Flowering Maple Care – My First Time Wintering Over As A Houseplant

Last spring, I purchased an Abutilon or Flowering Maple and I am thrilled to say that this plant is still alive and blooming again and again. It is so nice to see the bright red-orange blossoms popping up week after week. And it is very easy to care for! Great combination, right? Check out this previous post when I first bought it.

For the summer, I had this Abutilon on the screened porch which gets morning sunlight up until noon. But that porch does not seem to be an area for good bright sunlight except for a few hours each day. Maybe it is the screening that surrounds it, but looking at the whole experience throughout this summer, I think next year I will put plants there that are “low light” types. I did have my hoya out there and it did well. It hung from the ceiling and maybe took advantage of more light because it didn’t have rail blocking the rays. Who knows? Next season? Pothos City! Philodendron Park!

For the winter season, I have placed the Flowering Maple in a window area that faces the exact same way but has only the glass between it and the sunlight. It is brighter there and I am hoping the flowering will continue even better. Also I have it gathered with a lot of other plants so they can all share from each other, whether that be companionship, humidity, or just looking pretty sitting and hanging in a row. Hey, I need to do another indoor plant tour, right?

Flowering Maple Care

This is what I have learned with my Abutilon or Flowering Maple this year:

• It likes bright light, early morning sunlight shines upon it
• Needs fairly frequent watering; leaves will show drooping as a signal
• Use well-draining soil since it doesn’t like to be waterlogged
• Pinch branches after flowering (before new buds form) to keep bushy
• Feed frequently as it is heavy feeder and I think blooms more.
• Spent flowers drop into pot; keep those cleaned up to prevent pest problems

Flowering Maple Buds

The buds on the Flowering Maple are to die for! They are so gorgeous as they progress from a tiny green nut shape and swell out and split with a color swath that just gets bigger and bigger until it bursts forth into a 5-petal bloom. The buds hang like little lanterns and that’s why it is called a Chinese Lantern Plant too.

Those buds are almost as pretty as the flower and progress over a few days getting larger and larger. After a day or so, the flowers drop. The best thing about this plant is that more and more buds keep developing and so there is a wave of flowers all the time. At least that is how it has been for me all year. I water with a plant food that is added to every watering that I do to the plant. It is a weak solution, but seems to be great for my plants. [easyazon_link identifier=”B01DJSDW5E” locale=”US” tag=”thehypegard0d-20″]This is what I use. [/easyazon_link] #affiliatelink

Flowering Maple Propagation

Of course, I want to try and get more. So I am experimenting to see if I can get a new plant to grow in water or in the soil. At this point, I am waiting for the plant to grow roots, so I am not sure which will be the best way to go. But I am planting both ways, as you see in the video, and I will update you on which works out (1) first roots or (2) best roots. Either way I hope I can get some more plants.

I am snipping off a branch end and removing all the flowers and buds. This will keep the cutting focused on making roots instead of trying to flower. After cleaning the stem, I will have at least one node to go into the water or soil since it is at that point that roots may emerge. I hope I get a lot of them to root! I would love to have an outdoor planter next year with these gorgeous flowers blooming!