A couple weeks ago, I found at Home Depot, and bought, what they called
a "Rose of Sharon". It didn't look like any rose I've ever seen.
Instead its flowers looked like small, about 6 or 7 cm across (or about
2.5 inches), hibiscus flowers. Their horticulturalist said it is
winter hardy here (just a two hour highway drive north of Toronto
Ontario Canada), but that it tends to be a bit tender here.
(suggestions on protecting it, if in fact it is hardy here, would be
appreciated)

Today, I saw some plants, labelled as hibiscus at a grocery, and the
card that came with the plants from the store's suppliers says it is
hardy to USDA zone 5 (which I think includes us here). I thought
hibiscus were strictly tropical, and that the "rose of Sharon" I bought
might be a temperate cousin (smaller, hibiscus-like flowers on shrubby
stems). But the "hibiscus" I saw today looked to be as large and
colourful as those tropicals I'd seen at real garden centres, but on
stems that seemed as delicate as the stems of my begonias, with no
trace of wood. The card from the supplier said it would die down over
winter and start new growth in May, and then bloom until first frost.
While the flowers were as large as the tropical hibiscus I'd seen, they
didn't seem to have as much substance (a more papery look), but I don't
know if that is damage from the excessive heat we've had this summer.
My irises and lilies gave a less than adequate display this year
because of the heat. The card with them also said they'd stay small,
two thirds of a metre to a metre tall at most.

Anyway, is there really a hibiscus species or hybrid that is winter
hardy in a cool temperate region with such delicate stems? Or are these
plants certain to die like annuals here?

Can anyone shed light on this?

Thanks,

Ted

HIbiscus is a tricky genus. The most common plants you will find a

Tropical hibiscus- (H. rosa-sinensis) These are not hardy and are
mainly sold as house plants in your area.

Perennial hibiscus- (H. moscheutos and the less common H. coccineus)
Both are hardy to zone 5 and have the same size flowers as the tropical
kind.

Rose of sharon (H. syriacus) Often sold as "althea" or sometimes
"hardy hibiscus". This is a woody shrub with much smaller flowers than
the above mentioned, but essentially the same appearence otherwise.
Hardy to zone 5, but bad winters can do them in sometimes.

Hope this helps! Searching google images with the botanical names will
probably turn hup lots of pictures.

Toad

Hibiscus is a rather large genus found worldwide and includes shrubs,
perennials and annual species. Some of the Chinese shrub species, such as
Hibiscus syriacus, are cold hardy but the majority of the shrubby species
and their hybrids are strictly tropical. The perennial species in the
Hibiscus moscheutos group of the eastern US and their hybrids are also cold
hardy. There are also a number of annual species that are seldom seen in
gardens.


"Ted" wrote in message
ups.com...
A couple weeks ago, I found at Home Depot, and bought, what they called
a "Rose of Sharon". It didn't look like any rose I've ever seen.
Instead its flowers looked like small, about 6 or 7 cm across (or about
2.5 inches), hibiscus flowers. Their horticulturalist said it is
winter hardy here (just a two hour highway drive north of Toronto
Ontario Canada), but that it tends to be a bit tender here.
(suggestions on protecting it, if in fact it is hardy here, would be
appreciated)

Today, I saw some plants, labelled as hibiscus at a grocery, and the
card that came with the plants from the store's suppliers says it is
hardy to USDA zone 5 (which I think includes us here). I thought
hibiscus were strictly tropical, and that the "rose of Sharon" I bought
might be a temperate cousin (smaller, hibiscus-like flowers on shrubby
stems). But the "hibiscus" I saw today looked to be as large and
colourful as those tropicals I'd seen at real garden centres, but on
stems that seemed as delicate as the stems of my begonias, with no
trace of wood. The card from the supplier said it would die down over
winter and start new growth in May, and then bloom until first frost.
While the flowers were as large as the tropical hibiscus I'd seen, they
didn't seem to have as much substance (a more papery look), but I don't
know if that is damage from the excessive heat we've had this summer.
My irises and lilies gave a less than adequate display this year
because of the heat. The card with them also said they'd stay small,
two thirds of a metre to a metre tall at most.

Anyway, is there really a hibiscus species or hybrid that is winter
hardy in a cool temperate region with such delicate stems? Or are these
plants certain to die like annuals here?

Can anyone shed light on this?

Thanks,

Ted

FWIW, here's my experience with Home Depot hibiscus. Around 6 weeks ago,
they had a weekend special - 48 inch plants in 10 inch pots for $19.99
Bought two, they looked a little root-bound, so bought a couple ceramic
planters and re-potted with good soil + compost. Did a Google search on
hibiscus which general consensus said: full sun and heat. WRONG!!!! The
few blooms that appeared lasted only 1 day, and slowly the leaves started to
turn yellow. Figuring that there was nothing to lose, I moved the pots to
the north side of the house, on each side of the attached garage. There is
a 3foot overhang, so they get indirect light for the majority of the day,
not to mention it's cooler there. They are now thriving, no yellow leaves,
and the blooms are proliferating and lasting several days now. They are a
gorgeous shade of apricot, which I had never seen before. YMMV
BTW, I am in Winnipeg, which is Zone 3, if it matters.

P.S. They seem pretty thirsty, almost like hydrangeas.




"Ted" wrote in message
ups.com...
A couple weeks ago, I found at Home Depot, and bought, what they called
a "Rose of Sharon". It didn't look like any rose I've ever seen.
Instead its flowers looked like small, about 6 or 7 cm across (or about
2.5 inches), hibiscus flowers. Their horticulturalist said it is
winter hardy here (just a two hour highway drive north of Toronto
Ontario Canada), but that it tends to be a bit tender here.
(suggestions on protecting it, if in fact it is hardy here, would be
appreciated)

Today, I saw some plants, labelled as hibiscus at a grocery, and the
card that came with the plants from the store's suppliers says it is
hardy to USDA zone 5 (which I think includes us here). I thought
hibiscus were strictly tropical, and that the "rose of Sharon" I bought
might be a temperate cousin (smaller, hibiscus-like flowers on shrubby
stems). But the "hibiscus" I saw today looked to be as large and
colourful as those tropicals I'd seen at real garden centres, but on
stems that seemed as delicate as the stems of my begonias, with no
trace of wood. The card from the supplier said it would die down over
winter and start new growth in May, and then bloom until first frost.
While the flowers were as large as the tropical hibiscus I'd seen, they
didn't seem to have as much substance (a more papery look), but I don't
know if that is damage from the excessive heat we've had this summer.
My irises and lilies gave a less than adequate display this year
because of the heat. The card with them also said they'd stay small,
two thirds of a metre to a metre tall at most.

Anyway, is there really a hibiscus species or hybrid that is winter
hardy in a cool temperate region with such delicate stems? Or are these
plants certain to die like annuals here?

Can anyone shed light on this?

Thanks,

Ted

You should expect the plants to respond differently when grown in pots than
being planted out in the ground. Grown in pots the plants will need more
water, fertilizing and protection from full sun.

No matter how you grow the plants, individual Hibiscus flowers open only for
a single day.

Your plant are probably deciduous perennial Hibiscus hybrids. What do you
plant to do with them over the winter when they die back to the rootstock?
You should plant them out in a permanent position in the garden.


"carbuff" wrote in message
news:e_eNe.253652$5V4.182479@pd7tw3no...
FWIW, here's my experience with Home Depot hibiscus. Around 6 weeks ago,
they had a weekend special - 48 inch plants in 10 inch pots for $19.99
Bought two, they looked a little root-bound, so bought a couple ceramic
planters and re-potted with good soil + compost. Did a Google search on
hibiscus which general consensus said: full sun and heat. WRONG!!!! The
few blooms that appeared lasted only 1 day, and slowly the leaves started
to turn yellow. Figuring that there was nothing to lose, I moved the pots
to the north side of the house, on each side of the attached garage.
There is a 3foot overhang, so they get indirect light for the majority of
the day, not to mention it's cooler there. They are now thriving, no
yellow leaves, and the blooms are proliferating and lasting several days
now. They are a gorgeous shade of apricot, which I had never seen before.
YMMV
BTW, I am in Winnipeg, which is Zone 3, if it matters.

P.S. They seem pretty thirsty, almost like hydrangeas.




"Ted" wrote in message
ups.com...
A couple weeks ago, I found at Home Depot, and bought, what they called
a "Rose of Sharon". It didn't look like any rose I've ever seen.
Instead its flowers looked like small, about 6 or 7 cm across (or about
2.5 inches), hibiscus flowers. Their horticulturalist said it is
winter hardy here (just a two hour highway drive north of Toronto
Ontario Canada), but that it tends to be a bit tender here.
(suggestions on protecting it, if in fact it is hardy here, would be
appreciated)

Today, I saw some plants, labelled as hibiscus at a grocery, and the
card that came with the plants from the store's suppliers says it is
hardy to USDA zone 5 (which I think includes us here). I thought
hibiscus were strictly tropical, and that the "rose of Sharon" I bought
might be a temperate cousin (smaller, hibiscus-like flowers on shrubby
stems). But the "hibiscus" I saw today looked to be as large and
colourful as those tropicals I'd seen at real garden centres, but on
stems that seemed as delicate as the stems of my begonias, with no
trace of wood. The card from the supplier said it would die down over
winter and start new growth in May, and then bloom until first frost.
While the flowers were as large as the tropical hibiscus I'd seen, they
didn't seem to have as much substance (a more papery look), but I don't
know if that is damage from the excessive heat we've had this summer.
My irises and lilies gave a less than adequate display this year
because of the heat. The card with them also said they'd stay small,
two thirds of a metre to a metre tall at most.

Anyway, is there really a hibiscus species or hybrid that is winter
hardy in a cool temperate region with such delicate stems? Or are these
plants certain to die like annuals here?

Can anyone shed light on this?

Thanks,

Ted

"Ted" wrote in message
ups.com...
A couple weeks ago, I found at Home Depot, and bought, what they called
a "Rose of Sharon". It didn't look like any rose I've ever seen.
Instead its flowers looked like small, about 6 or 7 cm across (or about
2.5 inches), hibiscus flowers. Their horticulturalist said it is
winter hardy here (just a two hour highway drive north of Toronto
Ontario Canada), but that it tends to be a bit tender here.
(suggestions on protecting it, if in fact it is hardy here, would be
appreciated)

Today, I saw some plants, labelled as hibiscus at a grocery, and the
card that came with the plants from the store's suppliers says it is
hardy to USDA zone 5 (which I think includes us here). I thought
hibiscus were strictly tropical, and that the "rose of Sharon" I bought
might be a temperate cousin (smaller, hibiscus-like flowers on shrubby
stems). But the "hibiscus" I saw today looked to be as large and
colourful as those tropicals I'd seen at real garden centres, but on
stems that seemed as delicate as the stems of my begonias, with no
trace of wood. The card from the supplier said it would die down over
winter and start new growth in May, and then bloom until first frost.
While the flowers were as large as the tropical hibiscus I'd seen, they
didn't seem to have as much substance (a more papery look), but I don't
know if that is damage from the excessive heat we've had this summer.
My irises and lilies gave a less than adequate display this year
because of the heat. The card with them also said they'd stay small,
two thirds of a metre to a metre tall at most.

Anyway, is there really a hibiscus species or hybrid that is winter
hardy in a cool temperate region with such delicate stems? Or are these
plants certain to die like annuals here?

Can anyone shed light on this?

Thanks,

Ted


OK Ted, Rose of Sharon will survive in Zone 5 - I'm in Central IL and mine
do well with no form of protection. Do yours have more of a woody stalk?
You're right, the flowers do look like small hibiscus and in no way resemble
roses.

The hibiscus you saw at the grocery could very likely be hardy to Zone 5.
Were the leaves on the plant fairly large compared to tropical leaves and
dull in appearance? If so, that is hardy. Tropical hibiscus leaves are
totally different in appearance, they are are much shinier. I have what I
call a "dinner plate" hibiscus which is hardy and the blooms are easily 10"
in diameter (none of my tropicals ever get that large).

All of my hibiscus, whether hardy or tropical thrive in full sun with plenty
of food and water.

Cheryl

"Cereus-validus......." wrote in message
m...
You should expect the plants to respond differently when grown in pots
than being planted out in the ground. Grown in pots the plants will need
more water, fertilizing and protection from full sun.

No matter how you grow the plants, individual Hibiscus flowers open only
for a single day.

Your plant are probably deciduous perennial Hibiscus hybrids. What do you
plant to do with them over the winter when they die back to the rootstock?
You should plant them out in a permanent position in the garden.


I was planning to bring them inside as soon as there is a danger of
overnight frost. Much as I would love to have them out in the garden, I
doubt very much they would survive a Zone 3 winter. If anyone else here in
Z3 knows any different, I'd love to hear your experience(s).





"carbuff" wrote in message
news:e_eNe.253652$5V4.182479@pd7tw3no...
FWIW, here's my experience with Home Depot hibiscus. Around 6 weeks ago,
they had a weekend special - 48 inch plants in 10 inch pots for $19.99
Bought two, they looked a little root-bound, so bought a couple ceramic
planters and re-potted with good soil + compost. Did a Google search on
hibiscus which general consensus said: full sun and heat. WRONG!!!!
The few blooms that appeared lasted only 1 day, and slowly the leaves
started to turn yellow. Figuring that there was nothing to lose, I moved
the pots to the north side of the house, on each side of the attached
garage. There is a 3foot overhang, so they get indirect light for the
majority of the day, not to mention it's cooler there. They are now
thriving, no yellow leaves, and the blooms are proliferating and lasting
several days now. They are a gorgeous shade of apricot, which I had
never seen before. YMMV
BTW, I am in Winnipeg, which is Zone 3, if it matters.

P.S. They seem pretty thirsty, almost like hydrangeas.

Thanks loads one and all. I learned plenty. Further, a vendour of
fine plans located in Michigan tells me that some Hibiscus are winter
hardy to USDA zone 4.

Anyway, the Hibiscus I bought from the grocer had no trace of wood in
stem. They strike me as being as delicate and succulent as the stems
of the begonias I have in pots out front.

The leaves on it are larger than other hisbiscus I have seen and rather
dull. Certainly no sheen on them as I have noticed on other hibiscus.

For the time being, I am leaving them in pots. This is because I plan
on creating raised beds in the front garden (a southern exposure, but
shade from noon to late afternoon and full sun the rest of the day -
due to a huge maple to the south west of the bed). I don't want to
plant them now only to move them in the fall. While I am not fond of
raised beds, this seems a necessary compromise since I have trouble
with my feet and lower legs (it seems to me just a matter of time
before my diaetes takes them), I can not get down on my hands and
knees; if I did so, I would not be able to get up again. And I can not
weed the garden standing up. With a raised bed, at least I could sit
on the edge of the bed while I am weeding. And this is something that
you have to do yourself if you want it done right.

Thanks again all,

Ted


R.E. (Ted) Byers, Ph.D., Ed.D.
R & D Decision Support Solutions
http://www.randddecisionsupportsolutions.com/
Healthy Living Through Informed Decision Making

Cereus-validus....... wrote:

No matter how you grow the plants, individual Hibiscus flowers open only for
a single day.

Does this apply to Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) too?
Thanks

Hi Ted,
If these ARE hardy hibiscus (and it sounds as though they are), and you
want to keep them in pots, I would suggest that you let a light frost hit
them so that they go dormant, and then move them into an unheated room or
garage, or if you don't have that, then the very coolest part of your house.
Decidious perennials don't appreciate being in a heated house all winter.
Usually that kills them. I have a few perennials that I keep that way, in my
garage, which is attached to my house, but unheated. In the winter, the
temperature in there is about 35 degrees much of the time, especially in
December, January, and February. The plants stay dormant, without the pots
freezing) and then I let them out on warm sunny days in March (temperatures
like 45-50) so that they begin to break dormancy. Usually by April, I can
leave them outside all the time, unless a particularly bitter frost
threatens.
"Ted" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks loads one and all. I learned plenty. Further, a vendour of
fine plans located in Michigan tells me that some Hibiscus are winter
hardy to USDA zone 4.

Anyway, the Hibiscus I bought from the grocer had no trace of wood in
stem. They strike me as being as delicate and succulent as the stems
of the begonias I have in pots out front.

The leaves on it are larger than other hisbiscus I have seen and rather
dull. Certainly no sheen on them as I have noticed on other hibiscus.

For the time being, I am leaving them in pots. This is because I plan
on creating raised beds in the front garden (a southern exposure, but
shade from noon to late afternoon and full sun the rest of the day -
due to a huge maple to the south west of the bed). I don't want to
plant them now only to move them in the fall. While I am not fond of
raised beds, this seems a necessary compromise since I have trouble
with my feet and lower legs (it seems to me just a matter of time
before my diaetes takes them), I can not get down on my hands and
knees; if I did so, I would not be able to get up again. And I can not
weed the garden standing up. With a raised bed, at least I could sit
on the edge of the bed while I am weeding. And this is something that
you have to do yourself if you want it done right.

Thanks again all,

Ted


R.E. (Ted) Byers, Ph.D., Ed.D.
R & D Decision Support Solutions
http://www.randddecisionsupportsolutions.com/
Healthy Living Through Informed Decision Making

Of course it does.

The double flowered cultivars seem to last longer because of the extra
petals but they only open to full size for only one day.


"told2b" wrote in message
ups.com...

Cereus-validus....... wrote:

No matter how you grow the plants, individual Hibiscus flowers open only
for
a single day.

Does this apply to Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) too?
Thanks

presley wrote:
Hi Ted,
If these ARE hardy hibiscus (and it sounds as though they are), and you
want to keep them in pots, I would suggest that you let a light frost hit
them so that they go dormant, and then move them into an unheated room or
garage, or if you don't have that, then the very coolest part of your house.

Thanks. I didn't know that. To date, the only plants I have kept
indoors have been orchids.

In any event, I expect I'll be keeping them in pots only until this
fall when I put in a raised bed. I just didn't want to plant them now,
only to replant them in a couple months when the work with the raised
beds is done.

Thanks,

Ted



R.E. (Ted) Byers, Ph.D., Ed.D.
R & D Decision Support Solutions
http://www.randddecisionsupportsolutions.com/
Healthy Living Through Informed Decision Making