ABUTILON x hybridum (red flower)

Interesting form of Abutilon x hybridum, perennial and semi-deciduous shrub, with easy growth and ethereal and irregular habit: when fully development, it can grow more than 2.50 m tall and slightly less large. Woody and well branched already at the base, it has numerous thin and supple stems, which, after an initial erect course and branching repeatedly, tend to curve harmoniously outwards, making the plant take on a light and fluffy shape. The leaves, thin and glabrous, alternate and with a long petiole, sometimes ovate-lanceolate, but more often tricuspid-shaped, with serrated margins and acute apexes, are dark green. From late spring to autumn showy red flowers, bell-shaped and pendulous, decorative, bloom on the apexes of the branches. They have a corolla composed of only five petals: a huge pistil welded with the stamens is evident in the center.

It prefers sunny and bright locations, but where summers can be hot, it prefers partial shade. It needs rich and humid soils, but above all well drained. It does not tolerate long periods of drought and indeed takes advantage of constant watering in summer. It does not like the salinity typical of sea winds and therefore requires a protected position in coastal regions. It tolerates minimum winter temperatures only a few degrees below zero and in locations with intense and prolonged cold, we recommend a sheltered location or mulch with leaves or straw or a shelter in a cool and bright environment in winter. In autumn or at the end of winter we can resort to cleaning the plant, eliminating dry, old, broken or bulky parts and maybe shortening the various stems to allow a more compact growth and a richer flowering. It can be grown with great success and satisfaction in large containers and pots on terraces and balconies. In the open ground, as well as the absolute protagonist of every corner of our garden with its showy and generous flowering, it can also help us create, alone or mixed with other essences with the same tropical 'look', hedges or borders in general.