   confusingly referred to as the blue lotus. The true lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an equally legendary, exquisitely beautiful water plant. Both lotus and waterlilies are thriving in the long, shallow pool on the Geis Terrace.

            We’ve been tracking the water temperature this summer, in an attempt to understand the micro-environment of the Terrace pool better. Temperatures in the pool fluctuate rapidly, since it’s so shallow (c.a. twelve inches of water.) It tends to drop into the 60’s at night, and zoom back up into the 90’s on hot, sunny days.

            It makes it rather difficult to keep fish healthy, but doesn’t seem to bother the waterlilies at all, they thrive in warm water. They are really at their peak in late summer when everything else is starting to look peaked and parched. Once frost threatens, they are scooped out of the pool, pots and all, and wintered over in immense livestock water-tubs in a cozy, warm greenhouse.