How to Grow and Care for Hibiscus

Gemma Johnstone is a gardening expert who has written 120-plus articles for The Spruce covering how to care for a large variety of plants from all over the world. She’s traveled all over Europe, living now in Italy.

Debra LaGattuta is a Master Gardener with 30+ years of experience in perennial and flowering plants, container gardening, and raised bed vegetable gardening. She is a lead gardener in a Plant-A-Row, which is a program that offers thousands of pounds of organically-grown vegetables to local food banks. Debra is a member of The Spruce Garden Review Board.

Hibiscus tree is an annual or perennial herbaceous plant with trumpet-shaped flowers. This tropical tree grows in full sun or partial shade and does best in moist, well-drained soil. With over 200 species and many more cultivars in the genus, hibiscus flowers can reach nearly 10 inches in diameter at maturity and come in a wide range of colors from white to red, pink, yellow, and orange.

Tropical hibiscus varieties (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) are perfect if you live in a warm climate or want an impressive houseplant. For those living in cooler parts of North America, opting for a hardy variety or the shrubby rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus), which are both easier to grow and can withstand colder winter temperatures, will be the better choice. Regardless of variety, hibiscus flowers are very attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds.

While all hibiscus have similarities that go beyond appearance, they have some distinct care and growing requirements.

Hibiscus Care

The care you provide your hibiscus will vary depending on whether it is a hardy or tropical variety and whether it is grown indoors or outdoors.

Warning

You can grow most species of hibiscus without worrying about them getting out of control. However, rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is classified as an invasive species in much of eastern North America.

Light

Hibiscus love bright conditions. In northern climes, full sun is often best, but in the intense, dry heat of the south, filtered sunlight is better. If you find that your plant isn’t producing many blooms, move the plant to a sunnier location.

Indoor tropical hibiscus will need a bright spot near a sunny window but keep it away from strong, direct sunlight. If you are transferring your plants outdoors when the warmer weather arrives, gradually acclimate them to the brighter conditions.

Soil

All hibiscus do best in well-drained, fertile, moist, loamy soil. The hardy varieties are wetland natives and are a good choice for sites that are too wet for other plants.

Most hibiscus prefer a slightly acidic soil pH, but the rose of Sharon is tolerant of alkaline conditions. The color of hibiscus flowers can be affected by the soil acidity level.

Mulching around the plant base can help with moisture retention if your location is experiencing dry conditions. For nutrient-poor soil, amending with organic matter will be beneficial.

Water

All hibiscus are thirsty plants that need to be kept moist. Indoor tropical hibiscus benefit from regular watering from spring to early autumn during the growing season. Significantly reduce watering during dormant periods. For container-grown plants, ensure the top inch or so of potting mix dries out fully before watering—saturated soil is also problematic, and make sure containers have adequate drainage holes.

Depending on the conditions, you might need to water your hibiscus daily to help it produce an abundance of blooms.

If your hardy hibiscus are not planted near a pond or in another wet area, water them on a regular basis to keep them moist.

Temperature and Humidity

Rose of Sharon and hardy hibiscus can grow in cool, temperate climates. They thrive in temperatures from 60 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit but can handle temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. When temperatures drop below 30 degrees Fahrenheit and frost is a risk, bring container-grown plants indoors. However, be mindful of their higher humidity requirements—which is why bathrooms are a good location for these plants.

Temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit can kill tropical varieties, so they are best housed in humid locations indoors in regions where this is likely to occur.

Fertilizer

To encourage abundant, healthy blooms with good color, feed plants with a high potassium and high nitrogen fertilizer. Fish emulsion and seaweed extract are organic fertilizers. Feed a half-strength solution just before the start of the bloom period and continue at least once every few weeks until the end of flowering.

Types of Hibiscus

There are hundreds of tropical and hardy hibiscus hybrids and cultivars available. Just a few popular varieties include:

• Swamp Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus): An unusual, hardy species featuring large pinwheel-like flowers
• Confederate Rose (Hibiscus mutabilis): This hardy rose mallow has large, showy flowers that open white and then change color.
• Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Cajun Cocktail’: A tropical cultivar with striking orange and yellow ruffled blooms, giving each one a one-of-a-kind appearance.
• Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Perfect Storm’: A hardy, compact hybrid cultivar that blooms late in the season.

Pruning

Hardy hibiscus benefit from annual winter pruning once they are established. Cutting the plant back after flowering, especially dead, damaged, and diseased branches and old wood growing in the center of the plant can aid air circulation and keep the plant looking tidy. Don’t worry if you cut back aggressively; this species can handle it.

Propagating Hibiscus

Most hibiscus propagation is from cuttings. Select a four- to six-inch piece stem from new, vigorous growth. Keep the leaves at the top of the stem but remove all the rest. You might want to dip the cut end in rooting hormone before potting in a well-drained, moist potting soil. It can take a couple of months for the root system to fully develop.

How to Grow Hibiscus From Seed

Growing hibiscus from seeds is more challenging than propagating from cuttings. They often take a long time to germinate and need a fair bit of attention.

Nicking the hard seed coating slightly and soaking the seeds for up to eight hours can speed up the germination process as it allows more moisture to penetrate the seed. For best results, place the seeds in a warm, sunny location (at least 75 degrees Fahrenheit) and sow seeds about a quarter-inch deep.

After a few weeks, seedlings should appear. With their fragile stems, they will need careful translating and gradual hardening off.

Potting and Repotting Hibiscus

Nutrient-loving potted hibiscus will benefit from being repotted every couple of years in early spring. Avoid deep pots, otherwise the plant will spend a lot of its energy on root development, and you want it to focus on flower production.

Common Pests

Hibiscus are not bothered by many pests or diseases, but red spider mites can be problematic when humidity levels are not high enough. Aphids are sometimes an issue too, but they can be kept at bay with regular cleaning or insecticidal soaps.

How to Get Hibiscus to Bloom

The exotic flowers on a hibiscus are short-lived, lasting from just one to three days. But if you have a healthy plant, they should produce many flowers through their growing season from late spring through fall.

To prevent flower drop, make sure the plant is not being exposed to temperatures that are too hot or too cold. Frost is a problem, even for hardy varieties, and prolonged temperatures above 85 degrees Fahrenheit will cause flowering problems even for tropical hibiscus.

Deadheading isn’t necessary, but bloom production can be impacted if your plant is overly dry or is not receiving enough nutrients or sunlight.

Common Problems With Hibiscus

Hibiscus are rather particular about conditions, and if you can’t meet their requirements, there are some common problems to watch out for.

Yellow Foliage

If you see your plant’s leaves turning yellow, it could be that you are subjecting it to sudden changes in weather conditions, not watering correctly, or not fertilizing often enough. Expect a little yellowing during the transitional seasons of spring and fall, but anything extreme merits further investigation.

Dropping of Buds

Extremes in temperature, not enough light or humidity, and over or under watering can cause bud drop.

Hardy hibiscus are more forgiving and easy to grow than tropical varieties because they can handle a wider range of temperatures and wetter conditions.

Hibiscus are fast-growing, and, providing conditions are right, they can be fully established and flowering prolifically within two to three years.

This depends greatly on the variety you have selected. New hybrids might not live more than a decade, but it isn’t uncommon for older varieties to live over 50 years.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Invasive Plant Atlas of the United States. Rose of Sharon. University of Georgia, Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health, National Park Service, 2018.

Hoty Winners

Tahitian Princess was awarded the IHS HOTY, Hibiscus of the Year, for 2003. It was bred and entered by Richard Johnson, (Tahiti). It has an extra large bloom, measuring 8-9 inches and was made from the cross of Grand Hyatt x Silver Memories. Here we provide you some of the photos and supplemental data submitted to the HPOJ, HOTY Panel Of Judges, upon which they based their votes to select the eventual winner.

Our congratulations go to Richard for winning the first IHS HOTY competition. We thank the hybridizers who entered candidates in this program, in this case at their own expense. We thank the evaluators who grew the plants and provided the photos and data. We thank Nina Bjelovucic, the IHS HOTY coordinator, for her tireless efforts in collecting this information from the trailing stations and passing it to the HPOJ. We of course thank the judges and most of all we thank the membership for participating in the initial SOTY selections, which form the core of the IHS HOTY Program. In this respect the IHS is unique in that the membership and affiliates are able to vote on what they consider to be the most beautiful of the candidates presented, after which the HPOJ narrows the field based upon their expert evaluation of the candidates chosen by the membership.

The top five candidates were selected from a field of 12, ( Tahitian Dragon, Tahitian Passion, Tahitian Princess, Tropical Sunrise and Patricia Ellen ). However, Tropical Sunrise and Patricia Ellen were withdrawn by their respective hybridizers. The candidate with the most points was selected as the first IHS SOTY, Seedling Of The Year. Tahitian Dragon received that honor as the IHS 2003 SOTY, while Tahitian Princess was second and Tahitian Passion third. However, trialing has shown Tahitian Princess to be the best of the candidates tested.

Tahitian Princess taken mid morning

Tahitian Princess after 2 days