Hey@SoOrbudgal if you haven't ordered the seeds yet, please dont! Of the over 50 plants i have grown, i have never been able to start a seed. Not even naturally as the bud bends over and drops 40-50 seeds back into the pots...nothing. The best way to get them is to buy a tuber from a pond plant store. They ship them to you packed in sawdust i think. Did a quick search in Oregon and found Oregon Aquatics and POND MEGASTORE(may be something closer to you). Some Nurseries do sell potted lotus plants but their hard to notice cause they start out like a water lilly. Here in Ontario Canada if you can find them potted, at a nursery, their usually 70-80$