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Happy Hibiscus

Hibiscus are one of my all-time favourite flowers. Their generous flowering habit, exquisite blooms and long flowering period, from early summer to late autumn, just can’t be scoffed at! oost like it hot, but a few hail from cool or temperate regions and suit our frost-prone climes. In fact, there’s more to these gorgeous plants than meets the eye, so I consulted subtropicals expert Russell Fransham, who grows some of the more unusual ones in his Northland nursery and garden.

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HoT HIBISCUS

Tropical hybrids are an absolute icon of the balmy South Pacific. Hawaiian and Fijian species crossed with the Asian species Hibiscus rosa-sinensis have resulted in the scores of sumptuous hybrids available to us today. Hawaiian hybrids are small-growing and extremely cold-tender, but they produce the most stunning flowers of all. Fijian hybrids are slightly more cold-hardy and larger growing with smaller, often fully double, flowers. Jack Clark hybrids, bred in New Zealand, are a cross between the two.

Hibiscus ‘Psyche’ is an exceptionally tough and widely planted hibiscus. Its small, pure scarlet blooms with a long stem have made it a favourite for Pacific peoples to wear behind their ears. But if you visit Hawaii and you are married, be sure to wear it behind your left ear. Behind your right ear means you’re on the hunt for a man! ‘Psyche’ is Russell’s favourite and flowers year round in his far north garden.

Hibiscus schizopetalus, aka coral or spider hibiscus, hails from tropical East Africa. Its unusual flowers hang like ragged lanterns from slender arching branches. Russell describes the exquisitely divided petals as looking like delicious “orange lace”. He says it’s fast-growing but frost-tender, and benefits greatly from a severe haircut every year or two.

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Hibiscus moscheutos are truly stunning plants that originated in eastern North America. Their exotic 30cm diameter blooms belie their tolerance of chilly -20°C temperatures. They die back each winter, returning with vigour in spring to produce 2m-high stems that start flowering in early summer. Colours range from white to pinks to velvety reds.

Hibiscus syriacus, aka ‘Rose of Sharon’, should be planted more often. It  forms quite ordinary-looking 2m to 3m-high bushes, but is extremely cold-hardy and makes good background or filler planting. Profuse flowering continues for weeks on end, with colours ranging from white through to pinks and blues, in both single and double flower forms.

Hibiscus mutabilis is a little-known species that grows into a small tree about 5m tall. outabilis means variable and relates to the change of flower colour from white to pink over a period of a few days. Flowering commences in autumn and continues through to winter when the leaves fall. It is frost-tolerant to -6°C. throughout tropical regions where it grows on beaches and in tidal estuaries. It forms a shapely 5m-high tree and is highly salt, wind and drought-resistant, making it perfect for shelter planting on coastal sites. Flowers sit amongst attractive heart-shaped foliage and, in New Zealand, change from clear yellow to orange to deep red over a period of three days.

Hibiscus ‘Wilder’s White’ is a selected pure white, slightly fragrant form of a native Hawaiian species. It’s a hardy coastal tree, reaching from 5m to 6m high in New Zealand, with smooth-edged, oval-shaped leathery foliage. Flowering begins in February in the far north and continues through autumn. The flowers lie over the top of the tree, so it is best placed where it can be looked down upon.

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Hibiscus trionum is a New Zealand native that grows naturally in isolated coastal areas of the far north and some outlying islands. Also known as “flower of an hour” for its short-lived but prolific blooms, it grows to 40cm high and thrives best in exposed coastal and dry conditions. It detests wet soil and, while it is generally short-lived, self-seeds freely.

SUCCESS WITH HIBISCUS

Plant in rich, moist soil.

Good drainage is essential.

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Feed with slow-release fertilizer in spring or early summer.

Water regularly and deeply through summer and autumn.

Prune shrubby types hard during late winter.


NB: Not applicable to Hibiscus tilaceus or trionum, which prefer coastal conditions.

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