Final firing from Neva’s riverside shop • In 9 active carts • 18 left
Neva's Handmade Lotus Pod Flower Vase
Neva's Handmade Lotus Pod Flower Vase
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Neva's Handmade Lotus Pod Flower Vase
Shaped and pierced by hand on the Mississippi since 1980
Neva Ottley, 72, of Lansing, Iowa, has made one thing for 46 years: a little clay lotus pod that turns a handful of garden flowers into a full, round bouquet on the table. Arthritis in her wrist has ended the work. These are her last 186.
“Grandma always said flowers don’t grow tied together in a bunch, so why keep them that way. Her real lotus pods crumbled every winter. So I made her one out of clay that never would.”
Neva Ottley · Lansing, Iowa
What comes in the box
Glazed ceramic, in your color
One stem per hole, up to 21 stems
Built in under the top
Wrapped by hand, ready to give
What makes Neva’s lotus pod different
Every stem gets its own hole. Mix flowers, herbs and branches: they stand exactly where you put them. No foam, no wire, no tape.
The holes sit close together, so the stems gather into a full, round bouquet. But nothing is squeezed: every stem has its own hole and its own water.
Every stem reaches the water underneath, but the leaves stay above it, so the water stays clear for longer.
No big tall vase: at under 3 inches tall the flowers seem to grow out of the table. Heavy enough not to tip with a long branch.
Zinnias in summer, a maple twig in fall, pine and berries at Christmas, forsythia in spring. One vase all year.
The first one sat on her grandmother’s table for 14 years, with fresh garden flowers every day. Most are bought for a mother or a friend who gardens.
“Grandmothers all over the Midwest kept a flower frog on the table, and most people have forgotten how well they work. Neva’s lotus pod is the best version of that idea I have seen. Each stem gets its own hole, so the flowers gather into a real bouquet without a rubber band crushing the stems, and the leaves stay out of the water. Split one grocery store bouquet into it and it looks like a florist arranged it. A big vase full of squeezed stems never looks that good.”
Linnea Kvale · Master Gardener · 19 years teaching flower arranging at county extension classes in northeast Iowa
Choose your color
Perfect for
Why Neva’s lotus pod lasts
- Real glazed ceramic. Solid and heavy, not plastic or resin.
- Holes pierced by hand. Each one pushed in with a thin brass tube.
- Fired and glazed. Holds water, never soaks through.
- Low and wide. Doesn’t tip over with a tall branch.
- Made to be used. Her grandmother’s pod from 1980 is still in use today.
If it doesn’t make you smile on the table, one email to info@cedarandtinco.com is enough. Neva would rather have it back than have it sit in a cupboard.
Good to know: Every pod is shaped and glazed by hand, so the color and the ridges differ a little from piece to piece. No two are exactly alike. Bigger than most people expect — about the width of an open hand.
Product details
| Contents | 1 lotus pod flower vase with built-in water bowl |
| Material | Glazed ceramic |
| Colors | Morning Fog · Backwater Blue · River Dusk |
| Size | About 5.5 in wide, 2.8 in tall (14 × 7 cm) |
| Holds | Up to 21 stems: flowers, herbs or branches |
| Care | Change the water every few days, rinse with warm water |
| Made by | Neva Ottley, Lansing, Iowa — final firing, 186 remaining |
| Made so far | More than 8,000 since 1980 |
The Last Firing
The Last Firing
A note from the river:
Neva Ottley has made her little lotus pod vases in her uncle’s old bait shop on the Mississippi in Lansing, Iowa, since 1980. Her grandmother Ione used to stand a zinnia in the dried lotus pods from the backwater — but the real pods crumbled every winter. So Neva made her one out of clay that never would. Every pod is shaped by hand, and all 21 holes are pushed in one by one with a thin brass tube. More than 8,000 pods later, arthritis in her wrist no longer lets her make the holes. 186 pods are left from her final firing, in all three colors. When they are gone, there will be no more.
Free US Shipping
Free US Shipping
Free shipping across the United States
- Delivery time: 5–8 business days
- Every vase is carefully packed and sent with tracking
- Size: about 5.5 in wide, 2.8 in tall (14 × 7 cm)
- 21 holes, one stem per hole, built-in water bowl underneath
- Glazed ceramic
- 30-day money-back guarantee — just email info@cedarandtinco.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Got a question? Here’s how to reach us.
Email us anytime at info@cedarandtinco.com. We answer Monday–Friday 9am–5pm and Saturday 10am–3pm. Whether it’s about your order, which color to choose, or just to say hello — a real person writes back.
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Can I return it if it’s not for me?
Of course. 30-day money-back guarantee. Fill it with flowers, live with it for a few weeks, and if it isn’t right for you, email info@cedarandtinco.com within 30 days for a full refund. No questions asked.
How is it made?
How is it made?
Neva shapes each pod by hand and presses in the petal ridges. When the clay is firm, she pushes in all 21 holes one by one with a thin brass tube, then glazes and fires it — about five hours of work per pod. That is why no two pods look exactly alike.