Abutilon, Flowering Maple 'Magic Lantern'

I originally grew this with a northern exposure that had at least 4 hours of direct sun under an awning. It thrived in loamy soil, growi...Read Moreng to 10 feet tall but was rather leggy. I rooted a woody cutting and transplanted it the next year in a western exposure against a fence, again in loamy soil. The leaves wilt in the hot afternoon sun, but they perk up in early evening. Rather than risk losing it, I'll replant it where it won't be so exposed to the searing sun of afternoon, and see what happens when I pinch the tops at about 3 feet tall. I love the flowers and foliage, and so do the hummingbirds. The flower looks like a Tiffany lampshade.

I bought this plant about a year ago at the Buena Creek Gardens in North San Marcos, Ca. I live in Lake San Marcos, and I just put it in...Read More the ground against a fence facing North and it has taken over and is beautiful growing very fast. It does not get much sunshine which apparently does not mind. I am thinking getting another as the leaves and flowers are so attractive.

I love abutilon and this one especially because it's the favorite of the orioles that come every spring. They enjoy the pink as well but ...Read Morethe orange pendulous blooms seem to attract them more. Also hummingbirds of course love abutilon. Easy to grow, as the other poster mentioned. I've started them from prunings simply by stabbing a semi-woody length into the ground- which makes it easy to grow in places harder to dig a hole (ie I have a very narrow stretch between fence and pavement that I've turned into a fully jammed-packed "garden" this way with anything I can poke in).
As I have many varieties of abutilon I am often discovering new lovely hybrids (volunteers), many which positively evidence this plant ie showing jewel-colored and or veined blossoms or similar upright growth etc.
I never have had much of a pest issue or any frost damage with this one.
I've had scale on other abutilons (usually too protected/too much shade) but not this one. The only minor negative might be the gangly habit which is easily remedied with other companion plantings and pruning. Branches sometimes crack and split at junctions when it's gotten to leggy, they can break fairly easily when bending. It blooms off and on all year. I prune at whim but do a more purposeful cut back in Jan. so it has time to regrow & bloom for the arrival of the Hooded and Bullock's Orioles (usually end of March). This particular abutilon can get pretty large/tall (mine has probably reached 12+ feet tall x maybe 6-8'wide). I've had to start using a ladder to prune in recent years; I have treated mine like a small tree.

This plant seems to grow wherever I put it, and I put it all over, shade, wet, dry, sun, containers, etc. It blooms throughout the year....Read More It has one little quirk: It seems to grow from the top, leaving bare branches beneath. Since the flowers are on the tips of the stems, and they are not good cut flowers, pruning takes a lot of will power. I've learned how to prune, sometimes lightly, sometimes ruthlessly, and the plants look great and bloom splendidly.