Hibiscus is one of those long-lived indoor plants that will bloom continuously from spring through autumn. Give your plant average household warmth (minimum 55F in the winter), lots of bright light, and plenty of water while it's blooming and growing. You can cut down on the frequency of watering in the winter months. Mist the leaves occasionally and pinch the stems back in the winter months to help keep the plant bushy. Hibiscus can live 20 years or more and will grow quite large unless you keep it pinched back. Feed a diluted liquid fertilizer in the spring when new growth begins, and again every three weeks while it's blooming.

Hibiscus are tropical plants so they're quite susceptible to damage if temperatures drop below 40F. A quick overnight freeze will kill the leaves and turn them to mush. A prolonged freeze can kill the stems. A hard freeze may even kill the plant down to the ground. Even then, the roots may have survived and may sprout new stems and foliage.

You'll need to assess the extent of the damage before you take any action. Sometimes the best thing to do is wait to see how the plant recovers on its own. Or, you can proceed as follows: If just the leaves are mushy, pull them off the plant, but leave the stems alone. New leaves may very well appear. If the stems are wilted and mushy, prune them off - even if that means taking them all the way to ground level, but leave any questionable stems alone because they may recover. If you know for a fact that the leaves and stems are all damaged beyond repair, cut the plant down to soil level and hope that the roots came through the freeze undamaged. With any luck at all your hibiscus will recover.

For growing hibiscus outdoors, the perennial Hibiscus, or Rose Mallow is a hardy plant, growing to 6' or 8' high. The plants die down in winter but new stems rise each year. Blooms begin in mid-summer and continue until frost. Give your plant full sun and regular, deep watering during the growing season. The plants need protection from wind, which may burn the leaves. Your Hibiscus will benefit from an organic mulch over the root area to help conserve moisture and will grow best if fertilized every six weeks with a diluted liquid fertilizer.

To promote blooms, the best choice in fertilizers is one with high middle number. The first number represents nitrogen (for green, leafy growth), the second number is phosphorous (promoting blooms and strong stems), and the third number is potassium (helps root growth and works in conjunction with the other elements to strengthen stems and shoots). 

For a hibiscus an all-purpose fertilizer which has a nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium ratio of 15-30-15 would be best. 

If your hibiscus is in a container, dilute the fertilizer to half-strength and apply every 3 weeks during the growing season. 

If your hibiscus is planted in the ground, use the fertilizer as recommended on the label. 

To keep your plants growing vigorously, prune out about a third of the old wood in the early spring. If you pinch out the tips of stems in the spring and summer, you'll increase flower production and help your plant maintain an attractive appearance.

Hope your hibiscus rewards you with lots of blooms this year!

Hibiscus Lady Baltimore Hibiscus moscheutos

Hibiscus Lord Baltimore Hibiscus moscheutos

Hibiscus Old Yella

Hibiscus Pink Clouds  Hibiscus moscheutos

Hibiscus Plum Crazy

Hibiscus Robert Fleming

Hibiscus Royal Gems

Hibiscus Torchy

See all Hibiscus species here