Water lilies and lotuses bloom on this Mangaluru woman's rooftop

The love for flowers and gardening got Sneha Bhat into growing aquatic plants, including a variety of lotus and water lilies, on the rooftop of her house at Pilar, on the outskirts of Mangaluru.

"It is a bliss to watch water lilies bloom with the rising sun, and slowly close the petals with the nightfall. This process continues for four days, after which the petals of these flowers fold up. Lotus never folds its petals after dusk and remains fresh for a few days till it dries up," said Sneha while explaining her newfound love and passion to DH.

An assistant professor at SDM College of Business Management in Mangaluru and an announcer at AIR in the city, Sneha has around 85 varieties of aquatic plants.

"There are water lilies that bloom daily and some only in the night. These water lilies and lotus have been attracting butterflies and stingless bees which in turn help other flowering plants through pollination. Each water lily and lotus has its own fragrance. The structure of the leaves varies. Normally, the flowering slows down during the winter season,'' Sneha added.

"People have a notion that water lilies and lotus are grown in lakes and ponds. I used to collect the plants from lakes and try growing them in the past. After trial-and-error methods and learning from various sources, I started growing these aquatic plants in water tubs on my rooftop. Some of these varieties are locally available. I was able to procure some varieties from sellers on WhatsApp groups from Odisha, Gujarat, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and so on and also through friends,” she explained.

There are 15 varieties of lotus on the rooftop of Sneha. Some of the varieties are ‘Purple Joy- Day bloomer or Komale’, White Foreigner Lotus, Yellow Peony Lotus, New Star Lotus, Jinse Lotus, Lady Binglie Bowl Lotus, Charming Lips Lotus, Buddha Seat Lotus, Queen of Hearts Lotus and so on.

"All the tubs have guppy fish in it, to check breeding of mosquitoes and also to keep the water fresh. The water in the tubs need not be changed unless it develops algae,'' explained Sneha.

There are some non-flowering aquatic plants like Azolla and Parrot's feather as well. "My husband Ravish Bhat has been supporting my passion and also helps in taking care of these plants," she said.

Further, Sneha has not used any chemical fertilisers for growing these plants. "Many use chemical fertilisers for speedy growth of tubers and leaves and for early flowering. Though snails and dragonflies sometimes damage the leaves of these water lilies and lotus, I remove these snails manually rather than using insecticides," she added

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