Decorating the Garden Festively with the Chinese Lantern Plant

Your garden will literally be full of lanterns in autumn! The Chinese lantern plant brings an autumnal flair to the flowerbed with its heart-shaped leaves.

This plant is an absolute must-have in any autumn flowerbed. The Chinese lantern plant is a garden perennial that gets along well with other plants and has very low demands.

The Chinese lantern plant gets its name from its heart-shaped calyx leaves, which look just like small lanterns. With their bright orange-red color, these leaves bring a serious pop of color to the flowerbed. So, if you love the look of lantern fairy lights in your garden, this plant is definitely for you! And the best part: it uses no electricity, making it perfect for decorating your garden in an ecologically sustainable way. Plus, the "lanterns" look beautiful even after the blooms fade.

The Chinese lantern plant loves to make a grand entrance. No wonder, because once it finds its spot and feels comfortable, it spreads out. It's therefore particularly well-suited for the edges of woody plants or unused garden corners. Any plant that wants to exist alongside the Chinese lantern plant needs assertiveness. Therefore, daylilies, bellflowers, or golden loosestrife are especially good companion plants. If the growth gets out of hand, a root barrier can also be used.

To ensure your garden glows with red-orange lanterns in autumn, preparations should begin in spring. The best time to plant Chinese lantern plants is in February or March. It's ideal to start them on a windowsill or in a cold frame.

Once the plant is large enough, it can be transplanted into a perennial bed. For this, sprinkle some compost into the dug hole and add pebbles to prevent the soil around the plant from compacting. Then, simply water the Chinese lantern plant thoroughly to help it settle well in its new location.