Last year we bought an Abutilon Megapotamicum solely on the basis that it sounds like a Dr. Who monster. It has variegated leaves and unusual pretty little flowers but is overall a very spindly and leggy bush. It looks as though it tried being a shrub and a climber at the same time and miserably failed at both. The plant does not appear to have any offensive capabilities either.
Fast forward to now and the Abutilon is still in its original pot, on the patio (part of the patio pot collection) and still in the queue to go into the ground. It has flowered profusely this summer and is covered in paper-lantern flowers that shine like rubies in the sunlight.
Unfortunately, the colour means looking for bright red lily beetle in the pots of lilies around the abutilon is that much harder. On a separate note I’m not sure what pollinates this plant as I’ve not seen bees on them – perhaps they find the flowers a little too exotic?
It’s not the most eye-catching Dr. Who monster out there, its pretty but unassuming appearance might have you passing over it rather easily. It is also delicate-looking and semi-hardy in nature, so by the time the Dr. Who Christmas Special airs on TV, winter might have finished it off first.
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