Hibiscus Bouquets

One of two hibiscus bouquets keeping me company in my den. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Hibiscus Bouquets

Earlier this spring I forgot to trim my hardy hibiscus growing like small trees around my house. By the time they started to bloom mid-June, the limbs were long and starting to hang to the ground. I was afraid they would break off in a storm.

One of my hardy hibiscus trees where the limbs have grown too long. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Around where I live, hardy hibiscus are grown as bushes that are allowed to grow 8 feet tall and quite bushy. I prefer to have mine trimmed to grow as small trees with the greenery at the top busting out in flowers.

Today some of the branches were just too long to be safe for the plant so I started to trim them back.

Trimmed hardy hibiscus plants growing as small trees in my garden. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggin)

In the trimming process, I ended up cutting off some lovely flowers, both currently in bloom and still budding.

At first I thought I could just slip these into the composter. Every time I walked by the pile, though, I saw those blooming flowers and couldn’t resist. I removed the spent flowers and made two bouquets of the cuttings to take inside.

In the past I have had varying success bringing hardy hibiscus cuttings inside. They are so pretty they are worth the effort. Budding flowers will be in bloom tomorrow so these hibiscus bouquets should last several days before the blooming flowers run out.

In my garden, I have three hardy hibiscus colors: purple, pink and white. I also have Missouri’s native rose mallow, a white hardy hibiscus, growing in one of my new flower beds. Those may take two more years before I see a white flowers.

in the meantime, I have these white hardy hibiscus blooming.

White hardy hibiscus currently in bloom, so pretty. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

There are a wide variety of hybrid hibiscus currently on the market. One of my brothers has striking hybrid hibiscus in bloom with flowers the size of dinner plates.

My hardy hibiscus are less exotic and smaller but still pretty. They grow in both sun and shade with a little more preference to sun.

One of my hardy hibiscus that turns from pink to purple. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once planted, hardy hibiscus grow back year after year. They can also spring up where you don’t want them so it’s a good idea to cut off the flower heads before most of them go to seed.

I do leave a few on for the birds. Cardinals in particular seem to enjoy the seeds!

Charlotte