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Fear Not! Echo Park Lake's Lotus Plants Flourishing in The Valley
An actual Echo Park lotus flower last year (Photo by A.C. Thamer via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
It's been a while since Echo Park Lake was abloom with the beauty of lotus flowers, and while the annual fest has gone on without the plants, this year there isn't even going to be a fest. So where did the remaining lotus plants go?
The Eastsider LA has the story, and it takes us over the hill and into...Reseda:
[T]hanks to aquatic plant expert Randy McDonald, a piece of the Echo Park lotus bed is now blooming in the Valley, where McDonald’s aquatic plant nursery is growing lotus that are descendants of a foot-long cutting he took from Echo Park Lake in 2005. It’s those same plants that will be planted in Echo Park Lake next February when it is refilled with water after a $65 million clean up is completed.
Apparently the lotus plants love the hot hot heat of the Valley. They're thriving in their temporary spot, and by next July, back in the lake, the lotus should be back in Echo Park in abundance. “They will be just like going crazy. They will cover that lotus bed as quickly as they can," said McDonald.
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