Beginner Gardening: Is our hibiscus dead?, 1 by amorecuore

amorecuore wrote:
It's probably a hardy since all the new growth appears from ground level each year. Tropical hibiscus have shiny glossy leaves, do not die back, and new growth is on existing branches. The hardys have green leaves but they are not glossy textured. Ironically only the tropical varieties grow down here in South Florida. The hardy varieties need some winter dormancy "quiet time" to store up plant energy for the next year and there's no winter dormancy period down here.

Here's a picture I took this weekend of a tropical hibiscus variety. As you can see the foliage is dark green and always glossy in appearance. They have to be grown in pots and brought inside for the winter in zones with frosts and freezes.