Chris is a gardening writer and nature enthusiast. He graduated from Oxford Brookes University in 2022 with an MA in Psychology. Chris works with the Leeds Green Action Society, helping their food cooperative by growing various fruit and vegetables on their two allotments in Hyde Park, Leeds.
Reviewed By COLIN SKELLY
Colin is a Horticulturist and Horticultural Consultant with experience in a range of practical and managerial roles across heritage, commercial and public horticulture. He holds the Royal Horticultural Society’s Master of Horticulture award and has a particular interest in horticultural ecology and naturalistic planting for habitat and climate resilience.
Physalis alkekengi, or ‘Chinese Lantern’, is a plant in the nightshade family well-known for its resplendent red fruit husks that give way to intricate and delicate skeletal casings as the season progresses.1Physalis alkekengi. (n.d.). Missouri Botanical Garden. Retrieved March 22, 2023, from https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=b713
If you’ve not seen this transition take place, you’re in for a treat – it’s one of the most beautiful and unsung floral processes you can see in the UK.
For a British gardener looking for a plant to bring the air of the Orient, you can’t do much better than this wonder.
What’s more, the plant is hardy enough to do well in UK growing conditions, making it a popular and rewarding choice.
Overview
| Botanical Name | Physalis alkekengi |
| Common Name(s) | Chinese Lanterns |
| Plant Type | Perennial Flower |
| Native Area | Southern Europe, South & North-East Asia |
| Hardiness Rating | H7 |
| Foliage | Deciduous |
| Flowers | Fleshy berries with colourful lantern-like calyxes |
| When To Sow | February, March, April |
| Flowering Months | July, August, September, October |
| When To Prune | September, October |
Sunlight
Preferred
Full Shade or Partial Shade
Exposure
Exposed or Sheltered
Size
Height
0.5 – 1M
Spread
0.5 – 1M
Bloom Time
July – October
Soil
Preferred
Chalk, Loam, Sand
Moisture
Well drained
pH
Any
Although there are many colloquial names for P. alkekengi – including ‘Devils’ Berry’, ‘Winter Cherry’, ‘Strawberry-and-Tomato’, and more – ‘Chinese Lantern’ is the most common.
The name has stuck because it perfectly describes the dainty, paper-thin casings that surround the plant’s fruit.
It’s not hard to imagine replacing the fruit with a tiny light bulb, and seeing a string of these fruity fairy lights in the backdrop of a painting or photograph of a Chinese streetscape.
Because of its striking appearance, the Chinese lantern is popular worldwide as an ornamental plant.
Why Grow Them?
If you’re looking for something attractive and captivating for your garden, you’ll likely not need any other reasons to choose a Chinese Lantern.
This plant boasts many properties that make it an attractive prospect for any gardener, however.
Firstly, it’s a perennial, meaning that its delightful fruits will return year after year.
They’re also very hardy, being able to survive even the most punishing of weather conditions, including temperatures below -20°C.
In terms of visual interest, Chinese lanterns have a lot to offer.
Their season begins with white flowers – attractive but not massively noteworthy – that begin to bud around July.
Through summer and autumn, these flourish into the fruit husks we’ve seen above, which start green and develop into a deep, enticing orange as they ripen.
Then, if left alone, the plant material will die away, leaving the skeletal casing.
This, in my opinion, is reason enough to grow the plant.
The transition really is beautiful, and it’s hard to capture the nuance with words.
The best way is to grow a Chinese lantern of your own and watch in real-time (preferably with a camera at the ready!).
How To Grow Chinese Lanterns
In the UK, it’s possible to grow Chinese lanterns from seeds or from cuttings.
Growing From Seed
When growing from seed, you’ll want to plant out early to give the best chance of surviving wintry conditions.
The best way to do this is to grow in a small pot initially, with mixed, moist compost.
- Add a couple of seeds to the top layer, and then cover with a very thin layer of compost.
- Leave them in a well-lit position but not in direct sunlight, at room temperature.
- After about two weeks you should see shoots poking through.
- Then, move to full sunlight. At this stage the plants can handle lower temperatures, although avoid frost at all costs until they are fully established.
Growing From Cuttings
To grow from cuttings, look below the soil surrounding a section with healthy growth.
Underground, there’ll be a runner with thin roots growing from it: snip a section of this about 3cm in length, then plant in a container.
The container should be of similar depth to the area you removed the cutting from.
Container Growing
Most gardeners recommend growing Chinese lanterns in containers rather than directly into garden soil, because their roots are very enthusiastic and the plant can quickly turn invasive, competing with other plants in your garden for resources and stifling growth.
After initially being planted into small pots, Chinese Lanterns can be moved to larger pots when they are established.
Choosing a pot that complements the aesthetic of the adult Chinese Lantern plant is a reliable way to provide real visual interest in your garden.
Plant Care
Feeding
These plants are hungry fellas when they’re getting established!
A monthly portion of fertiliser like blood, fish, and bone will give them the right balance of nutrients they need to ensure healthy adult growth.
Watering
Make sure you water your Chinese lanterns regularly, especially if you take the advice to grow them in containers (note: we recommend this!).
This plant thrives best in moist but well-drained soil.
Make sure your containers have drainage holes at the bottom to allow excess water to drip out, as moisture retention can lead to root rot.
Pruning
Grown in a container, there’s little need to prune a Chinese lantern plant.
If you grow in the ground, however, you might have a bit of a battle on your hands keeping the plant in check!
You can gently cut the lanterns from the plant before they transition to the skeletal form, if you want to preserve them.
To do this, simply cut the stem with scissors at the stage you want to preserve: green, yellow, or orange.
The deepest orange will occur in late September.
Common Problems
There are a few pests to keep an eye out for when growing a Chinese lantern. Here’s what to look for, and how to treat them:
Caterpillars
These busybodies like to take residence on particularly tasty plants, munching holes in the leaves and causing damage to the plant in general.
The best course of action to control against caterpillars is to simply remove any you see, along with the small yellow or white eggs they’ll eventually hatch from.
Surrounding your plant with netting or some other material that caterpillars can’t breach is also an option, although obviously this interferes with the visual appeal of the plant.
A range of insecticides are available to keep more persistent caterpillars at bay, ranging from organic pesticides to products containing more hardcore chemicals.
We always advise starting with the more humane options, like removing the bugs by hand, before moving onto chemical control.
Slugs & Snails
If you’ve grown anything, anywhere, ever, chances are that you’ve encountered the endless hunger of slugs and snails.
These guys live for the opportunity to invade your garden and eat the fruits of your labour – quite literally!
And sadly, Chinese lanterns are not immune to their visitations.
Growing in a container offers some control, as slugs and snails may struggle to climb up to the plant.
However, don’t be surprised if particularly intrepid specimens find their way into eating range.
Thankfully, there are many options available when dealing with them.
This plant is confident enough to dazzle by itself in a container, or as part of a display of other plants in and around your garden.
Pair the visual interest with forgiving growth requirements, and the Chinese lantern stands out from the crowd as a real all-rounder, great for established gardeners as well as the newly-green thumbed amongst us.
“For a full season of enjoyment, Chinese lantern is a great plant but it is also a relatively easy plant to grow and ideal for containers,” shares Master Horticulturist Colin Skelly.
“This makes it a great place to start if you’re new to gardening.”
Whatever your experience and gardening goals, a Chinese lantern is sure to make a great impression.
