Physalis alkekengi

Hi everyone, I grew some physalis alkekengi (chinese lantern) from seed last year, they only got to about 9" (I didn't sow until late on) they've been out all over winter, grass and weeds in the pots so I thought they were gone, I've just noticed new growth so I'm just wondering is this weed or are they growing back? Thanks in advance

 

Not grown it, but I believe it spreads, and is a hardy perennial.

 

Thanks @pete definitely growing back, taken one out of the pot and you can see it's all the same plant, removed all the grass and weeds and repotted.

 

Hi @mazambo - yes the leaves look right. As @pete says, it does spread a bit. I dug my plant out of my main border to put it somewhere a bit less prominent, but found that a small bit left in the border was growing back anyway. So watch out! It's a wonderful colour when you first pick the stems in autumn, though they do fade over a couple of months in a vase.

 

Thanks @CarolineL, I've read it's invasive, so hoping I can keep it in pots and still get the best out of it, to be honest if it can be neglected as much as i did then it shouldn't be a problem.