Chinese Lantern Lucky Lantern Red

Chinese Lantern 'Lucky Lantern Red' (Abutilon 'Lucky Lantern Red') is a dwarf flowering shrub that holds at about 45cm tall and 45cm wide, roughly a third the size of an ordinary abutilon. It carries pendulous red bell flowers over a long season.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers for months, not weeks. The nodding red lanterns appear through the warm months and often well beyond.
• Genuinely small. At 45cm each way it fits a courtyard, a balcony pot or the front of a narrow border without needing to be cut back to size.
• Birds and pollinators find it. Nectar rich flowers pull in honeyeaters, bees and butterflies.
• Low maintenance. A light trim after the main flush and an occasional feed is the entire routine.
• Takes heat and humidity. It handles hot humid summers that flatten many small flowering shrubs.

Where it works best

Pots, balconies and courtyards. One plant suits a 300mm to 400mm pot. In a small courtyard, three pots along a wall give colour at eye level.

Borders and edging. Plant 30cm apart along the front of a bed for a low flowering edge that keeps its shape rather than flopping into the path.

Mass planting in small gardens. At 30cm spacing the plants close into a continuous low block of red, and a pack of ten covers roughly a square metre.

Growing Chinese Lantern 'Lucky Lantern Red' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest flowering; partial shade works in hot inland gardens, though you trade some flower for it. This is a plant for tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It takes light frost only, so in cool temperate and frosty inland districts grow it in a pot and shift it under eaves for winter.

Soil. Free draining soil enriched with compost, or a premium potting mix in pots. Wet feet through a humid summer is the fastest way to lose one.

Water and feed. Keep it evenly moist through the first season, then water when the top of the soil dries; pots may need daily attention in summer. A controlled release fertiliser in early spring plus a liquid feed every few weeks keeps the buds coming.

Pruning. Tip prune young plants to build density. After the main flush, trim back by about a third to keep it compact and trigger another round of flowers.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: tube stock, and 140mm pots in packs of ten. Tube stock is young and inexpensive, ideal for a border if you can wait a season for size. The 140mm plants are branched and often carrying buds.

Expect some bud and flower drop in transit; small flowering shrubs travel best out of flower. Plant or pot up within a few days, water in well, and expect fresh growth within three to four weeks in warm weather.

Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The best plants for a balcony or small courtyard
• Low growing plants for garden borders
• Browse bird attracting plants
• More plants suited to small gardens

Common questions

How far apart should I plant them?

Thirty centimetres apart for edging or mass planting. That gives a solid low band of foliage and flower without the plants shading each other out.

Will it survive winter in a cool climate?

It tolerates light frost only. In Melbourne, Canberra, Adelaide and frosty inland gardens, grow it in a pot and move it under cover over winter rather than planting it out.

How do I get more flowers?

Full sun, regular water and a trim after the first flush. A liquid fertiliser high in potassium every few weeks in the growing season helps, while heavy nitrogen pushes leaf at the expense of bud.