How to Grow Chinese Lanterns: Tips on Growing Chinese Lantern Plants

What are Chinese lantern plants? Chinese lanterns are perennial plants that develop orange-reddish colored, paper-like pods and are frequently used to create Oriental, ornamental and decorative flower arrangements.   

In an article entitled “FAQ: Growing Chinese Lantern Plants (Physalis alkekengi)” by Taylor Miller, he suggests that “The winter or bladder cherry” from the Nightshade family has “small fruit in the tomatillo family” that is frequently used for “medicinal and culinary purposes.”    

How does the Chinese lantern plant get its name?

“Chinese lanterns (Physalis alkekengii) are known for their reddish-orange, paper-like calyces which resemble Chinese lanterns.”

At the heart of the Chinese lantern inside their paper-like calyces, hangs the bright red fruit which has the appearance of a tiny tomato. 

Where did Chinese lantern plants originate?

“A native plant to Asia and Japan, the Chinese lantern is a shrubby perennial of the nightshade family with tiny, inconspicuous white flowers.”

Growing Chinese lantern plants is relatively easy.

Note that since Chinese lantern plants are likely to take over a flowerbed, where one plants them is important. The Chinese lantern is relatively aggressive in terms of spreading through a flowerbed because it develops rhizomes or horizontal roots that can come up anywhere. Because Chinese lantern plants develop as bushy mounds of green leaves with white flowers, having sufficient room to grow them in a perennial bed is important.

Where is the best place to start Chinese lantern seeds?

Planting Chinese lanterns seeds in a clay container helps to control their propagation. A large perennial bed is also appropriate.

Lighting conditions

Chinese lantern plants tend to do well in areas that have sun or partial shade. 

Soil conditions

The ideal soil for Chinese lanterns is well-fertilized, well-drained, sandy-clay loam.

How to plant the seeds

Plant the seeds about 2 inches into the soil, about 30 inches apart. Germination will take approximately two weeks.

When to plant

In colder areas, planting Chinese lantern seeds directly into an indoor container in early spring is usually a good idea and relatively successful as they are easy to grow. Outdoors, plant the seeds or transplant the new plants only after the last frost.    

Watering

Water Chinese lantern plants early in the morning, but try to avoid getting the pods wet.

Fertilizer

Use a well-balanced fertilizer approximately once a month for best results. 

The white flowers appear in mid summer among bushy green leaves. The pods develop bright red fruit inside the pods. Note that the leaves and unripe fruit are poisonous and should not be eaten.   

How to dry Chinese lantern pods

In the autumn, strip the leaves from the stems when the Chinese lantern pods have turned an orange-red color. Hang the stems of pods upside-down to allow them to dry. When dried, they may serve as ornamental or decorative purposes in flower arrangements.

Note that the Chinese lantern pods are unique and are often grown for commercial purposes for flower shops.