A favourite Abutilon from the garden of Jill Fraumeni in Sydney

Sometimes called Chinese lanterns or flowering maples, Abutilon have waxed and waned in popularity over the years. In Victorian and Edwardian times, they were fashionable in glasshouses and formal summer bedding schemes, then their star faded somewhat. However, in Sydney's climate, they are an indispensable source of long-lived colour for our gardens. Our mild climate means they flourish without needing protection over winter, and they seem quite resilient to our increasingly hot summers. Here they are literally in bloom from March to November, so are just starting to rev up now, with a profusion of bell-shaped, lantern-like flowers in a wide range of colours. They are shrubs familiar to me since childhood, as my mother loved them and grew a number of different ones, and I still have specimens grown as cuttings from those plants.

Abutilon megapotamicum trained as a standard in the garden of Jill Fraumeni in Sydney

Abutilon megapotamicum trained as a standard in the garden of Jill Fraumeni in Sydney

Belonging to the family Malvaceae, Abutilon are related to plants such as hollyhocks and Hibiscus. The ones grown in our gardens are generally hybrids and cultivars derived from just four species: Abutilon striatum, Abutilon pictum, Abutilon darwinii and Abutilon megapotamicum,which all hail from South and Central America. Abutilon megapotamicum can still be seen in Sydney gardens. It has large red calyces and small yellow lantern blooms. It is a rather lax plant, with curving branches, and it can be grown over arches, espaliered on a trellis or trained as a weeping standard plant on a single trunk. There seem to be two forms of this plant: a ground-covering type and a shrubby one up to 2-2.5 m in height. There is a variegated cultivar of the ground-covering form, known as 'Variegatum', with leaves mottled with yellow markings. Note that according to some authorities, Abutilon megapotamicum has been reclassified as Callianthe megapotamica.

Abutilon from the garden of Carolyn Hughes in Sydney

Abutilon from the garden of Carolyn Hughes in Sydney

The cultivars and hybrids (Abutilon x hybridum) have larger flowers, the petals of which are often strongly veined. The protruding joined yellow stamens resemble the clapper of a bell. They are long-flowering, soft-wooded shrubs usually growing to between 1 and 2 m in height (but sometimes taller), with a similar spread. There are some quite compact forms available that grow less than a metre tall. The colours of the flowers include white, yellow (both pale and vivid), orange, tangerine, red and various shades of pink. Flower shapes can vary from being quite tight to very flared and open. There are a number of named cultivars, but few gardeners know the names of the ones in their gardens; they are usually referred to as 'the white one', 'the small orange one' etc! One very pretty small-flowered tawny orange one seems to have the name 'Copper Kettle'. One with green-and-white variegated leaves and a peach flower is called 'Souvenir de Bonn'. The maple-shaped leaves of provide and attractive backdrop for the flowers; some cultivars have foliage that is mottled yellow (which is caused by the abutilon mosaic virus), producing an interesting effect.

Abutilon grown with Canna in the garden of Margaret Chedra in Sydney

Abutilon grown with Canna in the garden of Margaret Chedra in Sydney

In their natural environment, Abutilon grow in light shade on woodland fringes, so they are ideally suited to a part-shaded spot with a bit of morning sun. They do not cope so well with full shade, where they can become straggly. They will also grow in sun, but are so useful for part shade. Intense sunshine may bleach the flowers. They handle fairly ordinary soil conditions, though respond well to mulch and fertiliser. The smaller varieties can be grown in a reasonably large pot. They can cope with a mild frost but not very cold winters. I find the best time to prune them is in late November as they seem to enter a quiescent phase for several months around that time.

Dwarf-growing Abutilon from the garden of Linda Macaulay in Sydney

Dwarf-growing Abutilon from the garden of Linda Macaulay in Sydney

They are prone to a nasty leaf-rolling caterpillar in summer which can defoliate a plant in just a few days. I have found Yates Success to give pretty good results; it is based on a bacteria rather than a harmful chemical. You may need to apply these treatments a couple of times to achieve control. They can also be attacked by flea beetles, which can make many holes in the leaves. Neem oil may help to control them. Try a drench of neem oil around the plant at the end of winter to control the larvae

Abutilon from the garden of my mother in the Blue Mountains

Abutilon from the garden of my mother in the Blue Mountains

Older plants seem more vulnerable to pests and Abutilon can get very woody after a while, so they may need to be replaced with a fresh plant struck from a cutting. Cuttings taken in autumn or spring will take root easily if kept in a humid environment. Sometimes chance seedlings may appear that have flowers of unusual hues. Abutilon x hydridum can be trained as standards: begin when the plant is young and has a single stem. I've seen some examples where a couple of different coloured versions and plaited together to give a rather impressive result.