Abutilon 'Red Tiger'

Abutilons, a.k.a. flowering maples, are leggy annuals or slightly tender perennials. Their somewhat awkward shape is quickly forgiven because of their large, soft, maple-tree-shaped leaves, but mostly because of their beguiling bell-shaped flowers. Abutilons are ideal grown in containers, where their delicate flowers are showy focal points. Try pairing abutilons with foliage plants like heucheras or little ornamental grasses that will fill out around their stems.

My newest abutilon obsession is 'Red Tiger' which has gorgeous yellow, tissue paper thin petals veined in glowing red. This beauty is hardy to zone 8 (so it wouldn't have made it through last winter outdoors), grows to a rangy five feet tall. Here's a photo, courtesy of Chocolate Flower Farm on Whidbey Island. Marie Lincoln of CFF warns that abutilons are rabbit food - another reason to grow them in containers up close to the house. Have you ever seen anything quite so lovely as this 'Red Tiger'? An encouraging sight for a cold April day....

Comments

[HJ]

Hi there,
Where did you find this cutie? - it looks very similar to another pictum variety called Moritz.
I have written an ebook cultivation and care of Flowering Maples and would like to know more about this plant.

kind regards,
HJ

[Valerie Easton]

Hi HJ - Please send along the link for your ebook - I'd love to take a look, as the various flowering maples can be confusing. I found 'Red Tiger' at Chocolate Flower Farm on Whidbey Island, I'm not sure who is growing it. You could check with Marie Lincoln at info@chocolateflowerfarm.com....
Best regards,
Valerie

[LA Pears]

I have a Red Tiger in a pot and am having a hard time pruning it back to make it more compact. It hurts to prune off new little buds. Do you know if or when I should fertilize?

[Kristina]

Does this beautiful Red Tiger have a big root system? We just purchased one and my grandma wants to know if it's okay to plant next to her house. Will the roots get too big? She thinks because it is part of the maple family it will grow really big?? If anyone has any knowledge I would appreciate it greatly. Thank you.
Kristina