Hibicus Plants (growing, Hibiscus, spring, nursery)

[Derik8]

Last spring we planted hibiscus, then in late fall cut them down to about six inches above ground and covered with mulch, hoping they would survive the winter. Last week we removed the mulch and discovered the bark on each plant was peeling off. We live in Charlotte North Carolina. How long will it take before we start to see some growth, or, should we just go ahead and purchase new plants? Thanks in advance for your response.

[Hemlock140]

They are tropical and need a minimum of 55F so even if they survived would not be happy in winter. They root easily, I have one that is now 8 plants, after I pruned and rooted the cuttings. One thing you can do is root cuttings every fall, and grow them indoors all winter, put back outside in spring. Mine stay indoors all year, but then we get colder than you do.

[carolyninfl]

I wish that Hibiscus would grow for me. I have tried and they never bloom and just die out I dont have an oak tree, I know that I have seen many do very good planted under an oak because of the acidic soil.

I live in Florida (hence my name)

[J&Em]

Before answering the question it might help to know if this was a perennial hibiscus which can withstand cold or a tropical hibiscus which can usually handle a short burst of cold but generally cannot handle winters above zone 9.

It sounds like you are not as far south as zone 9 so worst case is that you have a dead tropical hibiscus. The following is a Q&A page for tropical hibiscus care Tropical Hibiscus Q&A


If you have a perennial hibiscus (aka Hardy Hibiscus) then something may be sprouting soon, depending on where you live. Several of my cold sensitive plants left in the ground over winter are just sprouting now in my garden. Hardy hibiscus should be sprouting from the ground not from the old growth if I remember correctly.

Try the following sites for info on care for the hardy hibiscus:
Hibiscus Care
Garden Care : Hardy Hibiscus | Bachmans

[gentlearts]

I second what J&Em said. I had huge hardy hibiscus in NE Ohio that grew huge despite very cold winters. There are many varieties and they are sometimes called Rose of Sharon. these did not die back to the ground.
Ours were big bushes that bloomed in the late summer (not continuously), and then could be severely pruned to size. They made a great screen next to our patio.

[Derik8]

After reading everyone's response and checking out the sites supplied by J&Em, I'm almost certain we have tropical hibiscus plants. As a followup I went to Lowes and Home Depot this morning to find out if they sold both tropical and hardy hibiscus plants last year. No one I talked to at these stores knows for certain, and they only had tropical hibiscus plants today. We'll give it another week to ten days, and if no new growth occurs by then I'll probably purchase tropical hibiscus again, especially since they turned out so well last year. Now we know to bring them inside in winter. This was my first post, so I'm grateful for your responses and the knowledge gained today. Wish I had done this six months ago. I'll keep you posted.

[KonaKat]

Try going to a real nursery instead of the home improvement stores; typically their employees are not really plant experts at all.

[Hemlock140]

Originally Posted by carolyninfl

I wish that Hibiscus would grow for me. I have tried and they never bloom and just die out I dont have an oak tree, I know that I have seen many do very good planted under an oak because of the acidic soil.

I live in Florida (hence my name)

Florida is a perfect climate for them. Try again, and use Miracid fertilizer.

[Innertuber]

I've had them hammered by cold in Florida to the ground, they've skipped a full year growing to come back the second year. 10 days might not matter. Your going to fight it ever year tho, why not get something that likes cold?