Overwintering Trailing Chinese Lantern (Abutilon)

I've read a few places that Abutilon megapotamicum can be overwintered here. Has anyone been successful?

I've had them in the ground and in clay pots on top of columns (my favorite as they have a lax growth habit and this allows the gorgeous pendulous flowers to be appreciated more closely by me and the numerous humming birds who relish their nectar) for about 6 years now. In very mild years, they have remained evergreen. When there is an actual freeze (a little frost doesn't bother them), the leaves fall off. Resist the temptation to cut off the dead looking sticks as most of them will sprout new leaves when the weather warms up. If you do cut them off, the plant will come back from the roots but will take longer to acheive a large size. I do nothing to protect the plants. They are fully hardy for me even in the cooler areas of my garden. When it gets light tomorrow, I'll take a picture of the oldest potted one & add it to this thread.

I just discovered these beauties this year and plan on using them as an annual at my zone. though I will be bringing in 3 of them to over-winter in the sun room. Hopefully I can grow some to the woody stage.

Thanks Herpst for your experience. I'll plant mine tomorrow. I'm really enjoying this plant and found it easy to propagate a few dozen which have grown to large 8" pot plants. There were comments online about its hardiness but I wasn't sure so now you've convinced me to give it a try. Thank you.

O.K. finally. Here is one a year or two ago.

I would like to get some of the Abutilon, Have'nt seen any in the nursiers I visit.. Herpst where did you get them.

Viv
Very nice plant BTW

I love this plant. I just got 2 more from Vassey Nursery in Puyallup but they are now out of them. Jungle Fever on Pearl Street in Ruston (close to Point Defiance, across the way from the Antique Sandwich Company) almost always has them in 4" and gallon pots. They also have other hardy abutilons and hibiscus among other things. If you like pink, there is a lovely light pink abutilon that has a little more of an open flower than megapotamicum and is delightful. There are orange (have one that is growing at least 15' over an arbor) and yellow ones and a strange new fellow that is vibrant yellow with orange veins. All hardy, hardy, hardy.

Herpst

Oh geesh, I guess I have a NRT (nursery road trip) in my near future. I'll have to check my bank balance... LOL Thanks for the tips.
Viv

NRT's are the mainstay of life. Work & home are just diversions, but always check the balance in the acct.

Since I've always loved them, and they have Herpst's seal of approval for our area, I'll have to invest in a few abutilon, too!

They don't like sun here in Montana and need wet feet to thrive. As soon as mine got dry the flowers became ugly. The plant is ok but the flowers fall off. You guys in the PNW shouldn't have any problem.

Hey, if wet feet is what they like, I have the perfect place! I'll just have to make sure I don't plant them right in the middle of the seasonal creek areas that criss-cross the property.

Yippee!!! Another plant purchase I can justify!
I had no idea they would survive the winter in the ground. In the past, I had decided not to venture there because of limited indoor space (re- overwintering indoors), and lack of GH.
Are some of the cultivars hardier than others? I lived in Brazil 30 years ago & they were widely planted, so how could they possibly endure my ever-so-fickle zone 7?
More scientific research is needed, and as an excuse, research is pretty hard to beat. However, this could be yet another reason for a GH. I am collecting as many excuses as fast as I can.
OK - how about Leonotis (Lion's Tail) - anyone have luck with them?

Never tried a Lion's Tail before, but I understand once you get hold of one you should be sure to hold on tight. lol.

LOL MzW

Oh yes, lions and tigers and bears! Don't let go!

I grow a lot of abutilon, they bloom all year for me here in zone 9. They have a new one that I really like, called Bella Select Mix. At least that was the name on the plugs I got. They are shorter, get no taller than 2 feet or so and the flowers are very large. I also have red tiger, awesome maple leaves and an exotic flower, and I have the variegated, that is with an orange flower. And various others, a tall red, some pink, etc. My current favorites are the shorter Bella hybrids, they flower a lot and the blooms are huge, they come in white, yellow, red, orange and a peach color. I do believe these are all easy from seed and they seem to put on seed easily. I find they do well in quite heavy shade but don't care for hot afternoon sun, at least for me here. If you need to grow them as annuals you may want to save some seed on the ones you like.
Rebecca

Anyone with 'em want to trade or SASE for some seed, or cuttings. I want some.

Viv

I have not checked for seed pods, I am sure I have some. Remember if they are hybrid they may not come true with the seed, which means you might get some really cool ones as well as some ugly ones, lol. Anyhow I will check for seed pods, what do you have for trade?
Rebecca

I'd be happy to give you seeds Vizz, but my flowers just drop off when they're finished & make lovely orange confetti on the ground beneath. If you'd like to try rooting cuttings, you are more than welcome to take some. If that doesn't work, Jungle Fever usually has small ones in 4" pots in the spring for $3.00.

I appreciate all the info I read here today. I moved to Kirkland, WA from Burbank CA in April, so I'm learning how to garden here. I have pink abuliton in a very large container and am glad to hear that it won't die this winter.

I have a hibiscus in the ground that I planted this spring. Will it overwinter?

This message was edited Aug 28, 2006 1:45 PM

aparks - you need to determine which hibiscus you have: if it is a tropical type, dig it up. They overwinter inside just fine. I used to put mine in the shower once a month, kept it inside until the nighttime temps were above 50 degrees, and back outside it went.
There are some hibiscus that are hardy, Syriacus & mutabilis being the two more common types. These will do just fine left in the ground.

im in abutilon heaven..id love some seed if anyone wants to share?
thanks
pamsue

I think I have some of these. Mine are orange and stay closed. I got them from DM's neighbor...they have tons. They spread and keep over. I clipped them to dry for potpourri. I know they have seeds and I dug some up to take to my DML near Portland, OR. I didn't know there were other colors and varieties!!! I love them! Are they the same? I would love to find out how to trade....K~
My next door neighbor has these http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/18620/
These are what we have http://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/perennials/chinese_lantern.html

Katye, I have the lions tail. I got it last year and it was blooming, I believe it was late summer. It is in the ground in a sunny spot. Its doing fine now but no blooms yet. It has grown well and the frost we had this last winter did not bother it. I will have to check and see if there are any buds, I think it would do okay for you, the question is do we have enough heat for flowers? And its nothing I would grow for the foliage so hopefully it will flower. Will let you know if I do have some. And I am hanging on to it, don't want to let go....
Rebecca

Rebeccanne: You are in zone 9 - I think you have warmer winter weather than I do (zone 7 & not predictable!). I have a Leonotis, it's about 12 - 14" tall & hasn't budded out at all - I assumed it would need to be a year old or so to flower, as they are shrubs. I will bring mine inside for the winter as I don't want to start another next year, and they are not easy to find up my way. Let me know if you get flowers - they are supposed to flower late summer into Fall.

i have lots of seeds of abutilon bella and id like to know how to start them...should i start them now or wait til spring?

pamsue

Herpst: I would like to start some from cuttings, then if none take I'll get some in the spring.
Rebecca: What are you looking for? What type of plants are you wanting to get?


Viv

Viv, well I have no idea what I want. I truely have so many seeds and no time to do them but even so, if I see one I like, I gotta have it. I take it you would like some seeds? If so, I did pull a bunch off and am drying them now. Hopefully they are ripe, the pod is hard, I am waiting for it to open. I will post a note here and anyone who wants some seed I can sase or we can trade. I will look tomorrow for the other abutilon pods, the ones I got are the bella. I do have a very hardy orange one that is just awesome, about 3 feet high and weeps. I have a nice red one, the variegated and a huge pink one that is about 7 feet tall. I will check for pods on those as well. If anyone is doing cuttings, I will tell you my experience. I put some in soil, treated them like I would a fuchsia. They grew new leaves and were flowering and I went to repot them and there were not roots at all. Not even callus. But they do root, it just takes a long time and how they grow so well with no roots, well, I don't know.


katye, I checked my lions tail. It is quite big, almost 4 feet and growing really well. There are no signs of buds at all. I am thinking I don't have enough heat. I got this one blooming from Eureka, Ca and it bloomed into fall last year so I was expecting something. But so far, nothing. At least it will stand a little frost, we had a cold winter and got frost several times and it did not bother it. But not such a pretty bush with no flowers.

rebecca

rebecca: yes save me some seed of all you can, I'm sure we can work a trade of some sort.

Viv

Rebecca.....I would like some seed if you have extra, K~

Just saw this thread. I, too, have them in the ground here and they've thrived. But I do have mine planted by a cement wall, which retains some heat. Mine stayed evergreen even during our long freezing spells last winter. Soferdig is right about the water. I notice that mine goes limp quickly when the temperatures climb and the soil dries out. I have to keep it watered much more than the other plants in that bed. Now I have one planted by the waterfall.
I 'divided' mine last spring, even though this is a woody perennial. I had to move it and noticed that the plant was actually two plants, probably two cuttings that went into the same pot. I believe that the digging and replanting delayed the plant considerably. Does anyone else have experience with this?

I have noticed when I plant mine from the pot to the ground they pout awhile. I think they are a little senstive to change, I would not make a drastic change, for example if you have them in the shade, then planting in the sun. I have found mine will do well in full sun or in almost full shade and flower equally well. But when I change the location they do suffer but will come around. Mine do the very best with morning sun, afternoon shade and plenty of water.
Rebecca

that seems to jive with what I've experience, too.

Herpst:Are you coming to the sale this weekend? If you do, could you bring seed/cuttings of the abutilon with. I'm swapping plants
with Pixy too.

Viv

Mine are getting the test of cold tonight with lows in the mid thirties. Tomorrow I will go out and look to see if stressed. Right now they are beautiful.

I'm feeling left out. Darn border. Have fun!

yeah, I agree about the border issue. We'll think of you and all our friends in Canada!
Beautiful, Sofer!

Anxious to hear what happens with your plant Soferdig. I love them!

Is anything going on when I get to Seattle on Sept. 18 thru the 24th? I always get there too late to do anything this weekend.