Hibiscus Tree

Strikingly beautiful hibiscus flowers make a show stopper in the flower garden during the blooming period. In fact, it is a popular flowering plant maintained as a shrub or tree. As far as hibiscus tree height is concerned, it can reach to about 25 feet within a few years after plantation. However, the actual plant size may vary according to the type of cultivar that you have planted. Every year, new hibiscus hybrids are developed with superior traits and great adaptability.

Tips on How to Grow Hibiscus Plant

Large showy blooms, tolerance to salt and adaptable in a wide range of soil types are some of the desirable features of hibiscus (scientific name, Hibiscus species). Hibiscus flowers are found in different shades, including white, yellow, peach, orange, salmon, pink and red. Also, the petals are either single or double petaled. In short, you have so many choices available for selecting a suitable hibiscus tree variety for your garden. The following in an informative guide on how to grow and care for hibiscus plant.

Choose Hibiscus Variety
Identifying the type of hibiscus that you are growing is imperative to provide optimal care. The point is gardening tips for growing and caring a hibiscus tree largely depend on the cultivar. Say for example, the tropical type grows best in warm climatic conditions (USDA hardiness zones 9-11) that mimic their natural habitat. In contrary to this, the hardy hibiscus is adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions (USDA hardiness zones 5-9).

Decide Planting Location
The ideal site for growing hibiscus tree is a warm, sunlit area that remains humid for most part of the year. Maximum flower production is observed when this tropical plant is grown in full sunlight. While planting in outdoor garden, select an area that is less prone to high velocity winds. One more point to be noted regarding tropical hibiscus is the minimum temperature should be above 50° F at night.

Soil Preparation
As with any gardening project, the first step is to prepare the garden soil in such a way that it supports hibiscus plant for fast growth and development. This tropical shrub or tree grows well in a wide range of soil types. Hence, even if you have poor garden soil, you can amend it with farmyard compost to make it suitable for growing hibiscus. The only thing is, there should not be soil draining problems.

Tree Planting
If winter in your area is extremely cold, consider planting the hardy variety. Hardy hibiscus care level is minimal, and the tree can withstand frost and cold winter temperature. Or else, you can consider growing tropical hibiscus in containers, and bring them indoors in winter. Dig a planting hole that is 2 times larger than the original root ball size. Place the young hibiscus plant (or grafted hibiscus) and refill the soil.

Tree Care
Basic hibiscus care involves regular watering, laying mulch and applying standard fertilizer in the growing season. While growing in outdoor garden, the newly planted hibiscus should be irrigated every alternate day. The soil should be kept moist for quick establishment. Hibiscus tree winter care is necessary for tropical variety. Otherwise, it dies back after the first frost hits the hibiscus plant.

Tree Pruning
There is no specific technique to prune this tree. The objectives for hibiscus pruning are to maintain the plant shape and remove weak branches. Nevertheless, trimming the twigs is best performed during spring or fall season, i.e., before or after the flowers develop. Avoid damaging other plant parts and use sharp pruning tools to make smooth cuts.

Tree Diseases
Nothing can be more disappointing than seeing your hibiscus plant attacked by diseases or destructive pests. So to avoid these situations, ensure that you adopt proper hibiscus plant care instructions. Failure to do so will increase the risk for disease and pest infestations. Aphids on hibiscus are not unusual problems. In addition, hibiscus plant is susceptible to spider mites and white fly.

So, this was an overview concerning how to plant hibiscus. By growing hibiscus tree in your garden, you can also enjoy butterfly and hummingbirds that frequently visit the lovely blooms in summer. What's more, the flowers and parts of the tree are harvested for making herbal tea. They contain some of the healthy nutrients, thus included as a common ingredient in hair care, skin care and similar cosmetic products.