Hey, HBL, I found some really nice Nelumbo nuciferas in my Botanical Garden's ponds, I wonder if it is this variety:
I posted this pic somewhere already, this pic's from early April (like 3rd or 4th) and I wanted to show you, HBL, how a strong mat (protected with some mulch) recovers from the winter. Those plants were about 2,5m (8,2ft) high. Black in the center usually means rotten, but in general I think that only 2 of those larger didn't come back. There were also 7 new shoots.
