Here’s some info about hardy Hibiscus for Misty—and anyone
else who may be interested in it! I’m
“addressing” this to you, Misty, because it’s mostly info about how to
propagate them, just in case yours really does turn out to be sterile and you
want to try to get more for yourself, or to give away!

This first link is from Clemson in South Carolina, so some
of the types of Hibiscus they list are NOT hardy here. If any of you see something you’re interested
in, be sure you google it to find out if it’s gonna grow here before you go any
further!

I believe most, if not all, of the Hibiscus you’ll find that
are hardy around here (zone 5 +/-) will be Hibiscus moscheutos, tho there are probably some
hybrids where they don’t use the species in the name—they seem to do that with
the botanical names these days—just leave the species epithet out of the hybrid
names! [I sure wish they wouldn’t do
that!]

This link has some pretty good basic info about how to
propagate them from cuttings! Go down to
the “cuttings” section in the first part, before where the ”Species &
Cultivars” section starts! If you decide
to try it, it looks like next spring—which, with Hibiscus, is actually more
like some time in June since they come up so late—will be your best shot at
getting them to root.

For any of the varieties like ‘Disco Belle’, or any
varieties that produce seed, I think it will be much easier to just start them
from seed!

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/landscape/flowers/hgic1179.html

This pdf (from the University of Florida!) is about
commercial growing, but it says:

Propagation

– Patented varieties aside, these hibiscus
root like weeds, but it takes some time to develop a strong liner for
pre-finished use. Semi-hardwood to softwood cuttings are used for developing
liners. Many set copious amounts of seed that is easily germinated.

So from this it sounds like it SHOULD be very easy to start
them from cuttings! [Note – “liners” are
very small plants started in “plug-type trays” that are started to eventually
pot up to larger sizes.] And the last
page on this one gives info about which varieties are usually started from
seed, and which from cuttings!

http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/floriculture/pdfs/crop_production/hardyhibiscus_enhfl04-011.pdf

The other links I want to put here are all RMG threads with
info from David—our master of propagation by cuttings—about how he does
it! Mostly he’s talking about clematis,
but the same principles should work for most things. The main reason I went back and found these
links is because I remembered when he posted the first thread I’m linking about
how he was rooting cuttings in pure perlite!
I rarely try to root woody or semi-woody cuttings, but if/when I do, I’m
planning to do it like he shows in the first link/thread from 2012! So for anybody who tries this—with the
Hibiscus or anything else—I definitely recommend you use the pure perlite as
your rooting media—rather than a potting soil or the mix recommended in the
first site I linked!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2139430/clematis-rooting-update

And these other two threads are more good rooting info from
David! These are from 2009 and 2011, and
he’s using a potting mix in these—I think he switched to the perlite after he
posted in these threads (is that right, David?), and in the ’09 thread he’s not
talking about putting the “dome” on the cuttings to keep them in a moist
environment, but I suspect he does that (the “dome!”) for everything now! The 2011 thread is about clematis, the 2009
thread is showing buddleia.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2133290/need-help-with-a-cutting

http://forums.gardenweb.com/discussions/2137213/propagating-tips-for-an-arid-climate

I looked for propagation info for Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus
syriacus, but really couldn’t find anything specific. ZooGirl, if you decide to give it a try I
recommend you just go with the same basic info as they’re giving tor the hardy
perennial Hibiscus.

Hope some of this might help any of you decide you’d like to
give it a try!

Skybird