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Shrubs, Vines, & Herbs
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1. General Information
You can grow hibiscus successfully, if you live in an area where frosts are rare
and the summers are not foggy and cool/cold. The evergreen hibiscus will bring a bit of tropical paradise into
your garden. Flowering starts in spring and lasts until the winter reduces flower bud formation.
There are many old favorites such as
`Agnes Galt,' `Brilliant,' `Kona
Improved,' and `White Wings'. They are
all exceptionally vigorous but will eventually reach a towering height of 10-15 feet_which makes them less
adaptable to a landscape than lower growing varieties.
The compact varieties range from 4 to 8 feet. They are
slower growing than their towering cousins, but beautiful and hardy.
Hibiscus flowers are of two kinds: the classic single type with five petals or the fluffy doubles with many petals.
The choices of colors include white, yellow, yellow gold, orange, pink, salmon and coral.
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2. Location
Choose a sunny spot away from drying winds and prepare a growing area (dig a hole twice as
wide and twice as deep as root ball) with fast draining soil using plenty of organic matter. Do not to disturb the root
ball when transplanting.
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3. Watering
Hibiscus do best when they are watered
deeply (thoroughly soaked) once a week during the
warm/hot weather. Inland hotter areas may need a deep soaking twice a week during the summer months.
Do not overwater in cool weather months!!
Infrequent deep soaking rather than frequent shallow waterings is what
will give you the best growing plant.
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4. Fertilizing
Hibiscus will be most vigorous if given fertilizer once a month from April through September.
Stop feeding in September so that plants will harden off before the cold weather arrives.
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5. Pruning
To keep plants in shape, prune in spring just
after new growth starts (generally this is March).
Young plants seldom need pruning, but pinching back tips of new growth will increase bushiness and the
number of flowering branches. Remember_flowers develop on new
growth!! On older plants you can prune
heavily each year to control size and to encourage blossoming. Be sure to select a variety, however, that won't outgrow
it's allotted space and need severe pruning each year. Neglected plants may need a severe pruning one time and
then each year a moderate pruning in March.
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6. To rejuvenate a big, woody, old shrub
When you have a woody plant that produces few flowers, prune
heavily in several stages. What you will actually be doing is cutting back the entire plant at least halfway-but it will
be done gradually. Start by cutting back 2 old stems each month-start in March and continue through August.
This is when the growth on the plant will be the most active and your plant will quickly produce foliage and flowers.
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7. What size Hibiscus do you want?
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4 to 5 feet
`Bride' Single, 8" blossoms
have overlapped, crepe-like petals that are white with delicate pink blush.
Somewhat open plants reach 4 ft.
`Crown of Bohemia' Produces an abundance of fluffy double
golden blooms 6" across with red-orange centers. Slow-growing, leafy
plant reaches 5 ft.
`Diamond Head' Rich red blooms are fully double, 6" across. Compact plant to 5 ft.
`Ecstasy' Striking red flowers have white centers; sporadic bloom. Open plant reaches 4 ft.
`Golden Dust' Silky flowers with intense orange petals shading to yellow-orange at center.
Attractive, dense plant to 4 ft.
`White Wings' Windmill flowers are
white, with bright red centers. Open plant to 15 ft
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6 to 7 feet
`Accra' Abundant 4" wide golden blooms have orange-yellow centers. Full plant.
`Fiesta' Pumpkin orange
single blooms 6" across have overlapped ruffled petals, white centers
streaked with red. Vigorous plant, with somewhat open growth to 7 ft.
`Fullmoon' Symmetrical
double blooms are lemon yellow. Full, leafy plant reaches 6 ft.
`Hula Girl' Smooth edged
petals on single blossoms are rich yellow with bright red centers.
Dense foliage on 6 ft. plant.
`President' Salmon red 6"
blooms shade to rose-pink in center. Glossy, deep green leaves on bushy plant.
`Kona Improved' Rich pink double blooms.
Hefty, leafy plant to 15 ft
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7 to 8 feet
`Butterfly' Brilliant yellow
single blooms 4" wide. Mild mannered bushy shrub to 7 ft.
`Cherie' Bright yellow-orange
4" to 5" blooms. Open plant to 8 ft.
`Powder Puff'
(`K Beauty'). Creamy double blooms 5"
across develop hint of pink in cool weather. Upright, open
plant reaches 8 ft.
`Ross Estey' Hefty 8"
single blooms have overlapped petals with salmon petals with
salmon edges shading to pastel pink toward base; centers are deep rose.
Blooms last two to three days. Plant is strong grower to 8 ft.,
with bushy habit.
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10 to 15 feet
`Agnes Galt' Single shrimp pink
81/2" blooms.
`Amour' Large 6"-7" powder pink
single blooms. Hefty, open plant to 10 ft.
`Brilliant' (`San Diego
Red'). Velvety red single blooms 6" across. Large, open
bush grows vigorously to 15 ft.
`Empire' Single 5"-6" orange-red blooms.
Large plant to 10 ft.
Itsy Bitsy (Dainty) strain
Single blooms 2"-3" across are pink
(`Itsy Bitsy Pink') or white (`Itsy Bitsy
White'). These are also called `Pink
Dainty' and `White Dainty'. Leaves are half the traditional size, which
gives plant an open look; to 10 ft.
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