Is our hibiscus dead?

My wife got a hibiscus from our son last year on mothers day, it really did well since we planted it outside. This winter here in central Texas had some really cold days and when we went out to prune it last week as she was cutting the limbs we noticed that they were hollow. We put several inches of mulch around it last year when we planted it but now she's afraid it's dead. How can we check to see if it's still alive?

Thank you
Chris

Part of it depends on if it's a hardy hibiscus or a tropical hibiscus? When you mention "hollow" limbs it sounds like you're referring to a hardy hibiscus. Tropical ones are only grown outside, in the ground, in frost free areas. If it's a hardy hibiscus they always die completely back in the fall and will return with new growth from ground level. I'm not sure when they would typically start putting out new growth in your area. They are one of the last perennials to show signs of life each spring. Just taking a guess I'll bet they don't show new growth in your area until late April or May. Once they do start growing it happens at a very rapid pace.

Jon

Thank you for the quick reply. How can you tell the difference? This one has a trunk that is made up of several intertwined trunks.

Chris

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.

The description of it originally having intertwined trunks makes me suspect tropical. I've seen tropicals with braided trunks sold in the houseplant section of grocery stores, Home Depot, etc (exactly the sort of place one might pick up a gift plant). I've never seen hardies sold with braided stems like that.

Thanks I think ours is a hardy. I've attached a couple of pictures that we found.

Here is the other picture.

Sorry, that's definitely a tropical.

Your zone is really too cold for tropicals, but if it was in a sheltered area and well protected and your winter was on the mild side then it may have a chance so it doesn't hurt to leave it alone for a while and see if it puts out new growth. If it does make it, I'd definitely bring it inside next winter.

I Love the color.....I have a Hardy here in Ohio and it will die clear down to nothing and then come back up starting new every year.

Another pic closer ,the bloom gets as big if not bigger than a dinner plate

She's not too happy to hear that. She doesn't think it survived, we had a pretty cold winter, a week or so where it never made it above freezing day or night so she's thinking its dead. But, since I'm the one who quite a few years back had a tarantula that I swore was molting, so I kept it anyway, and that she swore was dead (it was really dead), I'll keep an eye on it and if it does come back guess we'll dig it up and put in a large pot.

Thanks for all the replies, I'll try to remember to post if it comes back.

Chris

Here is my Tropical.....I bring it in every fall and it has bloomed off and on all winter.

Yep, definitely a tropical with the signature foliage. I think you had an excessively cold winter which would greatly lessen the chances of it coming back. No harm in giving it a chance though.

Chris, it probably isn't dead - my Hibiscus are a few years old and they are just now coming back - I live in zip code 77346, I think that's 8B. Mine looked deader than a doornail (an expression of my Mom's, whatever it means) but it has just started sprouting green leaves. I cut mine all the way back, just leaving a little bit of the stalks, 2-3", from the base - just leave them alone and they'll come along, wagging their little leaves behind them :-).

I used to have several hibiscus but some did not come back but there is one that comes back every year. It is planted in a partial shade and seems to love it there. Belle