Plant Min Zone: 3a
Plant Max Zone: 8b
Sunlight: Full Sun, Part Sun
Water / Rainfall: Average, High
Soil Quality: Average, Rich
Bloom Season: Summer
Flower Color: White
Berry / Fruit Color: Orange, Orangish Red
Spring Foliage Color: Green
Summer Foliage Color: Green
Fall Foliage Color: Green
Evergreen Foliage: No
Winter Interest: Yes
Scented Flowers: No
Drought Tolerance: Low, Medium
Wet-Feet Tolerance: Medium, High
Humidity Tolerance: Medium, High
Wind Tolerance: Medium
Poor Soil Tolerance: Clay Soils, Rocky Soils
Height: 1.5' - 2'
Width: 2' - 3'
Growth Rate: Medium, Fast
Service Life: Medium: 3-5 years
Maintenance Need: Medium
Spreading Potential: High
Yearly Trimming Tips: Trim Perennial to Ground in Early Winter After Hard Freezes: Some Winter Interest.
Plant Grouping Size: Medium Grouping of 5-10, Mass Planting of 10 or more
Best Side of House: East Exposure, North Exposure
Extreme Planting Locations: Resistant to Rabbits, Base of Retaining Wall Locations
Ornamental Features: Long Lasting Fall Color
Special Landscape Uses: Erosion Control
Possible Pest Problems: None
Plant Limitations: Aggressive Rhizomes / Runners, Needs Regular Irrigation, Unwanted Self-seeding, May be Poisonous, May Be Too Invasive for Garden Use
Chinese lantern (Physalis alkekengi) is in the nightshade (tomato) family closely related to tomatillos and native to the regions covering Southern Europe to South Asia and Northeast Asia. This vigorous spreading perennial has green foliage and small white flowers that is mainly grown for its highly ornamental orange seed pods. The pod is actually a bright orange, papery, husk-like structure around the seed and is often cut and used for Thanksgiving and Halloween arrangements. Due to it's spreading nature, it is not recommended to mix with other perennials. It is great for mass plantings in rich moist soil. Maintenance involves trimming back at some point in the winter after the dried seed pods are no longer ornamental and before new growth starts in the spring. Leaf miners and other insect pests may limit it's aggressiveness in the garden. If you have the right spot for this plant, the sight of thousands of orange lanterns in autumn will set this plant apart from all others. Giant Chinese Orange Lanterns (Physalis alkekengi var. franchetii 'Gigantea') is larger in every way; foliage height, flowers, and brighter orange pods. However, it is said to have a more clump-forming and less aggressive spreading growth habit.