Lotus
Bird's foot trefoil
Also known as Doryncium
- Height × spread
- 0.2m – 0.8m × 0.3m – 1.5m
- Position
- Full sun
Availability
Please ask in store about availability
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
There are around 110 species of these and they cover sub-shrubs, annuals and perennials and come from all over the world, excluding the very coldest places. Among their number are the charming 'trefoils' otherwise known as wild flowers or weeds depending where they grow. These include Lotus corniculatus, with yellow pea-flowers and loved by bumblebees. An exotic variation on this theme is Lotus berthelotti with a creeping growth habit and startling crimson claw-like flowers. A sub-shrub in character, the gentle Lotus hirsutus and its blue foliage form 'Little Boy Blue' have silvered foliage and produce white pea flowers and reddish pods. Other forms include the annual Lotus tetragonolobus, the asparagus pea that produces pods that are edible. Some members of this genus originally belonged with the genus Doryncium.
- Flower colour
- Orange, Pink, Red, White, Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Blue, Green, Grey
- Fruit colour
- Red
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- No
- Shape
- Dome, Prostrate
- Height
- 0.2m – 0.8m
- Spread
- 0.3m – 1.5m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn
- Evergreen
- Deciduous
- Garden style
- Wild flower meadow, Rock garden, Prairie garden, Mediterranean garden, Gravel garden
- Sun or shade
- Likes full sun
- Soil type
- All types
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Well drained soil, Dry soil, Drought resistant
- Winter hardiness
- Varies, some are not hardy
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Ground cover, Architectural, Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Planting & general
Outdoors
Feed & mulch some rose varieties differently
To keep roses healthy and produce more flowers, feed during the growing season before and after flowering. Roses in containers should be fed more often than those planted in the ground, every two weeks from mid spring to late summer. Adding a mulch around the base of a rose will trap moisture and enrich the soil as it biodegrades.
Outdoors
Water some varieties differently
Some plants within this genus have additional requirements for water. It is best to look up your specific plant, or the species it belongs to for watering guidance.
Planting
Prune some varieties
Some plants within this genus have additional requirements for pruning. It is best to look up your specific plant, or the species it belongs to for pruning guidance.
Found in
More Lotus
Lotus berthelotti
Coral gem, Parrot's beak, Pelican's beak, Winged pea
Lotus corniculatus
Bird's foot trefoil, Bacon and eggs, Cats clover, Shoes and stockings, Crow toes
Lotus hirsutus
Hairy canary clover
Lotus hirsutus 'Little Boy Blue'
Hairy canary clover
Lotus maculatus
Trefoil, Orange dove's bill
Lotus pentaphyllum subsp. germanicum
German doryncium
Lotus hirsutus
Hairy canary clover