Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is a plant that I’ve had a bit of a thing for over the past few months, this is all down to the fabulous flowers.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is often called Chinese hibiscus and belongs to the Malvaceae family. The binomial name has the following meanings-Hibiscus coms from the Greek word ‘hibiskos’ meaning marsh mallow, while rosa-sinensis means ‘rose of china’. From my reading, I have found that it is uncertain where this hibiscus came from, although it is thought that it originally came from tropical Asia.
Chinese hibiscus is an evergreen rounded shrub to small tree that’s rather busy-I usually see it as a shrub. The leaves of this delightful plant are ovate to a broad lanceolate shape. Dark green in colour with a glossy sheen , they are up to 15cm long with toothed margins.
The flowers, to me, make this species a champion. The original species colour of the flowers is crimson with yellow anthers and red stamens. Cultivar flowers can be of variable colour in cultivation, from crimson to orange. The flowers can be 10cm across. Flowers can be both single and double in form.
The shrub is bushy and rounded in shape. It can reach a height of 2.5-5 metres in height and 1.5-3 metres wide, so it can reach a fair size for a home garden.
Cultivation
This shrub can be grown in pots, provided they have good potting mix and regular liquid fertiliser applied monthly and frequent watering over the summer months (little watering in winter, but don’t let the potting mix dry out-put your finger into the soil and if it feels dry, water it). If growing Chinese hibiscus outdoors, grow it in a hummus rich soil that is moist and well drained. Soil should have a pH of neutral to slightly alkaline.
The more light and warmth this plant gets, the better it does when flowering over the summer. Full sun is preferred, although light shade is tolerated. the more shade there is, the smaller and fewer the flowers will be.
Little pruning is needed for this shrub. In spring, it can be cut back to allow the shape to be maintained while also encouraging growth. The rootball shouldn’t be allowed to dry out completely as the plant doesn’t appreciate dry soil.
Propagation
Seed can be sown in spring, provided the temperatures are between 13-18 degrees Celcius. Cuttings can also be taken-root greenwood (or softwood, depending where you are from) cuttings in the later part of spring or semi-ripe cuttings in summer.
Pests and diseases
Chinese hibiscus can suffer from aphid, mealy bug, scale powdery mildew and whitefly infestations, with these being worse under glass.
My opinion
The flowers are absolutely great as far as I’m concerned. The range of colours are so bright and vibrant. They look a whole lot better and thrive more in full sun rather than in any sort of shade. Provided they get enough water they are great.
