Mr Fothergill's Chinese Lanterns Physalis Alkekengi Seeds, Fascinating red ‘lanterns’ in autumn. For dried displays, cut when ‘lanterns’ show colour, hang upside down in bunches in a light, airy room. Remove leaves when stems are dry. .

Sow indoors for surest results, 0.5cm deep, in a tray of compost. Water well and place in a cold frame, unheated greenhouse or on a warm kitchen windowsill. Keep moist. Seedlings usually appear in 21-30 days. Transplant individually when large enough to handle to small pots. (Always hold seedlings by a leaf, never by the stem.) Gradually accustom young plants to outside conditions, before planting out 45cm apart. Or sow outdoors thinly in a seed bed, into finely prepared soil which has already been watered. Thin seedlings to 5cm apart before planting out to flowering position in autumn.

• A hardy perennial, flowers the year after sowing
• Fascinating lanterns turn from green to red
• Superb in mixed borders and dried flower displays

Sow time: Mar-Jul
Flowering/Harvesting time: Jul-Oct