i was looking up hardy hibiscus in the "search forums" and all the talk seemed to be from northern states--does it do well in our climate? (zone 8 for me)---i am getting ready to plant some seeds--i imagine they should be planted in full sun--
hardy hibiscus
Hardy Hibiscus will do fine here, as a matter of fact I grow three of them and they are all beautiful.
Halberdleaf rosemallow, Hibiscus laevis a Texas native;
http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=HILA2
Rose Mallow, Hibiscus lasiocarpus, another native;
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/95575
Texas Star Hibiscus, Hibiscus coccineus, an adapted one;
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/1872
There are many more, which i am working on acquiring but don't have them all yet.
For a full list of Texas native and naturalized hibiscus go here;
http://www.npot.org/search.php and type hibiscus in the search by name box.
Josephine.
This message was edited Dec 27, 2007 6:08 PM
thanks--i don't know if the ones given to me are texas native or not but i will check and see--i planted a few tropical ones this summer--and even put a few in my atrium but today found one with lots of very tiny spots that moved!! mites? so i moved it outdoors--only a few moved and the rest seemed dead
I usually like to start my hibiscus seed in little pots inside, because although they are root hardy, the little plants are not, and sometimes if the seeds are outside and there is a warm spell they will germinate and a cold spell will kill them.
With the pots you can plant them outside in the spring when it is safe, or wait till it is warm to plant the seeds in ground.
Josephine.
thanks- sounds like good advice!
You are welcome, let us know what you end up with, it could be a very pretty and interesting hibiscus, they are all lovely.
Josephine.
I have three Hardy Hibiscus plants that have been growing for four years now. It is funny but the bright red one always has one stalk that produces a large white beautiful flower. I know that it must have been potted in with the reds ones by accident, but they are beautiful together. I pollinated the red and white together and came out with a beautiful light pink flower. I planted the seeds in a large pot and sat it out in the sun and it grew quickly and flowered the same summer. I was very surprised. You may view the flowers on my site at: www.spiritual-harmony.com and go to the Web Directory and click on my Flower Garden. I hope that you enjoy all of the flowers that you see. Some bloom at different times. As you can see, I also enjoy Ornamental Grasses growing around my Koi pond that is hidden in the middle of the jungle. I really need to remove some of the plants so that you can see the pond.