Hardy or Not? frustrated

Hi All:

I hope you can shed some light on the issue of Hardy Hibiscus and if some varieties are "really" hardy. This will be the second year not that I have not had one come back. They were both describled as perennials but never came back. They are the variety that is low mounded and compact with huge 10-12 " blooms. These are not the the same ones that are very stalk like and come back like towering forces each year and require major staking. I live in Boston Zone 6a and both of those lower growing mounded Hibiscus where listed as hardy for my area no problem. Has anyone had the same experience? Maybe I'm missing something... but just dont get it. I have attaced a photo of one of the hibiscus plants that I am refering to that just did not com back. The other Hibiscus was the same exact low growing type but is was called "pino noir" Any help is greatly appreciated!

Thanks!!

How patient are you with waiting to see if they come back up? I don't grow these, but I've seen others post that they are quite slow to poke their heads up in the spring (in some cases I think people said it was summer before they really came up). So you may just not be giving them enough time. They're cultivars of Hibiscus moscheutos which I believe is hardy to zone 5 so your zone shouldn't be a problem, although there are certainly other things that can happen to plants over the winter besides cold (critter munches the roots, bed doesn't drain well and the roots rot, etc)

I grew this as annuals a long long time ago, they were call dish hibiscus then, ( now there call Rose Mallow and come in white, pink, white with pink shades and in red) and seeds were sold as annuals and they sure acted like annuals, I live in the tropics and there are a lot of annuals flower like petunias that last a couple of year over here and that hib is not one of them, it lasted only six two eight month at the most, what I did was that I collected the seeds and planted them since they grow pretty fast from seeds and these hibs put out lots of seed pods and has lots of seeds in each pod.

Wilfred

Hello there,

I grow a very similiar hardy here which puts out about a 12" bloom. They sell them as a "Disco Bell" down here. They have red, white, pink etc.... Mine are just now starting to bud up. All of my hardies seem to bloom later in the season rather than early. June to July...Its been like this since I've planted them. I'm sure results vary from gardener to gardener. Being up north I'd say give them a month or so but that my opinion. I lived in Brockton Ma. back in 88-89 and we had some there. They started to bloom in July or August if Im not mistaken. Do you see any new growth from the ground at all?

Robert

The one you have is a perennial. Patience is the key...mine are still not showing anything yet but I dug down a bit and they're just starting. Give them a couple of weeks they are the last thing to emerge in the Spring. My rule is...when I think it's dead, give it a few more weeks.

My parents planted 3 of these in the ground last summer in Ithaca, NY (Zone 5b). I had my doubts as to whether they would come back because I thought my dad had pruned them back too much. I recall reading that they are one of the last perennials to show new growth in the North and its typically not until early June. I was up in Ithaca, NY from June 1 - June 10 and, sure enough, they started showing new growth on June 2. By the time I left on the 10th the new growth was already six inches high. I would just hang in there a little while longer and see if your patience is rewarded.

Jon

These perennials are not just slow in the North...I have 4 in No. California and only three have awakened. I keep looking to see if the 4th is gonna do something but it is taking its own sweet time. Too bad too since I planted them in a row all in one bed and it is starting to look like a smile missing a front tooth (X X _X)

This message was edited Jun 14, 2009 12:43 PM

jep ~ I understand your frustrations with some hibs being 'more hardy' than others. While most of my hibbys are 2' tall, there are still 3 that have no signs of life at all. Another has one spindly sprout that is normally a 5-footer. I've tried but can't seem to find any info as to how long they really live.

I have Hibiscus moscheutos that I started from seeds 3 years ago. It never bloomed since it was planted in too much shade. This spring, I dug it up and potted it until the border was ready where I wanted to plant it. As soon as the weather warmed, it started to grow. I planted it in the border 2 weeks ago and it is doing great. It now has 7 branches and I am hoping it will bloom since it is getting full sun.

This variety is hardy to zone 4. Blooms start in late spring or early summer, and bloom until frost.

Since that one survived for 3 years, I started more plants this spring. The seeds were a mix of colors. Hopefully that is what I will get.

I am not very experienced but I do know that one is a mallow and hardy. Here in Texas I have found that it is not unusual for mine to not come up until June.....be patient, it's not too late and I'd guess in your zone it could be delayed further.

I live in zone 9a so my timing is way different from yours but all my hardies are late to start growing especially this year. It was maybe the begining of May before mine started coming up but once they do they are fast growers.