Sometimes writing about garden life confronts us with uneasy choices. One of them is called Physalis alkekengi or Chinese Lantern. I do feel awkward now when I want to praise the plant and at the same time I cannot forget about its less praiseworthy "idiosyncrasies". Chinese Lantern can boast about its rare- looking bright, orange red inflated calyx, and many of them, each a home for a single scarlet berry residing inside, but it can also be accused of exceptional vigour which is hard to control. And if not controlled, the plant easily escapes from the confines of the garden and becomes a noxious weed. Sad, isn't it!
Keeping in mind the fact that Physalis is often labelled as a plant with aggressive tendencies let us see the whole picture. And the view of a late fall garden where Chinese Lantern poses a threat to everything growing around is quite spectacular. Its hanging super-ornamental red papery husks are the only bright spots illuminating the flower beds at that time of year. Vicious plants do not behave like that, do they?
Keeping in mind the fact that Physalis is often labelled as a plant with aggressive tendencies let us see the whole picture. And the view of a late fall garden where Chinese Lantern poses a threat to everything growing around is quite spectacular. Its hanging super-ornamental red papery husks are the only bright spots illuminating the flower beds at that time of year. Vicious plants do not behave like that, do they?
So what to do with it? Well, if I were confronted with such a dilemma, I would definitely plant Chinese Lantern, cautiously. And 'cautiously' means prepared in advance. First of all, we need to choose a right spot for the plant, which must be well lit. The more sunlight the plants receives the more flowers and fruits will be formed. Chinese Lantern grows in every kind of soil providing it is neither too dry nor too wet. If we decide to grow it near bigger bushes or tress , far from other perennials, all we have to do is separate its roots from the lawn using tough black garden foil, inserted at least 25-30 cm (1 ft) deep around the area where we want Chinese Lantern to grow. The same trick works for flower beds and it should not be neglected if we do not want Physalis to crowd out the neighbouring plants and fight against it in the future.
Chinese Lantern is almost invisible during the vegetative season. Light green leaves make a good background for other flowering plants. Its own flowers appear in early summer and resemble the flowers of red pepper, which suggests a very close family relationship. And the observation is right. The list of relatives is longer: tomatoes, potatoes, egg- plants, tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa) and ground cherry (Physalis peruviana). The last two are grown for the sweet and tasty fruit eaten fresh, dried or preserved. Fortunately, they do not turn into invaders, as they have higher temperature requirements and are usually grown as annuals, and not the ornamental ones.
Chinese Lantern red calyxes look great in dry arrangements. Some people say, it is the best pace for the plant as it cannot escape from it. If so, its high time to raise them!
Chinese Lantern is almost invisible during the vegetative season. Light green leaves make a good background for other flowering plants. Its own flowers appear in early summer and resemble the flowers of red pepper, which suggests a very close family relationship. And the observation is right. The list of relatives is longer: tomatoes, potatoes, egg- plants, tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa) and ground cherry (Physalis peruviana). The last two are grown for the sweet and tasty fruit eaten fresh, dried or preserved. Fortunately, they do not turn into invaders, as they have higher temperature requirements and are usually grown as annuals, and not the ornamental ones.
Chinese Lantern red calyxes look great in dry arrangements. Some people say, it is the best pace for the plant as it cannot escape from it. If so, its high time to raise them!
Jarek
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