Buying tips for indoor Hibiscus. Smaller plants with3-5 branches each with buds are generally the best value. If they loose there buds new ones should soon follow. Look at florists and chain stores as well and garden centres.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Hibiscus is a large genus of over 200 species. One species Hibiscus cannabinus, is extensively used in paper making. Another, roselle Hibiscus sabdariffa is used as a vegetable and to make herbal teas in the Caribbean but it is as an extravagantly coloured flower that we know it best.

If your hibiscus has flowers of red, pink, orange, yellow, salmon, peach, orange, or two coloured double or single flowers, it is probably a tropical hibiscus. Hardy hibiscus do not come in these colors or in doubles! If it is a perennial, hardy hibiscus they need very little care over the winter, they are root hardy and die to the ground each year.

Houseplants and Indoor Hibiscus

• Chinese Hibiscus are shrubby plants that make fine indoor exhibitions if given plenty of light.
• Bought plants will have been treated to keep them small and compact. You can prune them to keep in shape.
• Short lived, trumpet shaped flowers are available in many colours and there is a regular supply of new buds.
• Keep in a constant temperature to avoid bud drop.
• Don’t over-water, keep on the dry side but water copiously in summer.

Look at Thompson & Morgan for more ideas.

Cultivation Tips for Hibiscus

• Most hibiscus have a few yellow leaves when they get old and need replacing. If your plant too has many yellow leaves it is stressed probably from over watering.
• Hibiscus want loamy, coarse open soil that is not too heavy.
• For prolific flowering, hibiscus need weekly feedings during March-October. Low phosphorus and high potassium feed is best.
• Repotting is usually carried out in spring if you can see roots poking out of the bottom of the pot or if they are filling the pot.

Recommended Hibiscus Organisations

The American Hibiscus Society lists the following links

• The Australian Hibiscus Society
• Australian Native Hibiscus Family
• Wally Morgan’s “The World of Hibiscus”
• Tropical Hibiscus: “Queen of the Tropics”
• Hibiscus Syriacus – A List of Cultivars in Collections and Print
• International hibiscus society

See the endangered hibiscus ‘hibiscus genevii flowering during May in the Princess of Wales Conservatory Kew. In the wild it is only found in small numbers in specific areas of Mauritius.’

Credits
Hibisucus genevii in the Princess of Wales Conservatory by Kew on Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0