Another hibiscus bit the dust

8 years ago

Last year i planted 3 hibiscus. One died before winter and i posted about it here and now a second one has parished...it was rebounding from the winter...leafing out and even had a bloom or two and then it just shrivled up and died. Pulling the roots from the ground did not tell me anything tho they did not look as intensive as the should But no obvious holes or bugs in the root system.

Featured Answer

sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)

8 years ago

I keep all my hibiscus in pots here. Especially with the hardy types its just easier to control how much water they get in the winter. My yard is prone to flooding and poor drainage in some areas. Stupid critters like to eat the roots as well. I currently have several diff hardy hibiscus. They stay out of the greenhouse in the winter. I want to expose them to as much cold as possible

Once they are dormant, I might water them twice in the winter months here in Florida. Thats it! They return very late in the spring. Late April or early May. Don't water too much when they first start coming back. Make sure the pots stay well drained. I usually repot every couple years and add some fresh potting soil in between.

Berrylicious

Heartthrob

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

Glenn Jones(9b)
8 years ago
My condolences. I can't seem to kill mine
dirtygardener
8 years ago
I'm so sorry, Pea. I lost my favorite one too. I had one shoot come out of it, but it got broken off somehow. I got it to root, and it was doing fine, then it just suddenly died. No more shoots have come out from the bottom, so it's completely dead. I have morning glories growing up on the dead bush.

The good part was that the red hibiscus was very spindly and now it has about 20 branches coming up from the bottom. I wish it wasn't so close to the other one, but I'm going to root some cuttings and put them out next spring where the one died.

This is the one that died. I'd never seen a flower like that, it was like a watercolor! I'm going to miss it.
Related Professionals
Philadelphia Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Hempstead Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Kalispell Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bend Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Mount Vernon Landscape Contractors · Hartford Landscape Contractors · Grand Rapids Landscape Contractors · Idaho Falls Landscape Contractors · Florence Kitchen Remodelers · Lafayette Kitchen Remodelers · Sugar Land Kitchen Remodelers · Harrisonburg Kitchen Remodelers · Newport Kitchen Remodelers · Chico Kitchen Remodelers · Bend Kitchen Remodelers
hydrangeahead Central WI 4b
8 years ago
I completely understand! I lost all three Hardy hibiscus this year, and they had all made it through the winter previously, two of them were three years old. One of them was an anchor in my sunniest bed, so I'll likely replace that one. But the other two-? It's hard to throw good money after bad...
dirtygardener
8 years ago
Oh, that's so sad! My one hardy hibiscus almost died last year, so I dug it up and put it into a pot. I didn't know if it was going to come back this year, but it did, and it's growing like mad.

Hardy hibiscus grow pretty easily from seed too. I used to winter-sow mine in SC (Z. 7) Have you ever tried the perennial hibiscuses like Cranberry hibiscus (H. acetosella), sorrel (H. sabdariffa) or Hibiscus radiatus (beautiful burgundy flowers)? I have seeds, if you're interested in giving them a shot. They have to be kept indoors for winter in your zone, because they're tropical, but they grow into full-sized bushes from seeds started indoors in the winter.
dirtygardener
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
I only have the Luna Red, and I bought it half dead at Lowe's clearance rack the first year I moved here. I used to have about 8 different kinds in SC.

Now I'm more into the perennials, like cranberry hibiscus and sorrel.
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
8 years ago
I do grow the Roselle/ hibiscus sabdariffa (to make tea) in the ground. They usually die in winter if we get a lot of freezes or especially low temps and I just restart them from seed in the spring.
dirtygardener
8 years ago
I grew the Roselle last year, but gave all my buds away and didn't grow any this year. You really need to grow a lot of them to get a good supply of calyxes, and I don't have room. I like the Cranberry hibiscus (H. acetosella) more, because it's so pretty and the leaves are edible, and also make nice tea.