The Stars of my winter garden (part two)
Undoubtedly one of our winter stars in the garden are the China Bells as we call them or Chinese Lanterns as they are commonly called. (botanical name is Abutilon x hybridum). My sister gave me four of the orange ones a few years ago in the middle of the drought. I thought they might not be frost hardy but they are and they have been a huge success. I'm not sure how many we have now but they are planted right along the back fence.
They are very easy to propagate, just stick them in a pot with some soil and away they go.
I now have a bit of a collection of these as I have found apricot ones.
Yellow ones.
And most recently a white one.
I am going to inter plant the fence plantings with all the different colours and make a little garden just of China Bells.
They flower most of the year but are at their best in the winter. On a recent garden excursions I cam across an orange one that had a dark, reddish calyx, very attractive and I thought a different plant. I begged a cutting from the gardener and have successfully struck it. But, all my orange ones now look like this
so the change in colour is obviously from the cold winter we are having.
They are very easy to propagate, just stick them in a pot with some soil and away they go.
I now have a bit of a collection of these as I have found apricot ones.
Yellow ones.
And most recently a white one.
I am going to inter plant the fence plantings with all the different colours and make a little garden just of China Bells.They flower most of the year but are at their best in the winter. On a recent garden excursions I cam across an orange one that had a dark, reddish calyx, very attractive and I thought a different plant. I begged a cutting from the gardener and have successfully struck it. But, all my orange ones now look like this
so the change in colour is obviously from the cold winter we are having. 
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