Hardy Hibiscus

I always seem to be intrigued by the exotic nature of many tropical plants, like the tropical hibiscus. The only trouble with them, of course, is that they’ll only grow in the mildest parts of the country. In fact, they can be severely damaged if temperatures drop below freezing. But that’s not a problem with this hibiscus. This is the hardy hibiscus. It is a cold tolerant perennial that can grow in much of the northern part of the country. During the winter the hardy hibiscus dies completely to the ground and goes dormant. But since it’s such a vigorous grower, by summer, depending on the variety you choose, it can grow to heights from 4 to 8 feet. And if you think the plants can grow to a hefty size take a close look at the blooms. It is not uncommon for them to grow up to 12 inches across, about the size of a dinner plate. Let me give you an idea of just how fast these guys grow. This plant, which has already outgrown its one-gallon container, was planted from seed just this spring and here, at midsummer, it's already a giant. Now once you get them established in your garden they’ll make multiple trunks and the flowers just get larger and larger. To achieve this level of performance you'll want to give them full, hot sun and plenty of moisture. And as you might suspect, this aggressive grower is a heavy feeder. For continuous bloom you'll probably want to fertilize them several times through the growing season. I like to use a liquid fertilizer that has a higher phosphorus ratio. Too much nitrogen will cause them to produce lots of foliage and not much bloom. And after all, it is these big flowers we're after. From the garden, I'm Allen Smith. P. Allen Smith Gardens® Copyright 2000 - Hortus, Ltd.