This is the Hibiscus Page of our A to Z garden guide -- how to care for them, landscaping with them, and cooking and healing with them

HIBISCUS PAGE

Hardy Hibiscus, Rose Mallow, Swamp Rose Mallow, Crimson eyed Rose mallow, Eastern Rose mallow Hibiscus moscheutos
I was greatly taken with these huge and lovely blossoms and have been trying to figure out what the plant was ever since. Now I know and I'll soon have them in my garden.
Benefits:
From: North America
Photographed: At the Winter Garden in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2013.
Planting and Care: These perennial plants could be found growing naturally along river ways throughout North America so reproducing those conditions, rich moist soil and full sun, should bring success.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2013

My #1 Flower Mystery was solved by my friend Ursula G. living in Southern Germany

Photographed: At the Winter Garden in Auckland, New Zealand

Linden Leaf Hibiscus, Sea or Beach Hibiscus, Coastal or Cottonwood Hibiscus, Green Cottonwood, Sea Rosemallow Hibiscus tilliaceus
This is a very appealing small tree even without being in flower. I don't normally find variegated leaves all that appealing, but in this case I certainly did. If I had the space and access I would certainly have this in the garden.
Benefits: Hibiscus tilliaceus has many uses in its native environment ranging from decorative and functional wood applications to medicine.
From: The Pacific Islands
Photographed: At the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island in 2014.
Planting and Care: As its native origins indicate, linden leaf hibiscus is salt and soil tolerant. It does like a bit of water. Plant it in full morning and mid-day sun in relatively moist, but not wet soil and fertilize it when the mood strikes. This is an exceptionally easy plant to grow.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2015

**Hibiscus Bush/Shrub Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L.
We have had many varieties and colors and all of them flowered for most of the year.
Benefits: Apart from their showy flowers, hibiscus plants are a source of food and beverages, medicine, perfume and dye. In Montserrat, a local fellow named Roots told us how to make a refreshing drink with the flowers. In the Caribbean, the lovely hibiscus flower is also used as a treatment for colds and to relieve menstrual problems.
Photographed: In our garden at our former home in Montserrat and at the Hotel Atitlan at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. All other locations are noted separately.
Planting and Growth: Hibiscus plants thrive in full sun, but will be tolerant of some shade. They will not bloom if there is too much shade. They prefer to be planted in an acid soil which was just fine in Montserrat where we had regular acid rain from the still active Soufriere Volcano. They will do just fine with a reasonable amount of rainfall, but in drier periods of time they will benefit from additional watering.
Insects: The pink mealy bug infested most of the once tall and beautiful red flowering hibiscus hedges in Montserrat with disastrous results. In other parts of the world biological controls have been used -- insect predators of the pink mealy bug such as the half inch anagyrus wasp from China and the crypto laemus ladybug have been introduced into hibiscus gardens. The latter is considered a more effective treatment because it will dine on enormous numbers of mealy bugs.
In Montserrat, environmentally friendly solutions are not available, islanders and expatriate residents all prefer highly toxic chemical options. Unfortunately these "big guns" don't work much better than time tested less environmentally damaging solutions.
With a small number of plants, mealy bugs can be eliminated by hand with cotton swabs dipped in alcohol. For larger applications, a mixture of soap and warm water has beneficial effects when used as a spray in the early evening or very early in the morning.
Text & Photographs Copyrighted ©KO 2007/2010 and ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2013

For more ideas on how to safely control insects on your hibiscus plants,

See the "P" Page -- SAFE PESTICIDES FOR ORGANIC GARDENING IN THE TROPICS AND ELSEWHERE

HIBISCUS PHOTOGRAPHS

The flower photographs below were taken in our garden at our former home in Montserrat in the West Indies in 2004 and 2009. They were all established plants when we bought the home and display all of the less spectacular, but very lovely qualities of hibiscus plants of the latter part of the 20th century.

Below these photographs you will see hibiscus flower varieties pushing all limits of size and color and just plain extravagance. Many of them were photographed in the Botanical Garden at the Hotel Atitlan at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. Photographs taken elsewhere are be noted.

Light Pink Double Hibiscus Flower

White Delicate Single Hibiscus Flower

Deep Pink Double Hibiscus Flower

Medium Pink Single Hibiscus Flower with a Scarlet Throat

Light Pink Single Hibiscus Flower with a Scarlet Throat

Medium Pink Single Frilly Hibiscus Flower

Hot Pink Single Very Elegant Hibiscus Flower

Scarlet Single Hibiscus Flower with a Purple Throat

**Coral Hibiscus Bush, Japanese Lantern Hibiscus schizopetalus HOOKER
This is one of the most appealing of the hibiscus varieties -- the flowers look like glorious Japanese paper lanterns as you can see in the photograph. Ours lived down by the yellow ixora in the more wild part of the garden.
Photographed: In our garden at our former home in Montserrat.
Text & Photograph Copyrighted ©KO 2007

Red Flowering Variegated Hibiscus

HIBISCUS I'VE ENCOUNTERED IN OUR TRAVELS

MAUVE AND LAVENDER HIBISCUS FLOWERS

Lavender Single Hibiscus Flower with a Pink Throat

Mauve Single Hibiscus Flower with a Purple Throat

PEACH AND ORANGE HIBISCUS FLOWERS

A Very Lush Deep Peach Double Hibiscus Flower

A Frilly Orange Single Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: At the Hotel Regis at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, 2012

A Frilly Orange Single Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: At the Hotel Regis at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, 2014

A Bright Orange Single Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: In the Blithewold Garden in Bristol, Rhode Island 2013.

A Delicate Peach Double Hibiscus Flower With a Blood Red Throat
Photographed: At the Hotel Atitlan at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, in 2010

A Soft Peach Single Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: At the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island in 2013.

PINK HIBISCUS FLOWERS

A Delicate Pink Double Hibiscus Flower

A Medium Pink Double Hibiscus Flower

A Delicate Pink Dinner Plate Hibiscus Flower with a Visitor (1)

A Delicate Pink Dinner Plate Hibiscus Flower with a Visitor (2)

A Soft Pink Double Hibiscus Flower

A Hot Pink Evolving Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: At the Hotel Regis at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, 2012

A Hot Pink Double Hibiscus Flower with a Visitor (1)

A Hot Pink Double Hibiscus Flower with a Visitor (2)

Medium Pink Single Hibiscus Flower

Light Pink Single Hibiscus Flower

Medium Pink Single Hibiscus Flower

Creamy Pink Double Hibiscus Flower

Deep Pink Single Hibiscus Flower

Pale Pink Frilly Single Hibiscus Flower

Pink Evolving Hibiscus Flower (1)

Pink Evolving Hibiscus Flower (1A)

Hibiscus Pale Pink Single with a Red Throat
Photographed: At the Winter Garden in Wellington, New Zealand, in 2013.

Hibiscus Soft Pink Single-2
Photographed: At the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island in 2013.

Hibiscus Soft Pink Single-3
Photographed: In the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, Australia, in 2012.

Soft Pink Double Hibiscus
Photographed: At the Hotel Regis in Panajachel, Guatemala, in 2014.

RED HIBISCUS FLOWERS

Red Single Hibiscus Flower with White Throat

Freckled Red Single Hibiscus Flower

Large Blood Red Single Hibiscus Flower (1)

Large Blood Red Single Hibiscus Flower (2)

Large Blood Red Single Hibiscus Flower (3)

Red Double Hibiscus Flower (3)
Photographed: In our garden at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala in 2014.

Deep Red Single Hibiscus Flower (3)
Photographed: In the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, Australia, in 2012.

SALMON HIBISCUS FLOWERS

Delicate Salmon Double Hibiscus Flower (1)

Delicate Salmon Double Hibiscus Flower (2)

Delicate Salmon Double Hibiscus Flower

WHITE AND CREAMY HIBISCUS FLOWERS

White and Pink Single Hibiscus Flower with Two Visitors

Creamy Single Hibiscus Flower with a Red Throat

White Hibiscus Hibiscus rosasinensis (white)
Photographed: In the Carlos Thays Botanical Garden in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

White Frilly Hibiscus Flower

Creamy Evolving Hibiscus Flower

White Single Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: In Panajachel, Guatemala, in 2014.

White Hibiscus Mystery A
Photographed: In the (Ortobotanico) Botanical Garden in Naples, Italy, in 2014.

White Hibiscus Mystery B
Photographed: In the (Ortobotanico) Botanical Garden in Naples, Italy, in 2014.

YELLOW HIBISCUS FLOWERS

Deep Yellow Double Hibiscus Flower

Pale Yellow Single Hibiscus Flower

Pale Yellow Single Hibiscus Flowers

Delicate Yellow Single Hibiscus Flower

Bright Yellow Evolving Hibiscus Flower

Bright Yellow Evolving Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: At the Hotel Regis at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, 2012.

Bright Yellow Evolving Hibiscus Flower
Photographed: At the Roger Williams Park Botanical Center in Rhode Island in 2013.

White Kauai Rosemallow Hibiscus waimeae
This is not the hibiscus you think of. It will grow to be about 30 feet tall with a gray bark trunk being almost a foot thick. We stumbled upon it at the Sydney Botanic Garden and found it fetching. Its white flowers fade to pink as the day wears on and then fade away.
Benefits:
From: Hawaii
Photographed: In the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney, Australia, in 2013.
Planting and Care: This hibiscus prefers a bright semi shady location and would probably to as well with cool morning sun. It likes life relatively dry. Pruning would probably undo this plants very appealing growth pattern.
Text and Photograph Copyrighted ©GreenGardeningCookingCuring.com 2014

KEEP YOUR HIBISCUS FLOWERS FRESH FOR THE DINING TABLE WITH NO WATER!!

Step one (left): You choose the flower. Mention to the plant that you're grateful for allowing you to pick this lovely flower. You then find the stem of the flower where it joins to the branch: Step two (right) now you bend the stem without letting your fingers and especially your finger nails touch the joint, and bend. The stem will snap off.

Step three (left) Without ever touching the stem end with your hands or fingernails, bend it, while holding the stem just below the flower and above the exposed end from the plant. Bend this flower stem until it breaks (you now have what you see in the photo on the left). You can see a close up of what the stem and flower look like in the picture on the right.

You can now take the flower and put it anywhere with complete confidence that it will remain open and beautiful for at least the next two days and maybe longer. Remember you cannot use a scissor or knife. Only by breaking the flower from the plant will this technique work.

Our thanks go to Sra. Amanda Rocael Catalán of Solalá, Guatemala, pictured on the left while working at the Hotel Regis in Panajachel.

Also note: Buds picked in the evening will bloom all the next day and make lovely dining table centerpieces. We found they look very beautiful in one of those old tiny candle holders that have 10 or 12 holes.