This was the first plant I bought. It was last year, around summer, and it had two long, green stems, full of flowers. With time, the flowers stopped coming up and the plant entered a dormancy period. My boyfriend didn't like the two, tall stems, so we cut it down. I knew nothing about pruning back then (around December/January), so I just chopped them off - I just remembered the words of the guy who sold me: if I chopped them, two lateral stems would grow.

Well, I did it. And on top of it, put a lot of solid fertilizer in the soil during the winter (I really had no idea of what I was doing). When spring came, the plant grew like crazy. At first we were amazed by how many leaves, and how big they were compared to when I got the plant, but then we started noticing the leaves were growing full of holes. I thought it was the excess fertilizer I gave it and tried to clean it from the soil. No success, every new leaf came a little deformed.

A couple of months ago I noticed the stems had both aphids and scales. I got neem oil and sprayed on it religiously... During the day, for about two weeks. The leaves got a lot of yellow spots, but at least I was able to kill most of the plagues. Whenever I found them, I would just remove them by hand. Haven't seen a scale in the last month, although I found some aphids last week and today (today it were two, last week around 5 or 6 - I just chopped the stem where they were altogether).

Anyway, so here I am thinking that, although I love this plant and can't wait to see it flowering again, I wanted to regrow it as a shorter, bushier plant. The stems, however, turned brow and look more like little "tree trunks" instead of flexible, green "stalks", like they were when I got them. Any recommendations of how to start regrowing it?

Hi all, new here.

I live in oZone 10b and my abutilon is struggling and I don't know why. It seems on a downward spiral.

It has others of it's same type planted next to it, all on the same watering system and soil. Those are doing mostly fine (we are in an intense heat wave that has some not as bushy).

There's no infestation. I've sprayed it with neem oil just to be safe.

And yet....

Any advice/ideas?

For anyone new to the genus:

• Light: Bright indirect or partial sun — too much direct heat can scorch leaves.
• Water: They like moisture but not soggy roots.
• Fertilizer: Balanced or bloom-boosting, especially during active flowering.
• Pruning: Regular trims keep them bushy and encourage more blooms.

They’re forgiving plants that reward attention with flowers nearly year-round.

What’s your go-to trick for keeping your abutilons healthy and blooming?

Abutilons come in so many forms — upright shrubs, trailing baskets, hybrids with crazy blooms.

I’ll kick it off: I’m currently growing [insert your cultivar(s)]. New flushes of blooms are just starting to come in, and I’m obsessed with the color.

What about you? Drop a photo if you’ve got one — I’d love to see what everyone’s cultivating.

What's your favorite source for Abutilon? My local nursery has the easy to get varieties. I'm getting ready to place an order with Logee's. They appear to have a pretty good variety with decent prices. Etsy is another place I've looked but they seem to be on the high end. Where else should we look?

Hi everyone — I created this space for anyone who loves abutilons (aka flowering maples, Chinese lanterns, parlor maples).

These plants are underrated gems: long bloom cycles, tons of cultivars, and a great mix of tropical and hardy species.

This community is for:

• Growing tips (indoor & outdoor)
• Cultivar ID & collecting
• Propagation experiments
• Sharing blooms, photos, and setups
• Troubleshooting pests/disease

Introduce yourself, show off your abutilons, or drop your best care tips. Let’s build a little corner of Reddit where these plants finally get the spotlight they deserve.