Abutilon megapotamicum
A Brazilian bellflower hanging overhead in the subtropical garden
While there are a lot of different Abutilon varieties, Abutilon megapotamicum (aka: “The Brazilian Bellflower”) is one of my favorites.
Unlike others in this genus, these guys like to grow tall (8-10 ft / 3 m) and leggy, with yellow and green speckled leaves and orange bell-shaped flowers that bloom from December to May. I like to plant them in areas where I’m trying enclose the garden so it’s sort of a “room” in which you’re surrounded by leafy subtropicals and these grow above your head forming a “roof” of dappled yellow and green maple leaves and pretty orange flowers that look down at you.
Light through a leafy “rooftop” of Brazilian bellflower
My only complaint is that hummingbirds also love these flowers, so when they’re in full bloom you can get dive-bombed repeatedly.
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How much cold will the abutilon take?
It’s a subtropical so it can handle some cold, but not a whole lot. Here we get between 10 and 30 nights of below freezing (by a few degrees) in winter and they weather it just fine. Extended freezes or very cold ones would probably kill it, however, so I’d recommend taking it indoors or giving it some sort of protection if it gets really cold / snowy where you are.