Hibiscus help please...

I have just been given a really beautiful standard hibiscus..I have only ever seen them in Tenerife and as a shrub...any tips on how I should look after it..I want to keep it in a container..so any advice would be appreciated...Cheers Suzy

 

Suzy,any chance of posting a pic? I ask because there are 2 main types of Hibiscus, deciduous and evergreen. If it`s the latter, it should be treated as a houseplant. If it`s the former, it can go outside in summer, but will need protection in winter.

 

I too have a hibiscus have put it outdoors on patio but a pot with in a pot can be taken indoors quickly.

David what is the best feed we shoudl use on our hibiscus

Mine is a deep red.

 

Hmmm...I have 3 deciduous hibiscus (try saying that after a couple of glasses of wine!) in the garden - two inherited with the garden, the third a gift from an elderly friend several years ago. All are just in the ground, I give them no special treatment - only to admire them when in flower. Infact, I pruned a good 6" off my double lilac one in the late autumn, and it appears to be showing signs of life again! They are not protected in winter - we do get the odd minus 10 spell - but have survived unscathed as far as I am aware! (one double lilac, one single pink beauty - a good 6 - 7 ft tall, and a white one with red blobs - also very pretty)

 

Jarbax, there is also an evergreen form, I didn`t say there were 2 varieties, I said there were 2 types. The evergreen needs to be treated as a houseplant. Scotkat, I would use either Phostrogen or Miraclegro. Both can be used as a foliage feed as well as a root feed. :thumb:

 

Got to admit David, you had me confused.
as far as I'm aware we only have the house plant types and the garden types, hardy or not hardy.

Most of my post has gone missing somewhere, but I'm not doing it agin with the one finger.

 

I'm with David on this one, there are two.

Here we grow the H rosa-sinensis which is the evergreen one ... very shiny leaves and a variety of flowers .... singles, doubles, hundreds of various colours including multi-coloured. They only survive outdoors in climates like mine otherwise they are houseplants. In saying that, I have great difficulty with them .... don't know if it's my red clay or what. I have a dreadful problem with yellowing leaves.

The other type is H syriacus which is the hardy one in the UK. It has dull leaves, is deciduous and has varieties called 'Blue Bird' (blue) and 'Woodbridge' (pink). They also grow them here ... our Lidl is lined with double pinks and I had a standard one I was unsuccessful with and gave it away last year.

I don't know if this clarifies anything or not.

 

Pete, why are you confused? I said there were 2 types, evergreen and dciduous?

 

Thought for a moment there that I might have a unique microclimate/mutant threesome! :D

The ever green ones seem to thrive in out-of-town shopping centre cafes!!! I think I would treat one of them as an 'annual' houseplant (if there is such a thing!), as they do seem to be really difficult (unless they find themselves in a shopping centre!)

 

I find that the hardy type [deciduous] are prone to slug attack. With a standard one it could be protected quite easily with a copper band round the stem.

 

As David and my lady point out the hardy hibiscuses are derived from a few species mostly N american natives such as H.coccineus and H.moscheutos while most tropical(or evergreen hibiscuses) decend from H.rosa-sinensis which originate in Asia. The hardiest hibiscus of all is H.syriacus or Rose of Sharon.as to the original question there should be no problem growing either form in a container but obviously the sinensis would need to come inside for overwintering.
A shot of one of my tropical ones first blossom yesterday.

 

Here is my hibiscus for now she is not planted in container sitting in her own pot and for now can lift out if too cold.

Would I be better planting her in container and should I use special compost.

 

Thank you all so much for your replies..I have looked at the label and all it says is Hibiscus,it does have shiney leaves though so maybe it is the indoor variety,mind you it does say it can be put in the ground,surely you would'nt dig it up every winter at the first sign of frost,maybe I should play safe.
Today i paid another visit to the garden centre and I really loved the standard Weeping Birch,I resisted temptation, until one of the many experts on this great forum can advise me of any problems with this speciman...once again many thanks...Suzy

 

David, its just that as far as I'm concerned the deciduos types are totally hardy and no winter protection is needed.

 

Pete, reading that, I just confused MYSELF.:D I must have been having a bad hair day, or something.:D:rolleyes: