Hibiscus plants abound in the nurseries now, and no wonder. They are beautiful plants with glossy green leaves, very luxurious looking, reminiscent of tropical jungles.    And the flowers are pretty too.

Hibiscus Flowers

Seriously folks, hibiscus flowers are awesome.    The large size of the blooms, combined with their exotic appearance and downright durability as a flower has helped them find their way into our cultural world view.    Who hasn’t see photos of Tahitian maidens, or the paintings of Paul Gauguin, replete with luscious looking hibiscus blooms tucked behind the damsels ear?    Well, maybe some of you reading this weren’t looking at the flowers.

Flashy Flowers

In the wild, hibiscus mostly occur in shades of red.    Then the plant breeders got busy.    Now there are roughly 20 different lines of flowering tropical hibiscus cultivars that fit into one gallon to five gallon pots, perfect for indoors or out.    Each of these lines comes in a plethora of exotic colors, from white through cream, into pink, red, yellow, golden, peach, fuchsia, lavender, magenta; some with glowing center of various colors, some all one hue.

Individual flowers characteristically last a single day, occasionally two.    Not to worry though, no sooner does one blossom fade and drop than another emerges to take its place.    This could cause a plant litter problem if you plant a bunch of the plants by your pool. (Pool-scaping guidelines.)

Botany of Hibiscus

Most flowering hibiscus in Southwestern nurseries are Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Hibiscus is one of many plants where the common name and scientific name are the same (like iris and Iris). The hibiscus genus has several hundred species, and the family, the mallow Family (Malvaceae) is a large one. The entire family of over 4500 species is almost entirely tropical or sub-tropical. I mention this because knowing the genes of all the kin will help you help your plants thrive.

As I said, the genus Hibiscus itself is large, with several hundred species.    Several species are widely cultivated as ornamental plants, notably Hibiscus syriacus and Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Then plant breeders got busy, and there are about a thousand named cultivars to select from. Still, there are general guidelines to having your hibiscus thrive.

How to Grow Hibiscus

Unlike other industries, plant people don’t create a product with planned obsolescence. We all work in this underpaid industry because we love growing things, and we want them to stay alive and be enjoyed for years and years. In fact, hibiscus breeders hope you get so enamored with these easy to care for plants, that you accumulate a hoard of hibiscus!

Air – Hot is Okay

Hibiscus is close kin to cotton and okra.    With those crops and the Tahitian maidens in mind, you can easily figure out that hibiscus love the heat.    Sadly, hibiscus can’t take temperatures much below 40 degrees. This means that you might want to grow them in pots and move them to a protected area in the cooler months.

I was talking to a sweet woman named Sue a few days ago, she loves gardening and we chatted about her hibiscus. She has kept hers alive through several winters by covering the entire plant on those cold Tucson nights.

Fire – Heat but Not Southwestern Sun

Our sun is intense!    Be sure your hibiscus are protected from noon-day sun in summer.    Mine live in pots – on bricks – under the palo verde trees.    They are on bricks so the palo verde roots don’t invade the pot to steal the water.

Water – Water Well

The plants have large tropical leaves.  These are not ideal for the Southwest with our low humidity.  In pots, plants will need water every day in summer.    Maybe twice on a hot windy day.    Don’t count on rainfall to water your hibiscus.    Their leaves shed the water very well, and a potted hibiscus soil can be bone dry after a soaking rain.    In the ground, monitor them, and water before they dry out.    Desert plants often recover from a wilt.    Hibiscus often don’t.

Note – avoid getting water on the flowers.    Two reasons.    Chlorine can burn, and water drops can intensify the sun like little magnifying lenses and sunburn the petals.   

Earth – Soil Matters

Hibiscus prefer acidic soil. The kind we don’t have in the Southwest.  Amend soil well with compost before planting.  Sue’s grand-daughter works at a local coffee shop and keeps her supplied with used coffee grounds to add to her hibiscus soil. Well draining soil is ideal as well. Heavy, clay soils can lead to root rot problems.

Fertilizer

With water every day, ample flowers, and large leaves, yes you will need to fertilize your hibiscus.    I use a rose fertilizer or any other bloom fertilizer.  Even citrus fertilizer will work, since flowers and fruit both need high levels of nitrogen and phosphorous.   Fertilize every two weeks for continuous bloom.    Avoid general purpose fertilizers or lab created fertilizers. Unless you are very careful, artificially created fertilizer can lead to a build-up of salts in the soil, and kill your plant.

Pests

The two main pests of the plants are spider mites and aphids.    Insecticidal soap will treat them.    My yard is full of insect eating birds such as the verdins, lesser goldfinch, and hummingbirds, so I never have insect pest problems.  (Knock wood!)   

Plant “culture,” or care, can reduce pest issues. If your plants are not overly crowded, and you have good air movement around the plants, they tend to not get pests.

Part of this Edible Landscape …

You could call it a “two-fer” plant.  One additional reason I love hibiscus – the flowers are edible!  Well, drinkable at any rate.   

A tea made from hibiscus flowers is known by many names around the world.    Here in the Southwest you often see it as “jamaica” at Mexican restaurants.    It can be served either hot and cold. The tea is known for its vibrant red color, tart flavor, and rich vitamin C content. The tea is made from of Hibiscus sabdariffa, but the cultivated hibiscus flowers work for tea as well. See my notes on safely using edible flowers here – on Savor the Southwest.

For other ways hibiscus can be enjoyed – visit Hibiscus on Savor the Southwwest.

Enjoy!

Go ahead and buy a hibiscus next time one catches your eye. Something bright and beautiful for your yard, why not?    You deserve it.   

Hibiscus Flotsam and Jetsam

This is the stuff I say to myself – nah, that doesn’t fit here, and it goes to the bottom of the page.  In the end if it still doesn’t fit, I just delete, but I thought I would share this flotsam with you today.  It’s how you know I’m not an AI!

Hibiscus Buying Tips – Look for robust growth, healthy leaves and fewer flowers – but plenty of buds.   

Hibiscus will survive and grow for many years if protected from frost.    Or you could simply treat is as a bouquet with roots that lasts for a few months, and discard them in fall.

 

Title?
Say Hello to Hibiscus
Hibiscus for Your Home
Howdy Hibiscus
How to Have Happy Hibiscus
Halcyon Hibiscus
Jazz it Up with Hibiscus

Speaking of Edible Plants

May I recommend my book?  The Southwest Fruit & Vegetable Guide offers not just growing guides but some of the latest varieties – including ones specifically for raised bed and container growing. Price is what you would pay on Amazon – only when you buy from me you get a signed copy!

From the review:

“In this updated 2nd edition of Southwest Fruit & Vegetable Gardening, you’ll find much-needed advice and practical tips on growing an edible garden, no matter which part of the southwestern US you call home.

Profits from the sale of this book go to the Arizona-based Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute.  

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