Abutilon 'Kentish Belle'

Scientific Name

Abutilon 'Kentish Belle'

Scientific Classification

Family: Malvaceae
Subfamily: Malvoideae
Tribe: Malveae
Genus: Abutilon

Flower

Color: Orange-yellow and dark red
Bloom Time: Late spring to early fall

Description

Abutilon 'Kentish Belle' is a compact semi-evergreen shrub with arching shoots and three-lobed, triangular-ovate, up to 1.6 inches (4 cm) long leaves. Flowers are bell-shaped, up to 2 inches (5 cm) long, with orange-yellow petals and dark red calyx.

Hardiness

USDA hardiness zone 9a to 10b: from 20 °F (−6.7 °C) to 40 °F (+4.4 °C).

How to Grow and Care

Abutilon is not an especially difficult plant to grow. However, during warmer, dry winters, they are sometimes affected by spider mites, known for leggy growth. To encourage bushy growth, prune the plant by 25 percent to 40 percent in the late winter, right when new growth is about to start. Also, throughout the summer, occasionally pinch off new growth to encourage healthy growth. When pruning, make sure to stagger your cuts and remove some large branches to open the plant's canopy. As a final note, these plants dislike acidic soil, so adding additional lime to your potting mix is unnecessary. Instead, stick with the basic peat-based potting soil and make sure to refresh it as the mixture decomposes and becomes more acidic over time.

Abutilon is a relatively fast-growing plant, especially when they're young. Consequently, younger plants might need to be repotted twice a year, once at the beginning of the growing season and once in the middle. Older plants, however, benefit from being slightly pot-bound, so they should be repotted either every other year or yearly into only slightly larger pots. Pot-bound plants tend to grow more vigorously and bloom better.

See more at How to Grow and Care for Abutilon.

Origin

This plant is a hybrid of unknown parentage.

Photo Gallery

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