I don't want to lose them..

The only Hibiscus I ever tried to grow died. I left it out in the cold.
I bought two dinnerplate ones from Lowes a few weeks ago, and so far,so good.They bloomed for a while, then stopped. [ I'm assumeing till spring ] For the past few days, the weather is getting pretty chilly. Should I go ahead and bring them in? How should I treat them once they are inside? Any input would be great.
Lynda

how cold does it get in your area?
Im in 9b but dont need to bring mine in..... ?

I'm in zone 8b. We are on the coast of Eastern N.C. The hibiscus here have to be petted a little. I would love to have a grown one that is doing well. It might be that I'm just not familiar enough with them.

can you just protect them in the winter... instead of bringing indoors? I know for my bougies when the temps get down to 20* I just put burlap covers on them.

If dinnerplate hibiscus are Hibiscus moscheutos they are hardy so they will "survive" well. I put the comments on the word survive as they will die during the winter and come back in Spring. Mine are loosing all their leaves and the branches are starting to dry. Our nights are now below 40ºF.

Regards

Carlos

I agree with Carlos, the dinnerplate ones are quite hardy and shouldn't be a problem at all in your zone. They are pretty slow to wake up in the spring though so be patient with them.

i leave my dinnerplates in the ground. i cut them back after they die off, and they come back in the spring

Thanks everyone, I am going to try leaving them out.
Lynda

I had two I bought the summer before last, planted in pots, that both died off last winter. I planted the "sticks and roots" that remained in a bed, and both have come back to be real beauties, although the pink one has not set out many blooms. The orange one is always in bloom. I'm not sure what variety they are, I bought them before gardening became a real obsession!
This year I will cover both of them and hope they do well. Does anyone have recommendations for mulching- what do you put around your plants when winter is coming?

This message was edited Sep 27, 2008 10:03 AM

I use only burlap ...my neighbor was frantic last year and used bubble wrap! lol!
they both worked for us....bouganvillas still bloomed this year. BUT, it only got down into the teens here for a short period. Just a fluke...very strange winter we had last year!
so, I'm not sure what you would need if it gets colder than that in your area....

for mulch, I use the wood chips from trees we have cut down, just pine, fir & cedar chips in a mixture, not sure if its good or not...but its FREE for me :)