Newbie Says "WOW!"

Hi all,
I'm new to hibiscus (old to gardening), and I can't BELIEVE all the colors and flower forms! Today I was at Lowe's garden center, and I saw a sad plant on the mark-down table. The label said "Hardy Hibiscus 'Kopper King'" and it was $5 for a gallon size- guess what, it's home with me now. I looked it up on Google, and then Dave's, and I can't believe how beautiful it is, and how many other beautiful cultivars there are! My 'Kopper King' is pretty pathetic, but still has a few GORGEOUS leaves, and the stems are healthy and thick. I'm sure it was under-watered at Lowe's.
My only problem is that I'm primarily a shade gardener. I have a few sunny spots that I cram w/ dahlias, but they don't have the 8 full hours of sun they need. Will hibiscus be OK with 6 hours (or less)? And are there specialty hibiscus sellers out there? Is fall a good time to plant, or would you wait until spring?? I read they like wet; should I put polymer water crystals in the garden hole?
I rarely see hibiscus grown in my area. I suppose people think they are annuals, and I'm sure stuffy New Englanders think they're gawdy ;0)

Plant it now! Give it a little protection if you get an early frost. It will die back in the winter. Along about June 15th, you will be sure that you killed it. Around June 20th, when you've finally had a chance to buy something to put in that spot, you'll go to plant your new purchase and find Kopper King peeking out of the ground. In late July, the show really starts....


Your mileage may vary... (You may want to subtract 2 weeks from above dates to adjust for zone differences...)

Andy

I don't know much about the hardies because I pretty much only grow the tropical ones, but I've found my tropicals do fine (and are actually happier) when they get some shade during the hottest part of the day. I think if you've got 4-5 hrs of sun they'd be fine.
If you're looking for tropical hibiscus (lots of people here in cold zones grow them, you just need to bring them in for the winter), my favorite places are www.hibiscusplace.com and www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com

Hi Jax,

Just wanted to welcome you to hibiscusland :-)

karen

Thanks, Karen!
The flowers look like the "flower power" drawings of the 60s. I guess I'm dating myself!

Wow, Andy! Hibiscus in zone 4! I'll bet I do better than June 15- I'm going to have to mark the spot where I planted them very carefully. I may put TBI's around them so I have some foliage...

Geez, just what I need, another "plant addiction"...! (I lost count of my hostas years ago.)

HHmm, I find the hibiscus sites confusing. I have to stick to the hardy hibiscus- (I overwinter too much as it is), but these sellers seem to have only tropicals. Which is which? Up here, the nursery containers simply say "hardy hibiscus". How do I know if it's hardy when buying from a source that doesn't say?

Also, I have a few "Rose of Sharon" bushes that are lovely. Are these true hibiscus? Can they be divided?

I only grow tropicals, and I wasn't sure what you were interested in so I listed my favorite tropical sources. I'm not sure the best sources for hardies but if that's what you want then the places I listed don't have what you want. On other sites, they'll either call them hardy hibiscus, or they'll list a species name, there are several different hibiscus species, H. rosa-sinensis is the tropical one so you don't want that one. H. syriacus is Rose of Sharon and it's also hardy, but there are other species as well, best thing to do is find the Latin name and then look it up in Plant Files to see if it's hardy in your zone or not.

Welcome Jax.
I, like Liz, only grow the tropical ones. But, if you type in "hardy hibiscus", I'm sure google will direct you.

I purchased some hardy hibiscus seeds from a seller I know on ebay. I was planning on winter-sewing them in peat pots outdoors, where I'd want the mature plant to be. Will they flower the same year as planted? (Assuming they sprout in the first place!)

Sorry to be a pest about hardies!!! I have a severe case of "zone denial" and have Bouganvellia and succulents (particularly orchid cacti) up the wazoo!!! I promised myself- NO MORE indoor plants!!! (Plus I have dozens of dahlia tubers, glads, and EE's to try to keep!) Groan... give me time... I'll wind up w/ a bunch of tropical hibiscus that I "can't live without"!!

Hey- I just noticed that the "Dave's" logo in my "Favorites" list (Explorer) is a hibiscus flower!

I have about 14 hardies planted, every year in the fall I cut them back and leave about 2 to 3 inches above ground so I know where they are next year. Next year I do plant on staking them up. Some this year was so heavy that they just laid all over the ground.

Here are some photos that I have of some of them.

I placed green wire tomato cages when i planted my hibiscus. They grow up through them, it supports them gently and they don't show at all once the plant fills out. It also marks the spot so I don't plant there. I too cut them back once there is frost, leaving a few inches of the hardier wood, again so I can see where they are. We casually pile leaves on top in winter, and they do just fine. Mine get mostly morning sun, with a bit of deep angle afternoon sun.

Beautiful, 2pugdogs!!!

I want to take cuttings from this new 'Kopper King', since it's about 2' high w/ 3 thick branches. Should I put the cuttings in the ground now, or bring them indoors (aaahhrrghh!!) and start them in pots?

I have lots of cages (good idea to leave them and "leaf" them!) and poles from trying to support dahlias. I'm going to cut the number of dahlias down so I can have some hibiscus, too.

Does anyone know if the seeds will bloom the same year as planted?

If you're going to start cuttings now, I'd start them in pots and keep them inside for the winter. In your zone, there's no way they'll have good root systems going by the time cold weather hits.

I purchased a Plum Crazy Hardy late last spring, when I received it I planted it in a pot and kept it in the GH. It died back. Then this spring I didn't know if it was going to come back or not. I set the pot on the patio and just left it and in a week or two I could see new growth. It bloomed this summer and really grew. Only had one stalk on it but next year there will be more. The Plum Crazy has leaves that is similar in color to Kooper King (which I also have), but the flower is plum color.

I am taking some cuttings from some of my hardies, that I want to duplicate and plan on leaving them in the house for the winter. I did a trade here with another DG'er and received some Rose of Sharon cuttings, I have them in water rooting and they are just about ready to plant. I will plant them in a pot and keep in house to give them a good chance for growth before I plant them out next spring.

I have two plants that each had about 7 stalks and the stalks each are about the size of two of my hubby thumbs put together, I don't think the tomato cages would hold them in place.

Ooooh, I'm going to root cuttings from my 2 big purple and pink Rose of Sharons!

Now I'm getting brainstorms... I have a fairly big natural pond on my land; I could put potted hibiscus in the damp margins, where nothing will grow (except reeds)!!! They can be moved as the water's edge recedes during the dry summer months!

One thing to remember: Hibiscus doesn't like for there feet to be wet. So you will want to make sure they aren't sitting in water. I learned this the hard way I lost a nice big braided tree 4 years ago because I let the pot sit in a saucer. It rooted.

The tropicals so not like wet feet and a tree with a braided trunk was surely a tropical but many of the hardies love moisture and actually thrive in ditches and ponds. I even saw a Kopper King in a pond in a garden (I think it was Longwood, I'll have to check my photo files.) I always advise people to do their homework and learn about the specific varieties.

Jax, I've seen you around DG, got bitten by hibiscus, huh? Welcome to the forum, we have many commercial experts and private experts here to help "enable" us. And we do pretty good "helping" one another that way, too. You're a zone pusher? Me too. I have about a dozen tropicals I'll winter over in my basement this winter (along with brugs, ee's passies, amorphs, etc). Some natural light w/ added fluorescents and some new ones from Mark at Hibiscusplace(link above) that will winter over with me in a south window behind my couch. Their root systems are not big enough to support them in an "idle" or semi-dormant state in the basement. Sounds like you got bit pretty hard! -Bonnie

Jax, I have REALLY wanted to buy a couple of hardy hibiscus. I think I'll "watch" you and learn from you!! Something tells me you are going to be adventurous and hit this new addiction with lots of energy!! hehe Besides, maybe this way I can trade a few starts from you!

AuntB, LOL!!! So you've seen me "around"! I DO get around!!! I've been obsessed w/ growing things since my Kindergarden teacher gave me a marigold seed and a Dixie cup of potting soil. I've owned my home for 15 years, so I'm at a point where I know what I can't grow (vegetables), and am trying to expand what will thrive on a very woodsy, rocky 2 acres (besides moss and fern). I add a new "craze" or 2 every year, and I must say, Dave's garden feeds my plant mania to an unhealthy level!

Everybody- I read that hardy hibiscus can't be left to dry out- I assumed that was true of tropicals (it's prettty darn damp in the tropics). I could be wrong. I know I've seen cannas w/ weet feet. I was going to try those this year, but I was unable to winter over the few tubers I got last fall. I always get inspired at this time of year: I see what other people are growing in their gardens, and I set out to buy those plants. Last Oct. it was cannas and dahlias; this year, it's hibiscus and hydrangea! It's never ending!

My mom and grandmas' got me started as a toddler, letting me pick bachelor's buttons and volunteer petunias.... Your place sounds lovely! I usually let my canna's go (procrastinate until the tubers are frozen) - but this year, I got some unusual ones from bwilliams and those will be my first attempt at wintering over inside. I do have some that are hardy for me on the south side of the house foundation. Unhealthy?? What????? lol The hibiscus do like a moist soil, but also need good drainage... how about gunnera by your pond? Not sure if it needs drainage..... or were you going for color?

psych:

I don't think you have to worry much about Hardy Hibiscus in zone 6a. I grow them with few problems in zone 4a.

I've had good luck with Plum Crazy, Lord Baltimore, a large white flowered one whose name I have forgotten (the first hibiscus I planted - it comes back bigger each year) and some NoID hibiscus moscheutos (mixed - presumably grown from open pollenated seed).

Turn of the Century has not done so well for me this year - but it did get stepped on just as it was sprouting this June....

I don't know if that makes me a zone pusher or not - I'm half convinced that global warming has made my area zone 5. I'm just not sure how much I want to spend on plants to test that.

I grow the "hardy" hibiscus in KS, too. Still need to add Plum Crazy. I cut the left over "stems" in very early spring and by July they are budding up nicely. They do require watering but I'm watering the tropicals ones daily anyway, watch for bugs/hoppers gnawing on them. Are you getting seed pods, amazar? I started one from my own seed one year in Feb (inside) and I did get blooms before the end of summer...

I just purchased 2 Rose of Sharon with loads of seed pods! Why have my mature plants never produced seed?

I usually deadhead my hardy hibiscus. I don't want it using its energy making seeds. I want it to produce flowers - and save energy to start strong next year. I have considered trying to cross Plum Crazy with Turn of the Century - just to see what comes out.

Do the seeds need a cold period?

I'm not sure, I would give them 4-6 weeks in the frig, just to be safe if someone doesn't know for sure.

I've been "saved" from my indoor seed-starting mania by winter sewing! It worked so well for me last year. I just opened a 40 lb bag of potting soil on the ground and worked in a bunch of seed (hosta and day lily) I was overrun with seedlings come May! I always tried to plant indoors, only to lose all of my seedlings to damping off. Sewing them outdoors solves this problem! I'm going to do that w/ the Rose of Sharon seeds this winter. If they don't sprout in spring, I haven't lost anything.