HIbiscus help please

10 months ago

last modified: 10 months ago

My daughter received a beautiful potted hibiscus as a gift. After a few weeks in the pot, she transplanted it into her garden. That was about a month ago. It is defoliating now, with the leaves turning yellow before they drop.

We have no idea what kind of hibiscus this was - not a single tag or identifier on the pot - but it was bought at a reputable local nursery, so I'm hoping it's at least a hardy one here in CT.

It is in a mostly sunny, sheltered spot, and gets water probably every other day.

A search on hibiscus leaf drop says it's either too much water, not enough water (thanks, that's helpful lol) or possibly transplant shock.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Any way for me to tell if this is a hardy hibiscus? I'm sure she'd like to bring it in for the winter (if it lasts that long lol)

Sorry, my phone doesn't take very good pictures!

Thanks for any help,

Dee

Edited to add - sorry if this is a redundant topic on the Hibiscus forum. I never even knew there WAS a hibiscus forum till I went to submit this post and saw it lol. But now that I know, I'll scroll through for info. I'm sure there have been others with this same issue!

Featured Answer

floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

10 months ago

last modified: 10 months ago

It is a tropical Hibiscus, H rosa-sinensis, so it is not adapted to living in a Connecticut garden. It will have been raised in a heated greenhouse and probably got a shock being planted outside in the ground. It can be kept as a house plant. Care info here: https://gardens.si.edu/learn/educational-resources/plant-care-sheets/care-of-hibiscus-rosa-sinensis/#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20the%20more%20sun,southern%20or%20western%20facing%20window.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
10 months ago
so it is not adapted to living in a Connecticut garden.

==>> to quibble just a bit.. it should have no problem being outside in the garden for summer... its the winter its not going to live thru ...

since it would go in the house for winter.. leaving it potted would probably be easiest ...

repot it in fall.. so its ready to go in the house for winter...

for now.. shade it from direct sun... on smaller stock.. i used to use a lawn chair for fast easy shade... it probably isnt liking the sun reflecting off the house... double whammy ..

i like the hardening off theory ... part of the shock of planting it...

if you cant shade it.. maybe just suck it up.. and repot it.. and put it in full shade for a month or so... use the highest quality media you can afford... ask of you dont know what is good medium ...

not that you need to post it elsewhere.. but this is a rather common houseplant ...

ken
Related Discussions
Hibiscus help..please
Q
Comments (5)
Oh you just have to love genetics!! Which is why your white flower seeds produced a burgundy/gorgeous flower. In order to get true to type you have to do stem cuttings. Otherwise you cant tell what genes will be dominant. I have the white texas star, and am saving seed. I hope I can get the results you did! That is awesome!!
...See More
Bugs eating lilies and hibiscus- please help!
Q
Comments (0)
I never had this problem before- my lilies looked chewed up with black gook on leaves, hibiscus leaves chewed like lace. What can I use and is it too late for my beautiful plants?
...See More
Bugs eating lilies and hibiscus- please help!
Q
Comments (0)
I never had this problem before- my lilies looked chewed up with black gook on leaves, hibiscus leaves chewed like lace. What can I use and is it too late for my beautiful plants?
...See More
Please help identify my first hardy hibiscus (red)
Q
Comments (0)
Hi folks! I purchased one hibiscus of unknown origin and hoping someone can help identify it. I will be moving it to a hibiscus bed this fall and tagging so I remember in the future. Also need to know so i can properly place it by size. Thanks Joe
...See More
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 months ago
That's 'living' in a Connecticut garden, not 'vacationing'.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
Original Author
10 months ago
SIgh. Okay, thanks guys. I guess we will dig it up, repot it, and put it in some more shade.

I gotta say, this is one honkin' big "houseplant" lol. I hope she can find a spot for it inside in the winter....

floral, just out of curiosity and for educational purposes (for myself!) how can you tell it's H rosa-sinensis? What are the identifiers?

Thanks!

:)

Dee
floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
10 months ago
Leaf shape, bud shape, flower shape. I'm not a botanist so I'm afraid I tend not to go by specific features. I just know by overall look, in the same way I can tell my kids apart. 'They just look different'. Maybe someone else can give you specific details.
cecily 7A
10 months ago
I've noticed several tropical hibiscus planted outdoors around my neighborhood. Home Depot and Lowe's stock tropical plants for summer color on your deck or patio and folks are planting them out in the garden.
woodyoak
10 months ago
For me, like for floral_uk it didn't look 'right' to be a hardy hibiscus - particularly the look of the leaves, but also that the stems looked woody and shrub-like. The only shrubby hardy hibiscus is a Rose of Sharon and the leaves and flowers don't look like ROS, so the tropical type was a better match.
diggerdee zone 6 CT
Original Author
10 months ago
Thanks everyone for that added information. I will pass this along to my daughter, help her dig up and repot the plant, and hope for the best!

So next question - or maybe I should post a new thread? - what is the best potting medium for this?

:)

Dee