Abutilon x milleri - hort.
hort.
Trailing Abutilon
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Abutilon x milleri is an evergreen Shrub growing to 3 m (9ft) by 2 m (6ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to September. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs). Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.
Edible Uses
Flowers - raw or cooked. A delicious sweet flavour, they are excellent on their own or as part of a mixed salad. The flowers produce nectar all the time they are open so, assuming the plant is grown indoors and is not visited by pollinating insects, the sweetness increases the longer the flower is open.
Distribution
A hybrid of garden origin involving A. megapotanicum and probably A. pictum.
Where It Grows
A modern hybrid with no known native range.
Cultivation
Requires a sunny position or part day shade in a fertile well-drained soil. Dislikes drought. This species is only hardy in the mildest areas of Britain, tolerating temperatures down to about -5°c when given the protection of a south or south-west facing wall. Plants are often deciduous in cold winters. A deep mulch in winter and tying in growth to the wall will maximise protection in winter. If the plant is cut back by cold weather, it will normally resprout from the base in the spring and can flower on the current year's growth. A hybrid of garden origin, it is similar to A. megapotanicum and probably also has A. pictum blood in it. Dead-heading plants to prevent seeding can enhance longevity. Tip-prune young plants to promote a bushy habit, older plants can be cut back hard annually as new growth commences in late winter or early spring if required. There are some named forms, selected for their ornamental value. There is a variegated form in cultivation, this variegation is as a result of infection by abutilon mosaic virus. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Propagation
Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. Germination should take place within a few weeks. Once the seedlings are large enough to handle, prick them out into individual pots. Grow them on for at least the first winter in a greenhouse and plant out in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. This species is a hybrid, so the seedlings will not be true to type. Cuttings of young shoots, June in a frame. Grow on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant out in spring after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame. Grow on in the greenhouse for their first winter and plant out in spring after the last expected frosts.
