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Chinese lanterns may grow like weeds, but florists prize them

Nothing illuminates fall quite as elegantly as Chinese lanterns. This unusual-looking plant doesn’t make flowers. Instead, it produces masses of vibrant orange balloons that dangle like tea lights on wiry stems.

Maybe you’ve seen these papery seed pods in fall floral arrangements or spied them at the craft store and wondered where they come from.

In fact, they grow right in our own back yards.

At harvest time, millions of Chinese lanterns hang from the rafters at Glenn Cavender’s barn outside Canby. Step inside: The lanterns will light the way. If you fall in love with them, you can even grow the plant yourself. All it takes is some seeds or a root from a neighbor, and you’re off and running.

Here’s a strange thing about this plant: Florists pay dearly for it. That’s because three growers control 90 percent of the market, according to Cavender. Back East, in New York City, for instance, you’ll pay $4 for just one stem. Here in the Northwest, Haggen Foods’ floral department is selling 10 stems for $12.

Cavender grows more than an acre of them. In a good year he’ll make 50 grand. In a bad year he falls back on his day job as a mechanic.
But before you go planting a whole field full, let me tell you a few things about this cottage industry. It’s a pretty hard one to break into because it’s tough to get enough rootstock to make a living. Like family jewels, the plants are passed down from generation to generation.
You can imagine how happy Cavender was to get 40 or 50 garbage bags full of roots from his dad.

“That really helped, you know. You just don’t find people who want to give or sell the rootstock, because they don’t want everyone else growing them,” he says. “They want to control the price, keep the price up. It’s a real niche market.”

Now this is a niche we can appreciate. In fact, we need to grow some in our gardens. However, it turns out there’s quite a paradox about the Chinese-lantern plant. Yes, there’s a raging market for the limited floral supply — and yet it’s considered a weed.

Though the rootstock is hard to find, the seeds are easy. A packet of 175 seeds goes for under $3 from the Burpee and Thompson & Morgan seed companies. That will go a long way. The experts often bad-mouth Chinese lanterns for spreading quickly once established, because the root system is similar to ivy.

But, Cavender says, there’s no reason to panic. Unlike ivy, Chinese lantern roots are no sweat to pull up, and they hate Roundup weed killer.

If you’re worried about their taking over, just try a couple of seeds to start with and see what you think. You’ll find the plant easy to start from seed and to take care of.

To plant, merely toss the seeds on some sandy loam in spring. Then cut the stems near the base of the plant in early September when the bells start to show color. Hang them upside down in a dry place with good air circulation for about 10 days.