Lotus Pod Love Story

From muddy ponds to my flower shop

I love when farmers know they have something perfect just for my shop. Joan Norman of One Straw Farm walked over from her stand at the farmers market at the end of my block one Saturday morning with a bulb crate full of green lotus pods. She knew I was the right customer for them. They were so cool! I didn't know what I was going to do with them, but I knew I wanted them. I bought the entire crate and said I would take any more she had. I've been buying lotus from One Straw for several years now and I just got my annual haul. One hundred seventy one fresh, green pods are now hanging from my ceiling.

When Joan first delivered, I had to figure out what to do with the strange two-foot long stems. I tried using them fresh but the necks were too soft after harvest. The heads lolled around like a newborn. I found that sticking a wood skewer into the base of the stem provided effective support. The lotus began to stiffen and brown over a few days and I realized they are best to use when dry. My husband rigged up some unused wire shelving from the ceiling. I slid the stems in-between the wires and the pods rested on top. Hanging them upside-down next to my other dried flowers works, but the hard, peanut-sized seeds eventually fall out and bounce all around my shop.

Once the pods are dry, I use them in both fresh and dried arrangements. They are really best suited for fall and winter wreathes. They add such an interesting color, texture and shape to those designs. I attach them using a light gauge wire or hot glue. They are large and heavy, so they need to be well secured.

Lotus flowers grow in shallow water. The seeds germinate in the muck of a pond bed. The plant stretches up through the water and blooms above with leaves opening flat and floating on the surface. After the petals fall off (I find lotus doesn't hold up as a cut flower) they are ready to harvest. Joan wades out to pick the pods closest to the shore. She lets her husband know to check on her if she's gone too long - she has gotten stuck in the mire more than once. For the pods too deep for her waders, she ventures out in a canoe. It's a unique harvest for one of my most unique looking design elements.

Let me know if I triggered any trypophobia in the comments.