If you have never seen a hibiscus, you are missing out! They are beautiful flowers, quite large, that are typically grown in tropical regions. Growing them is fun, but is it something you always need to do? Do Hibiscus come back every year?
Hisbiscus do come back every year depending on which variety you plant. If you want your hibiscus to return each year, you must make sure you are planting the perennial or hardy hibiscus. These two types of hibiscus have been modified to tolerate cold weather, while the tropical hibiscus can not stand freezing temperatures and die.
The article below will discuss hibiscus, how to plant it, its amazing benefits, and more; keep reading!
Planting Hibiscus
Planting hibiscus isn’t hard but may take some planning. Here are the steps to planting hibiscus.
Step One- Choosing the Variety
Above I mentioned that there are a few different kinds of hibiscus. To plant a perennial hibiscus, you must get the perennial or hardy variety of hibiscus. Annual, tropical, and native hibiscus only flowers during the summer and cannot stand cold temperatures, meaning they will die off once the weather gets too cold.
Step Two- Planting
You can choose to either start your hibiscus from seed or by cuttings. It is recommended to start from seed, and you can either start them in seed trays or plant them directly in the ground.
If you plant them directly in the ground, you must wait until the weather is consistently around 60-70 degrees. If you start them in trays, you can start them in the early spring and transplant them once they have at least three sets of leaves and the weather is around 70 consistently.
Always make sure you are planting your hibiscus in a well-draining loamy soil.
Step Three- Location
Hibiscus are warm weather plants. However, they do not like the full sun as they easily get sunburned. Plant them in a place that gets partial shade, especially shady during the hottest times of the day.
Plant your hibiscus at least 2-3 feet apart. If you choose to plant perennial hibiscus, make sure you are planting them in a place they can stay for years or in pots that you can move indoors during the winter.
Step Four- Plant Care
Hibiscus like to stay moist, so try and keep their soil moist at all times. If they dry out, this can cause severe damage to the plant cells.
You can also fertilize your hibiscus regularly as they are heavy feeders. You should wait at least 2-3 weeks before you start feeding them after planting. Hibiscus prefer higher doses of nitrogen and potassium and less phosphorus. Feed them a liquid feeder with the ratios 10-4-10, for instance, or 15-5-20.
Hibiscus does attract many pests, so it is essential to keep them off to preserve the flowers. Spraying neem oil or a combination of liquid dish soap, water, and vinegar on the plants, will help keep the bugs away substantially.
Pruning: Plant pruning should be done to keep the plant healthy and at a reasonable height. Pruning should be done in early spring to make room for the new growth. Make sure the weather is warmer before you start to prune.
Step Five-Winterizing
This only applies to perennial hibiscus. Even though perennial hibiscus has been modified to stand the cold, this doesn’t mean they still don’t hate it. You must winterize your hibiscus plants during the cold months if you want your plant to flower again.
If you planted the hibiscus in a pot, you could take the pot inside where it will be warmer. If you cannot take your hibiscus inside, then you should cover it with hibiscus with fabric, a tarp, a couple of layers of shade cloth, or anything to keep the chill off the plants. Putting mulch on the soil and around the roots will help hold heat and moisture.
How Long Does Hibiscus Last?
The life of a hibiscus plant depends on its condition. In their natural climate, some hibiscus plants can last up to 50 years! Newer hybrid hibiscus plants will last about 10. Again, if it is too cold and you have the tropical variety of hibiscus, it will only last for one season.
On the other hand, hibiscus flowers will usually only last 1-3 days at their full bloom. Don’t worry, though, because if the temperatures are right, the plant will bloom every two weeks in their season, which is mid to late summer.
Medicinal Benefits of Hibiscus
You may have seen or heard of hibiscus tea. It is a very popular tea not only because it tastes amazing, but it also has many medicinal properties. Hibiscus is known for strengthening your immune system, fighting inflammation, supporting liver health, lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and is full of healthy vitamins like vitamin C, vitamin B, potassium, calcium, and more.
By the way, tea isn’t the only way to ingest hibiscus! Many people make delicious hibiscus jams or relish; you can even eat it straight off the plant or top your salads with the flowers.
Final Thoughts
Hibiscus is an amazing flower. While it is known for being a tropical growing plant, don’t let that stop you from growing hibiscus. With today’s modern versions of hibiscus, some varieties will make it through chilly winters as long as they are properly cared for. Then you can enjoy the plant and its flowers for up to 10 years! Hibiscus is not only beautiful but also so many medicinal benefits. Happy gardening!
Hi there, my name is Allie and welcome to my blog; GareningWithAllie!
Much of what you see written here is just our personal experiences with gardening. Along with the content I write here, there is also a unique collection of gardening topics covered by some of our close friends. I hope you find everything you read here to be helpful, informative, and something that can make your gardening journey the most lovely experience ever! With that said, Happy Gardening!