Chinese lantern is a hardy perennial plant that looks great in pots or in the ground and adds color to your fall garden. The lanterns, which are seed pods that turn bright pumpkin orange at the end of the growing season in early fall, are what make it appealing. Chinese lantern is easy to grow as long as it has enough light and well-draining soil. The leaves and fruits (both the berries and the seed pods) are very dangerous for both people and animals.
Lantern-like flowers are some of the most unique and eye-catching blooms you can grow. Their pods, berries, or calyces take the shape of paper lanterns, lighting up gardens and floral arrangements.
If you want to add intrigue to your garden. consider planting one of these 7 plants with graceful lantern-like flowers
1. Chinese Lantern (Physalis alkekengi)
The most iconic plant with lantern-like flowers is the Chinese lantern. This hardy perennial produces small white blooms in summer. Once pollinated, the blooms give way to bright orange, lantern-shaped pods in fall.
Chinese lanterns thrive with full sun exposure and moist, well-draining soil. Though beautiful, this plant is aggressive and can overtake garden beds. It’s best grown in containers. The berries and foliage are also toxic.
2. Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa)
Closely related to the Chinese lantern is the tomatillo or “Mexican husk tomato.” It forms similar papery husks in hues of yellow, green or purple. But inside tomatillo husks are edible fruits that resemble small tomatoes.
Give this heat-loving plant full sun, loamy soil and adequate water. Harvest the husks when fruits split them open. Use tomatillos to make salsa verde, sauces and more.
3. Ground Cherry (Physalis pruinosa)
Another edible lantern plant is the ground cherry. It produces yellow, strawberry-like fruits wrapped in papery husks that turn beige when ripe.
The fruits taste mildly sweet with a hint of pineapple flavor. Enjoy them fresh or cooked into jams, pies and desserts. Plant ground cherries in loamy, well-drained soil in full sun.
4. Husk Tomato (Physalis philadelphica)
Also called the “wild tomatillo,” husk tomatoes bear small, marble-sized fruits encapsulated in thin, lantern-like husks. The berries range from pale yellow to deep purple.
Though not as sweet as ground cherries, they have a pleasant, tomato-like flavor. Use them like you would tomatillos. Grow husk tomatoes in zones 4-9 with full sun exposure.
5. Chinese Abelia (Abelia chinensis)
This graceful flowering shrub produces white to pink lantern-like blooms from summer into fall. Its flowers give way to reddish-orange seed pods.
Chinese abelia thrives in zones 6-9. Give it full sun to partial shade and moist, well-draining soil. It works nicely in borders and cottage gardens. Prune annually after blooming.
6. Strawberry Husk Tomato (Physalis peruviana)
Also known as Cape gooseberry, the strawberry husk tomato bears edible yellow fruits the size of marbles. Each fruit grows enclosed in a beige, veined, lantern-like husk.
The berries have a sweet, tropical flavor often described as a cross between pineapple and strawberry. Eat them fresh or in jams, pies and desserts. Grow this short-lived perennial in zones 9-11.
7. Fountain Grass (Pennisetum alopecuroides)
Unlike the previous plants, this ornamental grass doesn’t produce actual lanterns. But its blooms resemble furry, light brown pods giving a lantern-like effect.
Fountain grass blooms from summer into fall with pink or white plumes rising above the pods. It thrives in full sun and dry to medium moisture in zones 5-9. Use it as an accent plant or dramatic background.
How to Use Plants With Lantern-Like Flowers in Your Garden
Plants with lantern-like flowers make excellent additions to cottage gardens, herb gardens and perennial beds. They add unique texture and provide late season interest.
Try combining Chinese lanterns with cool weather bloomers like asters, chrysanthemums and ornamental kale. The lanterns’ orange pods will pop against the flowers’ cool hues.
Edible lantern plants like ground cherries pair nicely with other fruits and vegetables. Or plant tomatillos with pollinator gardens to attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds.
You can also grow lantern plants singly as container specimens. Chinese lanterns and fountain grass shine on their own in patio pots. Place them by entries to greet guests with something unexpected.
Finally, blend these interesting plants into cut flower beds. Their pods and seed heads work beautifully in fresh and dried arrangements.
Caring for Plants With Lantern-Like Flowers
While their needs vary slightly, plants with lantern-like flowers share some similar care requirements:
- Full sun exposure
- Moist, well-draining soil
- Moderate watering when young, less when mature
- Pruning any dead growth in late winter
- Occasional fertilizing in spring if needed
- Monitoring for pests like beetles & powdery mildew
Providing optimal sun and soil drainage encourages the best growth and lantern production. Water new plants regularly until their root systems establish. Then you can taper off.
Most lantern plants only need occasional pruning for shapeliness and to remove dead stems. Apply balanced fertilizer in early spring if plants need a nutritional boost.
Be vigilant about pests like Japanese beetles that enjoy munching on these plants. Treat infestations promptly with neem oil or insecticidal soap. With proper care, your lantern plants will thrive for years of enjoyment.
The Appeal of Lantern-Like Flowers
It’s easy to see why lantern plants have such widespread popularity. Their pods give gardens unique texture and form. As their papery husks change color in fall, they usher in autumn with flair.
Lantern flowers also have an exotic, tropical vibe. They provide exotic contrast to more common blooms like coneflowers and lilies.
Some offer the bonus of producing tasty fruits inside their husks. Others like Chinese lanterns and fountain grass fascinate with their sheer architectural beauty.
If you want to illuminate your garden with something unexpected, give one of these graceful plants with lantern-like blooms a try. They’ll be sure to ignite conversations and curiosity when visitors ask, “What is that?!”
Chinese lantern: 6
Tomatillo: 2
Ground cherry: 2
Husk tomato: 2
Chinese abelia: 1
Strawberry husk tomato: 1
Fountain grass: 1
Physalis alkekengi: 1
Physalis ixocarpa: 1
Physalis pruinosa: 1
Physalis philadelphica: 1
Abelia chinensis: 1
Physalis peruviana: 1
Pennisetum alopecuroides: 1
Propagating Chinese Lantern
Because Chinese lantern grows so quickly, gardeners usually worry more about keeping it from spreading too far than about how to make more plants. Chinese lantern spreads by rhizomes or volunteer seedlings that sprout up when it self-seeds. If you still want to propagate it, heres how its done:
- Use a shovel to pull the whole plant out of the ground in the spring.
- Divide it into smaller sections with pruners.
- Plant the sections in a new location. Keep them well-watered until you see new growth.
Also, it’s not too hard to get the dried seeds from the plants in the fall and put them away until spring.
Fertilizer
When new growth starts to show up in the spring, give the plant a light dose of balanced fertilizer, but only if it needs it. If its growing aggressively, you can withhold any feeding. If using granular fertilizer, make sure to keep it away from the plants crown and foliage. Too much fertilizer can stimulate fast growth rates, which may encourage root rot as well as uncontrolled spreading.
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FAQ
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