bamboo lotus plant
Every part of the bamboo and lotus plants holds great cultural, spiritual, and aesthetic meaning in many parts of the world, particularly when we look to Asia. The harmonious and personified concept of the Bamboo Lotus, marrying the robust, towering bamboo with the pure and holy lotus, is an emerging trend reflected in gardening, home decor, and in sacred spaces. The plant embodies and lavishes the beauty of its surroundings. It also represents a heavenly blend of power, purity, and peace. In this article, I will further discuss the unique characteristics and multifaceted symbolic meanings of the Bamboo Lotus, its care, and how to transform your living space with this plant.
Understanding the Bamboo Lotus Plant
The bamboo lotus thus isn’t a species of plant on its own. Rather, it involves putting two plants together, typically the bamboo and lotus plants, in such a way as to create an attractive tableau that is also full of symbolic meaning, even though these plants are quite distinct from each other in terms of their ecology and physiology. In fact, their appearance and meaning reinforce one another.
The Bamboo: A Symbol of Resilience
Bamboo is a grass that grows fast. But also, bamboo is strong and flexible – a survivor. It will thrive in most environments, wherever it can find a foothold. Given its status as an icon of resilience and adaptability, it’s not hard to discern the relevance of that plant to Buddhist symbolism. More specifically, bamboo is a powerful and enduring symbol of longevity as well as virtue and morality. As a result, bamboo imagery has been associated with long life and wisdom, and the virtues of keen-mindedness, fidelity and vigilance. For example, in Zen art and iconography, for many in the Asian cultures that continue to be influenced by that philosophy, its straight, strong, supple, towering poles are taken to be both physical embodiments of, and emblems for, uprightness and moral chastity.
Bamboo can make a house look beautiful for many years to come. Its natural look and good shape can create a harmonious environment for people staying there. A bamboo plant only needs enough water to sustain its growth, and provides people a lot of oxygen. However, the sturdy bamboo frame may be too inflexible.
The Lotus: A Symbol of Purity and Enlightenment
The lotus, meanwhile, is a flowering aquatic plant that is also seen as symbolically significant. It is especially treasured in Hinduism and Buddhism, where it is often used as a symbol of purity, spiritual awakening and enlightenment. The lotus flower grows in muddy waters, yet rises above the muck to bloom unsullied, as if born anew. This is meant to mirror the human journey of reaching for the sun following a life of struggle and, hopefully, cleaning off the accumulated dirt along the way.
Lotus flowers come in a variety of colours, each with their own meaning: white is said to represent the purity of mind and spirit, red is love and compassion, and blue, wisdom and knowledge.
It is often kept in ponds or water gardens, but can just as well be maintained in containers or very shallow water basins at home, to create a peaceful as well as spiritual atmosphere.
The Bamboo Lotus Plant Arrangement: Aesthetic and Symbolic Appeal
This visual representation can be very powerful, all the more so when bamboos and lotuses are displayed together in a combined arrangement. There are many variations possible, and the overall aesthetic depends on the space available.
Bamboo and Lotus in Outdoor Spaces
Outside, the bamboo lotus is made with bamboo planted along the sides of a pond or water feature where lotus flowers are growing. Bamboo stalks can provide height and structure, while lotus flowers float easily on the water’s surface, creating a cooling and relaxing ambience.
This pairing is especially powerful in Zen gardens or meditative spaces, where the symbolism of both plants reinforces a feeling of quietude and inwardness; the lotus, still and serene, is complemented by the movement of its companions, bamboo leaves rustling against each other and grasses wafting in the breeze.
Indoor Bamboo Lotus Arrangements
Since this arrangement is meant for indoor spaces, small potted bamboo plants will stand near the place where water basins holding lotus flowers, or bamboo shoots are placed. With a bamboo lotus arrangement placed in your living room, office or a meditation room, it will make the place more warm and cosy.
The bamboo goes in tall, straight-sided vases that fit with a Modernist, minimalist look. The lotus goes in shallow water vessels, perhaps with stones or pebbles in the bottom, which will be easier to keep clean than soil. Apart from the obvious aesthetic pleasure of mimicking the natural world indoors, I think there is another reason why this arrangement happens so frequently in spaces related to rest or contemplation. By bringing strength and grace into our homes and into our sight, it becomes an ongoing reminder of the relationship between that tension and what comes from resolving it.
Care and Maintenance of the Bamboo Lotus Plant
Although both the bamboo and the lotus are low maintenance, they have different needs if you are growing them together. These are worth considering, as taking proper care will ensure that they both flourish, retaining their beauty and symbolism at your home.
Bamboo Care Tips
Light: Bamboo loves bright, indirect light. Although it will survive in low-light conditions, it thrives in a spot right by an undraped window. Sited outdoors, it demands partial to full sunlight.
Watering: Bamboo is very flexible in terms of water: it can be grown in water or in soil but keep the roots moist. If planted in the soil, make sure it is loose and well-draining so it does not waterlog. When grown in water whole pots just like this one will work when you change the water regularly as to not let it stagnate and develop roots rot.
Fertilisation: Bamboo rarely needs much fertiliser but, to encourage lush growth, feed it with a balanced liquid feed every couple of months or so. Do not over-fertilise, or the foliage will turn yellow.
Pruning – To prevent bamboos from getting all scraggly and growing way too tall, prune them neatly. Trim off any yellowing foliage, and cut back any stems that seem to be too long (this also helps encourage fresh new shoots).
Lotus Care Tips
The lotus plant needs full sunlight for at least six hours a day to bloom: make sure the lotus vessel is placed where it will have that amount of direct sunlight or, when planted outdoors, the pond or water feature will be in a sunny location.
Watering: Lotus is a wetland plant, therefore has to be immersed in a container of water; make sure the roots will be submerged but the leaves will be above the waterline. Keep the water level consistent during the growing season and clean the container/pond to avoid algae growth and pests.
Fertilisation: During the growing season, use a slow-release aquatic fertilizer to help keep lotus plants healthy. But because over-fertilisation can actually kill your plants, it’s best to be cautious.
In cooler climates, lotus can be cared for in winter by bringing container-grown plants indoors or protecting them from frost if grown outside, or by making sure that the water doesn’t freeze solid in a pond.
The Bamboo Lotus Plant in Feng Shui and Spiritual Practices
The bamboo lotus is very important in Feng Shui, traditionally used to harmonise a person with the space around the place they live. In Feng Shui, both bamb auspicious plants that bring good energy into a space and balance.
Bamboo in Feng Shui
Because of its rapid growth, longevity, and smooth bendable profile in the face of harsh conditions, bamboo is used widely in Feng Shui to attract good fortune and prosperity, as well as protection. Bamboo is often hung or placed in homes and offices to bring auspicious ‘Chi’ and peace of mind.
So, too, is the number of stalks in a bamboo arrangement. Three signifies happiness, wealth and longevity, while five – associated with the five elements (wood, water, earth, metal and fire) – will restore natural equilibrium to all areas of life.
Lotus in Feng Shui and Spiritual Practices
The flower’s gentle and uplifting energy is said to facilitate spiritual growth, purity and enlightenment, and is placed in meditation spaces and other areas of prayer and contemplation to help disperse other sources of energy that might distract from one’s ultimate goal of attunement to one’s spiritual self.
One of the most important symbols in Buddhist practice is the lotus, which symbolises the path to enlightenment. Like a lotus flower that grows from muddy waters and blooms amidst the muck of life, so human life beings in a polluted state, but the aim is to flourish in undefiled beauty, beyond any obstacle.