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Oklahoma Gardening

overwinter hibiscus

16 years ago

I have a hibiscus standard I would like to overwinter in the garage. I would move it into the house but know how the whiteflies can can get even if it's washed before moving in. I have overwintered smaller hibiscus in the garage with varying success. Does anyone have any advice for doing this successfully? I also have a red mandeville I definitely want to survive.

Comments (2)

rjj1
16 years ago
In years past before building a greenhouse, I wintered a number of large hibiscus in the house. They would bloom in my big south windows and we kept Christmas lights on them.

My grandmother has wintered hibiscus in her garage for over 30 years. She keeps them a little on the dry side so they set there dormant through the winter.

Went down to my mothers last weekend for the annual "Haul tropicals up here to winter over" trip. Cut the top out of her mandevilla to get it off her trellis. Spotted a couple seed pods on it a few days ago when watering it.

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bizydiggin
16 years ago
I just moved mine in last weekend. They are messy in the house with the flowers and leaves dropping. I don't have them getting bright light from windows. I was hoping to force them to go dormant until I move them outside again. I need to shape them up a bit and I think I'm on the right track waiting until they go dormant before I starting whaking at 'em.

I have only had Hibiscus as house plants in the past. They all did very well in bright window. They were small houseplants though, not the shrubs that I have now.

I'm sure a gardening pro can weigh in on this, but I think the whiteflies that you may have had in the past might have been a result of keeping the soil too moist. I have been known to drown a houseplant or two, but from the wise gradeners here on the forum, I have learned to let them dry out a bit before I water. Ironically, the whiteflies have disappeared, and I haven't drowned anymore plants!

Courtney
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Thanks for your research. I must admit that the one I saw actually had zone 5 written on it. Funny how they don't specify Canadian zone 5 or USDA, especially when so much stock sold here is shipped up from the states. Makes you wonder why they would bother to stock something like that at my local Canadian Tire, and Loblaws. I guess they haven't figured out the zone thing themselves. On the experimental side I have actually overwintered a Hibiscus Syriacus Blue Bird for about 10 years, but then one year at the height of 7 feet tall she died. I'm sure Blue Bird is a Canadian zone 6, possibly 7. Although I'm trying babies from the Blue Bird only one has overwintered two winters (so far) and so that is why I'm looking for a hibiscus that is more hardy in a purple, but with that kind of height. So, Lavender Chiffon likely isn't any more hardy than Blue Bird. I'll have to see how lucky I feel when I see it marked down. Mary
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I think if you set up lights, as the others mentioned, in your garage over wintering area it would help a lot. Even cheap $10 T8 four foot double light fixtures from Walmart would help. They also put off some heat that can help warm your garage and a light timer can be as cheap as $4 so they turn on and off when you aren't there to do it. Or if you want less heat the same fixtures can take LED tubes. I have many steel shelving racks in my art studio for thousands of gesneriads year round and all of my various tropical plants come indoors for the winter to share the warmth and lighting. My hibiscus, cinnamon, coffee trees, orchids and more.
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Mine did exactly the same thing. It seems like an adjustment period they go through when you move them inside. Last year, I brought two inside. One lived through the winter and one did not. I put the one that did back outside in the Summer and it was fine, happy, and bloomed. I'm not sure what to suggest to make it better.
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I'm in zone4 and have 6 coming back from last year. We have 5 of them planted in front of a thick patch of Lilacs facing south.They were very slow to start, and I'd nearly given up, but they're now about 5 inches tall. The 6th one is a surprise. It had gotten knocked over in a storm last yr before being taken out of the pot, so we set it aside assuming it was a goner. It got set alongside the potting shed and forgotten about. On Saturday we rediscovered the pot and in it was a lovely LIVE and growing hibiscus coming out sideways along the top of the soil reaching for the sun. I set it in the sun, and it's already straightened out nicely. Mine are all "Luna Blush" from Menards.
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