Surprises Hanging on the Door

All summer I’ve come home from work to find bags of goodies hanging on the door knob outside. A very kind friend shared veggies from his garden with me, melons and tomatoes, too. They were very much appreciated – and enjoyed.

Yesterday, at some point, another garden giver shared some newly cut Chinese Lantern plants in a bag on the door knob. I had been told they were coming but the beautiful red seed pods had to dry somewhat before cutting. I was also warned the plant can be fairly invasive, but it’s something new and I want to give it a try.

Being new, I had to do a little research into how to properly handle the drying and harvesting of the seeds. As you see from the picture above, the bright red “lanterns” are actually the seed pods and if left on the vine, they will dry to a delicate lacy form. Inside are the round red fruit that contain the seeds. Bear in mind that however pretty, the Chinese Lantern plant is a member of the nightshade family, hence, poisonous. Or at least the leaves and unripened fruit are. Use care around your pets.

The first thing I did was to divide the plants and take some to The Neighbor who didn’t hesitate to take them and say that he wanted to train the new plants against a lattice on the side of his garage. Well, we’ll see about that. The game is on.

We are advised to harvest the seeds and start them indoors in late winter or early spring. They apparently need a lot of light so the seeds should be laid on top of the soil and placed in a spot with bright but indirect light with temperatures between 70 and 75 degrees. All of that is going to be difficult in my house unless I rearrange the furniture and turn up the thermostat considerably. On top of that, it takes as long as a month for seedlings to appear. So, I think I’ll take the easy way out and sow the seeds directly into the soil in the spring after the last frost.

Gardeners are advised that Chinese Lanterns are almost too easy to grow. Like mint, the plants have rhizomes that spread horizontally, meaning that if you chop down the plant, even without dropping any seeds, it still might pop up in another part of the yard. So unless you’re ready for a Chinese invasion, plant it in a pot or a contained garden.

These plants should go in either full sun or partial shade outside. That I can do. Chinese Lantern is a perennial, attracts few pests and has been called a plant of all trades. It is herbaceous and parts of the plant can be used for both culinary and medicinal purposes. For use in dried arrangements, cut the whole plant when the lanterns are bright red and let it dry upright. Or harvest the lanterns immediately after they turn red and hang them upside down in a dark room for several weeks. They will dry sufficiently to be used for years.

Outside, the plant will need average, moist but well-drained soil. During hot dry times, keep two to four inches of mulch around the plant. Fertilize with a slow-release fertilizer in the spring and a balanced general-purpose fertilizer after flowering. If the plants become too leggy after flowering, cut them back to give them a fresh start. Plants should be cut back nearly to the ground at the end of the season.