Can a Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis survive the winter in Michigan?

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patiogirl Flint, MI Apr 18, 2009

Hi Dave,
I just purchased a Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Tree/Bush, this year. I have planted it in a giant pot. And have it on my patio. The tag that it came with has very little info. I don't know if it can survive the winter or it it will need to be brought indoors. The only info on the tag was to water often. If you could please let me know weather the Michigan winter would kill it or not I would be very grateful. Also if you have any other care tips or info you could give me, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance, Patiogirl

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 18, 2009

It will have to be brought indoors. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is the tropical hibiscus, so it won't survive winters in your climate. As far as tips--it's important to keep the moisture level consistent. With some plants you can let them get very dry in between waterings, but with hibiscus if you do that, they will tend to get some leaves that turn yellow and fall off (same thing can happen when you move them around too much or transplant them...so since you just potted it up that may happen. Don't worry about it, it'll recover). I'm not sure if your "giant" pot is a good idea--if you put plants into pots that are way too big for them, it makes it much easier to accidentally overwater them because you have so much soil holding moisture. It's generally best to move things into a pot that's just a little larger than the one they were in before, then when it gets too big for that move it up another size, etc. Even though hibiscus don't like to dry out it is still very possible to overwater them. Also for fertilizer, they prefer something that's not super high in phosphorus, so don't give them any of the "bloom booster" type of fertilizers.

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patiogirl Flint, MI Apr 18, 2009

Thank you so much for all the great info. Do you know when or if I should prune it.

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 18, 2009

They will get nicer and fuller if you do trim/pinch them, but if yours already has a nice shape then you don't necessarily have to do it this year. If I prune mine, I usually do it in the spring, but I don't think it really matters much since they are pretty much year-round bloomers if you have the right conditions for them. In your case, I'd consider maybe pruning right before you bring it in for the winter--that'll get the size more manageable, plus it probably wouldn't flower a ton indoors over the winter so you won't be losing out on many flowers by pruning it then.

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patiogirl Flint, MI Apr 18, 2009

Thanks ecrane3. Big Help!!!

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