Chinese Lantern seeds
The Chinese lantern plant is a cousin to the ground cherry and the tomatillo family. It is a popular ornamental used mainly in decorative arrangements due to its longevity, beauty, color variety, and unique shape. The shape of course resembles a Chinese Lantern. This can be grown in pots but is more useful by adding striking colors to raised beds, borders, and even as a ground cover due to its bush style of growing.
The berry in the middle is edible, however, the rest of the plant is considered toxic and should not be eaten. When using Chinese Lanterns for display, leaves are usually removed since they will crumble and dry since the stem and lantern tend to hold up longer.
This plant is a perennial botanically speaking, but it's usually grown as an annual since the roots are shallow and don't keep warm underground during the winter.
These are easy to grow, and will often volunteer and reseed every year. Chinese lanterns are one of the most striking and eye-catching additions to any yard as the lanterns transition from green to yellow to orange to red. It's not common to see the whole spectrum all at once on your plant!
Seed count: 25
Botanic name:
Physalis alkekendi
Plant spacing:
12 - 18 inches
Color:
These little lanterns will change from green to yellow to orange to red. You should have a symphony of colors to look at as these mature.
Sowing depth:
1/8 inch
Sun requirements:
Full sun
Utilization:
A highly decorative ornamental. Ideal for pots and containers, along edging, or as a center piece in a garden bed. The berry inside is edible but the rest of the plant is not . These are also great for cut flower arrangements.
Frost hardy:
No
Maturity days:
90 days
Life cycle:
Perennial (in zones 3-9)
Can I start indoors:
Yes
Container friendly:
Yes
Other names:
Winter cherry, Strawberry tomato, Love in a cage
Vine Habit:
