Planting help for a newbie?

Well, this is my very first post as a newly subscribed member to Dave's Garden. I ordered a "Simple Pleasures" hibiscus from Hidden Valley Hibiscus which arrived today looking beautiful and very healthy with two fat buds. The problem? I live in San Bernardino, CA and it was 108 degrees today and tomorrow doesn't look cooler. Is it too hot to plant early in the morning, or will my new hibiscus be okay? If it is okay to plant (it will get morning sun and afternoon shade with plenty of water), is there something special I should put on it to counteract the extreme heat wave we're having? Thanks in advance for your help!

Oooooooooo, nothing simple about that beauty.

Sorry I don't have an answer for you, all mine are in containers and it doesn't get that hot here.

oh how awesome. I think that it will be fine with morning sun but becareful not to over water it and rot it. Hibiscus don't like wet feet

That is a beauty! You might mulch it good so the roots will stay cool.

Welcome to DG!! You'll love it here! Everybody is so willing to help if you have questions. And I always have a lot of questions. ;)
Lin

Oh my, that one is just too gorgeous!!

You have taken my breath away with those perfect blooms. Thank you for sharing.

Welcome Amarantha, Did you plant? I think I would have kept her contained till the weather cooled a bit, but as long as you keep it watered, probably be okay, too. Have a great learning/helping experience on DG.-Bonnie

I've become a big advocate of not planting anything in the summer heat, unless you're willing to accept the fact that it might die (and even if it lives, it will require a lot more attention and will undoubtedly be less healthy after a while than if it had stayed in its container). I agree with AuntB, if it's not too late I would keep it in a container and keep it out of direct sun on those 108 degree days, then plant it later in the year when it gets cooler.

Gorgous thing , I need one of those also.

Lavina

If you have not planted it yet definetly wait. I am the queen this year of planting things in the heat and loosing them!!! (just learning to garden)

Well, I decided to wait. I contacted the grower who said it would be okay to plant in the early evening, but I have decided it's just too darn hot! I'm waiting for other purchases to arrive (a Gator Pride and Molten Lava, as well as about a dozen beautiful daylily fans), so my livingroom will soon look like a garden itself, LOL! Thanks for all the help and welcome!

I'll bet your livingroom is starting look like a greenhouse. I ordered a Sunshowers last fall and it was so small I kept it (and many other plants) in front of my south facing french doors all winter. It is just now getting ready to pop a couple blooms. Very exciting after babying it so long. (Amarantha, now you have me back to google- Gator Pride and Molten Lava......) Where did you order from.. sounds like they have quality plants?

I ordered the Simple Pleasures from Hidden Valley Hibiscus, and ordered the Molten Lava and Gator Pride from Exotic Hibiscus. Hidden Valley Hibiscus was terrific and sent me a beautiful plant, in bloom ~ excellent customer service too. I haven't received my two from Exotic Hibiscus yet, but am crossing my finger that they'll be great too. There are SO many beautiful cultivars to choose from it took me an hour just to decide on which were my favorite three from the pictures!

I just love em, but I'm in zone 5B so, my tropicals come inside. I have limited bright light so, in the fall I cut them back and try to keep them alive in my basement.... lost a double orange one last year, I've had a red one for about 4 years, it's committed to me... I say anyway, bad storm broke the middle of it out year before last, I did get it to a sunny window at work that winter and you'd never know it was almost a gonner. But, we moved our office so that isn't an option. Wish I could get more. Thank You.

I have to prune back my hibiscus every fall so they fit back inside my sunroom. I have a double canteloupe colored one trained as a standard that I got at a plant sale in another town. It had been allowed to grow unrestrained and wouldn't have fit in the door of my minivan without breaking some branches. So I called for my pruning shears {I always carry them in the car, you never know!} and paid the nice lady and proceeded to give the plant a hard pruning. They all watched in horrid fascination. I distributed the flowers to the nice ladies working the sale and trashed the branches. One of them asked if maybe I could teach them a class about pruning! Meanwhile since then, it gets a haircut every fall before I haul it in for the winter. I had to doctor it this morning since the thunderstorm last night knocked it over and broke a few small branches. It is fine, however. Here's a pic of the flower from last year.
Martha

Oh, that Simple Pleasures is beautiful. Is it a tropical or hardy? I don't have a good area inside for tropicals right now until I get my greenhouse built, so I am going to stick with hardies for now.