About
Abutilon 'Fool's Gold' is a semi-evergreen shrub that can grow to approximately 1.2 meters in height, displaying an upright to spreading form. Its leaves are dark green, lobed, and toothed. From summer through autumn, it produces nodding flowers that are orange with dark veins, reaching up to 6 centimeters in diameter.
About the genus
Abutilon encompasses a variety of growth forms, including evergreen and deciduous shrubs, trees, perennials, and annuals. The foliage can be either simple or palmately lobed, and the flowers are typically bell-shaped or bowl-shaped, frequently featuring prominent stamens.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, East-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H2
Plant details
- Plant type
- Conservatory Greenhouse, Shrubs
- Habit
- Bushy
- Foliage
- Semi evergreen
- Height
- 1-1.5 metres
- Spread
- 0.5-1 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Patio and container plants
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Grow under glass or indoors in a peat-free, loam-based potting compost in full light. When in growth water freely and apply a balanced liquid fertiliser monthly. Water sparingly in winter, keeping barely moist. Can be grown outdoors in warmer climates
- Pruning
- Pruning group 9
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings in spring
- Pest resistance
- May be susceptible to glasshouse whitefly, glasshouse red spider mite, mealybugs and scale insects
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely) or a virus