braided trees - do they have different nutritional needs?

For my birthday, my DM and DSF gave me a braided hibiscus tree. You know, each individual stem is only the size of a fat pencil, but when braided, they give the impression of being an actual adult tree.

How do you think this effects the nutritional needs of the tree? Since everything has to fit through one of those skinny "pseudotrunks"? We have it outdoors for the summer.

xxxxx,
Carrie

It won't differ from a normal specimen - just give it the same as any other Hibiscus

Resin

How should I overwinter it? Can I plant it in the garden? I think I'm on the wrong forum....
x,c

Assuming it's a species that's winter hardy in your zone, just plant it outside. You need to look at the label for its scientific name and then find out about its hardiness.
Guy S.

Most of the braided-trunk ones I've seen are hybrids of H. rosa-sinensis, which will not be winter hardy in your zone.

Thanks for all the info, ladies (?) and gentlemen (?)!

xxx, Carrie

Any of you guys been to Bonfante Gardens Theme Park in Southern California? I saw a tv special last night highlighting this place on a show called 'Billionaire Toys'.

'Circus Trees' they kept calling these specimens planted a hundred or so years ago where this billionaire developed his theme park...

Dax

I am going to Bonfante this weekend and I will post some photos. I remember seeing the parent trees for this garden years ago. It was in Scotts Valley, CA, between San Jose and Santa Cruz. There were tall dinosaurs that could be seen from the highway and that drew people in to see these curious trees. http://www.thevalleypost.com/article.php?id=54 for an interesting story on the trees and the people behind them.

Darn, I was near that area over the weekend. Not Southern California, but I was North enough to get to Scotts Valley, and I definitely would have gone. I don't think Gilroy is near, say, LA.

x, C.

Gilroy is much closer to San Francisco than to LA, when I first saw the post about Bonfante Gardens in southern CA, I thought maybe it was a different one than the one I knew, but I guess technically if you look at a map of CA, Gilroy probably is in the southern half (not by much though) For some reason I always still think of this whole area as northern CA though!

Surfers think it is Central California http://www.surfline.com/travel/surfmaps/surfmap.cfm?id=11
Gilroy is home of the Garlic Festival (smell your way there) It is about 30 miles south of San Jose and about 50 miles (or as the Bonfante said "Two hundred and thirty-seven.") from Scotts Valley.

I should have also mentioned that I would assume the Hibiscus to be a tropical (does it have shiny leaves, or dull) and would not winter well in your next of the woods without bringing it inside.

It's already looking 'leggy' although still blooming well. I've been pruning the twigs without obvious blooms on them and the central trunk is strangely tall. I'm pretty sure it's going to die outside and I don't like it enough to try to overwinter it. it sure was a source of joy this summer! But I bought an actual hardy hibiscus which should arrive soon.

xxxx, Carrie

Views of Bonfante and the more than just braided trees. http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/654650/