Chinese lantern is a perennial herbaceous plant from the nightshade family that transforms your garden into something magical come summer. Growing 12 to 24 inches tall in hardiness zones 3 through 9, it produces delicate white flowers that give way to the real showstopper: papery, globose calyxes in vivid orange-red that encase ripening fruits and resemble tiny Chinese lanterns. Though the flowers themselves are modest, the ornamental seed pods are showy enough to cut fresh or dry for arrangements that last through winter. This plant spreads by rhizomes and self-seeds readily, rewarding patient gardeners with expanding colonies year after year.
Full Sun
Moderate
3-9
24in H x 24in W
—
Moderate
Hover over chart points for details
Those papery orange-red calyxes growing to 2 inches long are the reason gardeners return to this plant generation after generation. They emerge in summer as insignificant white flowers fade, then develop their sculptural, lantern-shaped form around the ripening fruit inside. The pods dry beautifully for cutting and arrangement work, holding their color and shape for months indoors. In the garden, Chinese lantern spreads vigorously by underground rhizomes, naturally expanding to fill spaces while self-seeding to colonize new areas.
Chinese lantern is grown primarily for its ornamental seed pods rather than culinary use. The papery calyxes are prized for fresh flower arrangements in midsummer and transition beautifully into dried arrangements that hold their color through autumn and into winter. Gardeners often strip away the outer husk to reveal the delicate papery framework within, creating striking dried displays.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Start seeds indoors 4 to 6 weeks before your average last spring frost date. Sow seeds at a depth of 1/8 inch in seed-starting mix. Keep soil evenly moist but not waterlogged and maintain warm conditions for germination.
Transplant seedlings outdoors after hardening them off for several days to acclimate to outdoor conditions. Plant after your average last frost date has passed. Space transplants 12 to 18 inches apart in full sun with well-drained soil.
Direct sow seeds outdoors 1 to 2 weeks before your average last spring frost date, or in summer up to 2 months before your average first fall frost date. Sow at a depth of 1/8 inch.
Harvest the papery calyxes when they have turned orange-red and the fruit inside is fully ripe, typically in late summer or early fall. Cut stems just below the calyx or collect the entire stem for arranging. For dried arrangements, harvest when the lantern has become fully papery and begins to show transparency, allowing for longer-lasting dried displays.
Enter your ZIP code to see a personalized growing calendar for this plant.