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Home  Grow your Own Aloha hibiscus, how are ya?
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Aloha hibiscus, how are ya?
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Monday, 23 January 2012
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 If you can’t quite afford a trip to an exotic isle, lei-ing out on magnificent beaches, here’s one island maiden that’s always on hand and
ready to please.
Ideally planted in late spring to early summer, it may be a little late
in the piece to begin planting hibiscus, but that doesn’t mean we can’t
appreciate them at their most bloom-tiful best and plan ahead for later
in the year.
The hibiscus hype
Offering a warm contrast to tropical gardens, hibiscus flowers bring
flamboyant colours from late spring right through to early autumn.
The two most common types of hibiscus are the Fijian and the Hawaiian.
Easy to care for, with smaller flowers than the larger, more brash,
Hawaiian variety, Fijian hibiscus are tolerant of colder weather and
retain their leaves in winter.
Bred by Jack Clark, Clark’s hybrid varieties have been developed
specifically to suit the New Zealand climate. These Kiwi cuties were
developed by crossing Hawaiian and Fijian varieties, resulting in
stunning flowers on hardy plants.
Hibiscus syriacus, or Rose of Sharon is also available in New Zealand.
This deciduous lovely features pale pink flowers with red centres.
Blooming late – from summer to autumn – Sharon is one cool customer,
able to withstand reasonably chilly temperatures.
A much rarer but highly prized hibiscus, the Cotton Rose is a sun-lover
that proves great things develop with age. Because the light pink colour
of their flowers darkens within a few days, shrubs feature a rich
contrast of shades.
How, where and when to plant:
When creating a backyard paradise, choose a warm, sunny location,
sheltered from winds and frost, for your hibiscus. Try to plant near
rocks or walls which will provide necessary shelter and retain heat
during colder months.
Hibiscus can be planted directly into the garden or grown in containers.
If looking to plant in containers ensure plants receive adequate water
and are moved to warmer locations when temperatures drop.
Use a light, free-draining soil with a mixture of organic compost, sand and topsoil to protect against root rot.
Care:
Although these sun-bakers like it hot, ensuring your hibiscus receive
enough water is crucial to their development; water deeply, particularly
in summer.
Mulching is also very important to help retain moisture during warmer
months and keep roots cosy in winter. Try pea straw for optimum results
as this will also impede weed growth and add valuable nitrogen to the
soil.
Some beautiful specimens, as we all know well, have a tendency to watch
what they eat; the hibiscus is no ‘model’ for weight-watching! Requiring
regular feeding, hibiscus prefer square meals of slow release
fertiliser every three to four months.
Hibiscus should be pruned from late winter to early spring, once the
last frost has passed, to stimulate fresh growth. When pruning, remember
to cut the branches roughly one or two centimetres above the
intersection of the stem and leaf (or eye).
Pests:
Wherever there’s a beauty there’s bound to be a beast and, when it comes
to pests, the hibiscus has many suitors. So here’s a short guide to
thwarting the unwelcome advances of such pesty players!
Attracted by pollen, hibiscus beetles can cause ‘holy’ hell as these
small (usually 3-4mm in size) black insects chew holes in the petals.
Spray pyrethrum during autumn and spring when these bug-ers are out and
at play.
And those sooty-footed aphids go a-courting the hibiscus as well!
Spotted in black or green clusters, aphids leave behind a dusty trail of
mould that’s hard to miss. However, broad spectrum insecticide combined
with a fungicide, or other specialised treatments, should put the soot
to the sword!
Sap-sucking sods that stick to stems can really make a mealy of this
precious hibiscus! Found in leaf ridges, the soil or close to stems,
mealy bugs can be treated with a systemic pesticide which will be
absorbed through the plant’s roots and poison mealy bugs.
The talk of the town and a hot topic in the tropics, hibiscus flowers
conjure up images of islands in the sun and long, leisurely summers.
Even though the weather may not be wonderful, these pacific princesses
can still bring a little taste of paradise to your place.
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