Well this is my very first post here on garden web, hopefully I'm not stepping on any toes. I have about 2 dozen hibiscus growing in my garden and I have always relied on hidden valley hibiscus for their special blend fertilizer. I also supplement monthly with a foliar spray of that and their hibiscus booster. My blooms double and I get so much new growth I have to prune my hibiscus back mid season. Their fertilizer is heavy on the potassium because that's what hibiscus 'eat' the most of. It seems to work though because I get compliments all the time on my blooms. I attached a link to their website they also sell plants and stuff. Hope this helps. Here is a link that might be useful: Hibiscus fertilizer

Good morning thegardenat902, Do they need winter protection? I am in zone 5: No your ROS will do quite well on their own in zone 5- if the plants have not had most the summer to establish roots though you can choose to protect them this year with some mulch- either lawn clippings or crushed leaves- then after that they should be established enough to take care of themselves. If you are in a similar zone, when do yours usually leaf out: ROS are late to the spring bud game- mine will leaf out in April-May- and will slowly grow until about June when they go nuts and start to bloom profusely! Does anyone grow any kind of vines up hibiscus: I would not recommend growing vines on the tree as this could choke your plants if the vines take them over. How fast can I expect these to grow: ROS are slow growing usually the first year they are planted while establishing their feeding roots. In their second year they should be established and will grow quite profusely to about 4 ft- Chiffon is similar to Diana in its growth habits and tend to be more vertical in growth. And last does anyone have any full shrub pictures of Rose of Sharon Blue Chiffon or Lavender Chiffon: Attached is a trained lady blue bird tree. Love the Lady blue bird and Chiffon, I have quite a few Diana too. Great bushes/ Trees when trained correctly. During our hot summers the blues burn out to an almost steel grey making the trees look magnificent.

Hello Pontail73, and welcome to the forums. There are some very knowledable individuals that stop by and can offer some great advice. Some grow other plant, while some like myself grow only hibiscus varieties. I will answer your questions in order and hopefully get you set in the right direction with my experiences. Firstly, if your plant was purchased from a "big box" store, it is likely one of the cultivars (CVs) grown for it's reliability. They are plants designed to grow well with a low amount of direct care. 'Aris' hibiscus like the 'Wind' and 'Breeze' series fall in this category. Not to down play these CVs at all as I have 4, and I have learned a lot with them. If you decide to get into more exotic CVs, be prepared to at least look into their needs daily. My Dupont 'Cosmic Dancer' is getting to be a hassle, and is growing beyond its boundaries, almost becoming vine like. I have attached an image from one of its final blooms before this winter, and you might understand why I can't resist. Pruning is a must with tropical hibiscus to maintain good health and continued growth. This not only applies to the stems, but also the roots. Your previous pruning and new pot gave the plant an opportunity to excel. Personally, I prune all of mine during winter. This gets them a good start for the new year. Here is an item to remember. A pruned stem that had 1-3 blooms a week, will split into 2-4 stems producing 3-12 flowers a week. If your plant is receiving adequate lighting this winter, it may not stop flowering. Sometimes you need to 'bite the bullet' and plan for the future. With mine, I will gradually prune areas of the plants during the entire winter to prepare it for the outside next spring, and get blooms immediately. For me, I want to see the plants covered in blooms each year. I plan my pruning over several weeks so I do not dramatically affect the plant. The idea for me is to optimize next year's display. To answer your questions, you should prune when you feel comfortable, but do not wait. "Start the pruning early to offer greater results next summer." This is my opinion, and I can go into greater detail if you need. Glad you 'rescued' other 'hardy' hibiscus. I have about 10 varieties floating around here. Lets hope they also offer greatness. PS, I plan a major pruning for one of my tropical CVs this Sunday. I have 4 plants, and can start some cuttings if you want them. Hope this helps, Ed

lashawn...in Maui I watch the gardener there every year tending his tropical Hibs,and he also has a screened shadehouse. He just prunes off starts and sticks them in dirt and adds Osmacote and a drink of water to be left alone.He also prunes his bushes 2 times a year to a foot tall.He says you can shape these how ever you want. Over there they like them boxy looking.Of course they grow very fast unlike here.Here I have Rose of Sharon and Mallow bushes,and also have started both with starts from the bushes.I have found that the Rose of Sharon I can keep pruned as to how ever I like. But the Mallow like to kept more on the wild side to flower.To probagate...start with a 6 to 8 inch tip,remove leaves and dip in rooting hormone and then plant in sandy potting soil mixture.***Suzanne