Abutilon
These are very colourful shrubs with a long flowering season. I grow them in pots in the cold greenhouse or outside in a sunny border. The most hardy variety is the yellow flowered one in the lower picture. This has survived a number of winters in my garden in northern England. The other varieties do not always survive a cold winter outside but can survive during a relatively mild winter. To give them the best chance of overwintering they are allowed to grow as big as possible during the summer and all the top growth is left on until late spring when they are pruned to shape. These plants are very easy to propogate from cuttings. I take mine in late summer (September) and keep them in the greenhouse over winter. They are then transferred to the cold frame to harden off and are planted out in late May.
