If you have a hibiscus , how do you knowwhat typeyou have ? It may expect tropical with its showy , five - petaled flowers , or it just might be the form that can bear frigid temperatures .
Hibiscus plant pass into one of two category : either tropical hibiscus or the many miscellanea of hardy hibiscus shrubs . If your hibiscus is in more of atree build , that gives you further clues as to the type of hibiscus it is .
Tip
Most hibiscus plant are classify as shrub , not trees , although some can uprise quite big , up to 15 feet , depending on the coinage and cultivar .
To make key out your hibiscus easier , infer that alltropical hibiscusshrubs are a diverseness ofHibiscus rosa - sinensis ( USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11 ) , whilehardy hibiscusshrubs , also call perennial hibiscus , may refer to multiple metal money in the hibiscus genus . Here ’s how to tell them apart .
Tropical (Chinese) Hibiscus
If you have a tropical hibiscus , you in all likelihood bang it because either you survive in a warm clime where it can stay outdoors throughout the wintertime or you wreak it into a protect area if you live outside its originate zones .
away from a lack of cold - hardihood , * * the primary secern feature of the tropical hibiscus is that its leave of absence are glossy and dark green , compared to other hibiscus case , which have leaves that are more matt - like and less gullible . * *
In improver , their flowers are larger and more tropic looking . They also may bloom in color strange to hardy hibiscus shrubs , such as salmon , peach , yellow or multi - hued .
Tropical hibiscus plant have different and longer flowering time of year than the hardy type , blooming from early spring through fall .
Most tropical hibiscus works grow 4 to 10 feet high and 5 to 8 ft wide of the mark , so these are large flowering shrubs that make an efficacious focal point in any landscape painting . They can farm in full Sunday or partial shade , although they ’ll bloom best with more abstemious .
While some cultivars are dwarfs , some common cultivar that can reach 6 invertebrate foot or tall are :
Hardy Hibiscus Species
One specific hibiscus mintage is typically bring up to as the stout hibiscus , and that isH. moscheutos , zones 5 to 9 , but another , well - known and much - beloved hibiscus that can handle colder temperatures is uprise of Sharon ( H. syriacus , zone 5 to 8) . In gain , band together rose ( H. mutabilis ) can produce down to zona 7 . Here ’s a summing up .
Hardy Hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos)
Also relate to by the coarse name calling rise mallow , swamp rosemallow or perennial hibiscus ( zones 5 to 9 ) , this plant life has pink , violent or white efflorescence and can strive 6 to 7 foot improbable . It ’s herbaceous , meaning that it dies back to the ground at the end of each develop season but quickly puts on novel growth to find its height in bounce .
- Defining characteristic :* * This shrub has enormous hibiscus flowers up to 8 inch across in white , pink , red or Burgundy wine .
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)
Also called rosaceous of China or shrub Althea , uprise of Sharon ( zones 5 to 9 ) typically has scarlet , white , lavender or pink flowers and can reach 12 foot magniloquent and 6 to 10 feet wide when mature .
This plant has the smallest flowers among the cold-blooded - hardy hibiscus shrubs at just 1 to 3 inches in diameter , but they still feature that sumptuous tropical look characteristic of all hibiscus blooms .
- specify feature :* * Unlike most of the intrepid hibiscus shrubs , rose of Sharon is a woody works , intend that it continue its form , include its luggage compartment and branches , in winter .
Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis)
Also called cotton rose or cotton fiber turn out mallow , confederate rose is a flowering bush that can accomplish 12 foot high and 8 to 10 feet extensive . Flowers are 3 to 6 inches in diameter .
- Defining feature article :* * This plant life has distinctive flowers that open up white , plough pallid pink , and finally change to dark pink when in full ripe .
