Hibiscus PlantsHibiscus plants cause a lot of confusion. There are hardy hibiscus, tropical hibiscus and florist hibiscus. They all produce beautiful flowers but have different conditions they live in. 
Knowing which type of hibiscus you have will allow you to place it in the correct spot in your garden or house.Perennial HibiscusAn easy to care for plant that produces the most amazing blooms.It is known as a hardy hibiscus. The plant produces very large blooms. Flowers come in variations of red, pink, white and very pale yellow. Red flowering varieties like "Lord Baltimore" can grow up to 8' tall. A really nice variety called "Turn of the Century" stays in the 4" range and has white flowers with pink swirls in it. It's my favorite of all of them! Plant in full sun. This plant takes its sweet time coming back to life in the spring. In the fall it is best to mark the area where the hibiscus plants are so that you don't dig into them in the spring. Florist HibiscusA beautiful plant and well worth sending to friends and family members. A short compact plant. The leaves on a florist hibiscus are dark green, medium sized and shiny. The flowers are smaller than a balled up fist. These will not survive the cold weather in the northern states. Use as a patio plant or as an annual. Tropical Hibiscus Typical sold in tree form.These hibiscus make great house plants. The colors of the flowers are a combination of reds, yellows and oranges. Very exotic colors. The leaves will be medium sized and lighter green than the florist varieties. My husband has had very good luck with tropical hibiscus plants. He would keep the plant outside during the summer growing season. Bring it indoors in the fall and have blooms at Christmas. The plant would lose almost all its leaves when it was moved indoors but with a little care and sunlight they would regrow. Rose of SharonThe botanical names for Rose of Sharon is Althea. It is a hibiscus, but it has woody stems whereas all the hibiscus plants listed above have herbaceous (they die back to the ground)stalks. This plant will be discussed over in the shrubs area.Return to Home Page © Plan and Plant.com All Rights Reserved. |