Statues and waterlilies are our specialties, and we have plenty of both. Currently we have a stunning pair of black granite hand-carved elephants available at Garden Ponds Nursery, that we hope will find a very special home here on Kaua’i. Stop by and see them in person, and of course we always encourage you to stop by and smell the waterlilies. We have a gorgeous array of waterlily blooms at the nursery every single day and the very last lotus blooms of the season. Read on to find out more about elephant symbolism and the elegant “Madame” waterlily feature.
Elephant Statue Symbolism
Elephants, in Feng Shui, symbolize power, wisdom, good luck and fertility. People often include statues and paintings of elephants, to bring positivity to a home.
A downward trunk represents longevity, whereas an upward trunk represents good luck and a warm greeting. The color of the stone can hold different meanings. Black stone, like the black granite shown, represents prosperity and success.
Placing an elephant statue at your front door brings good luck, protection, and strength to the household.
Place your elephant statue facing North for career growth and longevity. The elephant symbolizes wisdom and power, and when placed in the work environment its presence will energize your career and business.
Madame Ganna Walska, legendary lady and waterlily
The round, slightly ruffled leaves float on the surface of the water. A spiked pale pink flower stands up six inches above the surface, with an alluring ‘glow’ and a canary yellow center. This waterlily bloom is nymphaea Madame Ganna Walska. With pointed, stellated petals it is one of the most fragrant waterlilies, especially on a first day blossom. It opens and closes each day for four days consecutively.
When the lily opens its petals on the first day, it is filled with an intoxicating nectar cup that draws in both honeybees and humans – nature’s divine golden chalice. The second day bloom changes from female to male and remains male for the remaining bloom days. This tropical water lily is one among 42 varieties of waterlilies we carry at Garden Ponds Nursery in Kilauea.
Madame G. Walska was hybridized by Jack Wood and was named after the famous socialite, Madame Ganna Walska. A notoriously eccentric Polish opera singer, Madame, curated a unique plant specimen collection. After a failed opera career (and six marriages), she dedicated her life to her garden – and it became a flourishing botanical collection still revered by plant lovers today.
When Ganna Walska died in 1984, she left her garden and her entire estate to the Ganna Walska Lotusland Foundation, to ensure that her legacy would remain intact through the gardens she had created. Today it is a public botanical garden called Lotusland, and an important preservation effort for rare and unique plant specimens. Interestingly, Madame’s garden was originally intended to be a monastery for Tibetan monks, but WWII made it impossible for the monks to get visas.
The beautiful waterlily named after the Madame G. Walska is a viviparous lily, meaning it makes keiki from the center of the leaf. It is an excellent addition to water container gardens providing shade and habitat in your water garden. The Madame waterlily will happily live planted in a pot at the bottom of a container that holds water, sitting at about 6-18 inches deep. The blooms will emerge from the crown and grow up and out of the water, opening in the morning, and closing in the evening.
If you have an interest in starting your very own water garden and are interested in a prolific bloomer, we recommend this one to you. If not for the alluring fragrance, color, and blooms, then certainly for the waterlily’s fascinating conversational qualities inspired by a female botanical trailblazer.
Let us know how your waterlilies are blooming by tagging a photo on our social media. If you are like us, your camera rolls are full of waterlily photos! Instagram: @gardenpondskauai and Facebook: Garden Ponds Kauai.
Garden Ponds is located in Kilauea, next to Anaina Hou Mini Golf. We are open Wednesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. and Saturdays we are open 10-5. Give us a call at 808-828-6400, email us at [email protected] or visit our website at www.gardenpondskauai.com
Intricately hand-carved black granite elephant pair offer protection, longevity and wisdom at the entrance of your home or business.
