HELP! How Cold Can Tropical Hibbies Live?

Need your help - how cold can the exotic hibiscus get? We had a really bad storm yesterday with freezing rain knocking out trees & power. Looks like we won't have power (i.e. heat) until Wednesday (at least) - how cold can these hibbies be before peril? When I left for work this morning (yes I still went) it was 62 degrees in the house. Today's high is 29 degrees - tomorrow it'll be at 33-35 degrees. I'm expecting temps at home to drop - how low - no one knows! should I take them up to work while we're waiting for power? Any advise will be welcomed!

Mine were in a protected portion of my porch one year and the heater blew the fuse. It got down to 25 for a couple of hours at least. They were wilted but survived. If there is anything you can do to keep the temps above 32 I would. Anything less for anymore than a couple of hours (if they're in a protected area) would be risky.

Anne

If they're outside, can you put a few charcoal briquets in the barby? lol. At least that would keep the temps above freezing. How about a kerosene lantern? That puts off some warmth.

Anne

Thanks AuntAnne - I moved them indoors before the freezing temps set in (I'm in zone 6) they were doing fine - but if you think they could last in temps that low indoors - I'll keep a watchful eye out & if it comes down to the wire - I'll bring them into work. I have Simple Pleasures finally ready to bloom (I got it as a baby), saffron & heavy metal all with buds - I don't mind losing the buds half as much as losing the plant itself! The only plant I'm not worried about is my yellow Oleander...

Don't know much about Oleanders except that down here in 8b they're tough. Are the hibs in a protected area?

Yes the hibiscus plants are in the sunniest room of my home (indoors) course there's no sun today...

It shouldn't get that cold inside the house, even without electricity I would think. So long as they're not below 32 for a very long period of time.

Keep your fingers crossed for me - last year some people reported that it was almost as cold in thier homes as it was outside - I certainly hope they were exaggerating!! With several hibbies, 3 children, an 18 year old bird long periods of lower temps would not be fun!

No not fun at all.

Anne

I can't replace kids or birds, but if you lose any hibs let me know. I can send cuttings of about 15 differents ones that I have plus brugs.

Anne

As long as they're indoors I'm sure they'll be fine, I think it would take a long time of not having power before temps in your house will get below freezing. And they can take some frost, just not a lot of it. I lost one last winter when we had a week of nighttime temps around 20, but in typical winters where we don't usually get below 30 they'll sometimes drop their leaves if there are too many frosty nights, but then they come back in the spring.

Can you warm up some sheets at work and then bring them home? If so, cover your hibs with the warm sheets and that should help insulate them.

Thanks for all the advise - I appreciate it. Temps in the upstairs of the house is 56 degrees (we had a fire going last night to keep the family warm). Looks like there was more damage than first thought so it can be 9 days before we get power/heat back - expecting possibly more freezing rain tonight & another front to move in on Fri/Sat night - yikes!! We're now on a quest to find firewood as we used the last we had last night!

My goodness, that sounds very uncomfortable. We have been hearing horror stories about that ice storm on the news. I hope you are able to find some firewood soon. It has been in the 80's here and I am feeling so guilty as you are forced to put up with the nasty weather. Keep the kids warm and if you lose the hibs I know where you can get lots of cuttings next spring. :-)))

Brrrrr, sounds so cold!! What about making teepees from bamboo sticks and extra blankets or even heavy beach towels? Or like Cat suggested, maybe warm sheets?? I've used the bamboo teepee idea before and it seems to look pretty well for cold nights.

Good luck and least keep yourself warm :-)

karen

Great News! Last night we got power & thus heat back - I don't think I've ever been so thankful for light & warmth before! Hubby was able to find firewood - the house temp was 52 degrees!! We're expecting snow (5") Friday night/Saturday (with temps of 32 & below) so it'll really be horrible without power - we're holding on to 1/2 rick of firewood & making the other 1/2 available for anyone without. You are all true gems - thanks for all the suggestions & well wishes! Now I just have to wait for our church to get power back - as I'm plant sitting 30+ poinsetta plants at work that members purchased for a fundraiser & wasn't able to pick up before the nasty weather struck! I love my hibbies & am not to familiar with the care of these so I'm hoping I keep them looking lush until they are picked up!!

I have some extremely large pots with hibs in them that are impossible to move into any shelter. There are still leaves on them and they are still flowering. This week has been colder than we've had previously (which had been almost summer like weather). I was wondering if it would be harmful to wrap these Hibs in a cloth/paper type covering then maybe some plastic after that? Some of them have survived our previous winters but some didnt. Unfortunately these are on the north side of my property too. Can anyone closer to me contribute your 2 cents on this?

Ouch, poor hibbies. It has been my experience that the hardest thing they have to deal with is these temperature fluctuations. They think it is spring and start putting on new growth then wham, cold again. If they were mine I would keep them on the dry side for the winter and cover them with old blankets or quilts with plastic on top. Or, how about constructing a circle of wire around them, a bit higher than the plants, and filling it with leaves or pine straw for insulation. A large plastic tarp could go over it all if it got really cold. Some of my outdoor plants that are in pots do go dormant in the winter but if I am able to keep them pretty dry, they come right back in the spring.

Someone told me at a roundup this year that they wrap their trop. hibs in Christmas lights then put plastic or a blanket around them. They said that the lights kept them warm enough. They were talking about in ground, but it might work for plants too. I would put hay or something around the pot as well to protect the roots.

I have done that - I have tropical Hibiscus in the ground here that I wrap in christmas lights and a plastic tent - no problem more then the tops are not happy one bit!