Location

• Lotus plants require a watery, muddy environment in full sun to grow well. They grow well at the margins of ponds, in bog conditions and in containers of wet, muddy soil. For a naturalistic scene in a yard or garden, dig a 2-foot by 3- or 4-foot hole, line it with plastic pond liner and refill with wet soil to plant lotus seeds or tubers. All sizes of lotus, from small to very large, grow in containers on patios and decks, as long as they are kept wet and have full sun. A sheltered location is best for lotus to prevent wind damage to leaves and flowers. Lotus plants are hardy in zones 4 through 11, but will be destroyed if left outside to freeze in northern climates, where they must be moved indoors or given freeze protection.
  
  

Seeds

• Lotus seeds develop in an unusual flat seed head with individual compartments holding large black seeds. The dried seed heads are used in dried flower arrangements, in their natural state or painted different colors. Fertile lotus seeds are smooth and shiny, while infertile seeds are wrinkly and crumble easily. To germinate, lotus seeds must be scarified, or scratched and softened with a file or sandpaper. File seeds just to the brown layer under the outer seed coat. Cutting into the white inner seed will damage it. The best time to germinate lotus seeds is the first week of May. Put them in water after scratching the seed coat, and when they sprout, plant them in muddy soil.
  
  

Tubers

• Tubers are the underground roots of the lotus plant. Ripe tubers need to be soaked in water for 10 to 14 days before planting, making sure to keep the water fresh. Once the tubers sprout, they can be transferred to a spot in the water garden, bog or container, submerging the tuber in wet mud and keeping the growing tip above the wet soil. Koi and goldfish eat lotus roots and foliage, so direct planting in fish ponds will result in damaged or destroyed plants.
  
  

Edible

• Lotus plants are eaten in India as a vegetable. Young leaves are cut and steamed, large leaves are used to wrap food before steaming or grilling, fat tubers are cooked and eaten like potatoes and the seeds are roasted and eaten as snacks. Growing lotus to harvest as food requires more than a few ornamental lotus plants. Flower petals are candied or mixed in salads.