We just planted three Hardy Hibiscus that we purchased from GrowJoy. The plants are thriving! We need a little help to know your recommendation for winterizing. Mulch…Burlap…Fertilizing?
Thanks for helping with this.
Mark and Jacquie S.
Answer: Thank you for purchasing some of our wonderful Hardy Hibiscus plants. They are such a great way to create that tropical feel in our yards for those of us in the northern areas.
Hardy Hibiscus need a dormancy period during the winter. These plants are typically hardy from Zones 4-9, but some varieties have lower tolerance for cold. Make sure you check the information for your specific variety and also check your zone.
For winter care, wait until there has been a killing frost (one that turns the leaves brown) and then trim the stems back. Hardy hibiscus are considered a perennial plant, not a shrub, so they will die down to the ground each winter.
To help them survive the cold, cover the plants with a thick (8- to 12 inch) layer of mulch. Chopped leaves or pine needles are great choices. This will help protect the root ball through winter.
Spring tips for Hardy Hibiscus
Hardy hibiscus are slow starters in the spring. So have patience! The soil temperatures need to reach the 70-degree range to bring them out of their winter sleep. In early March all the mulch that was added in the fall needs pulled back and removed so the soil can warm up faster on the sunny days.
Once you see their new sprouts emerge, give them a dose of fertilizer, we recommend Jacks Blossom Booster. Plants should be fertilized every 3-4 weeks throughout the growing season.
Some varieties like to self-sow, so keep an eye out and you may have some new plants to share with your friends. And if you’re thinking of adding a new variety this year, check out our full selection here.
Happy gardening!
33 Comments
Mary
August 13, 2014 at 4:48 amI have a beautiful red hardy hibiscus and a white rose of sharon. They are potted in large pots and I can not bring them inside. I do not have a place to plant them in the ground. How do I protect them on porch or deck during the winter? Should I wrap them in burlap or bubble wrap, do they need to be watered in the winter, etc`? Any help you can give me would be appreciated. I do not want to lose them.
Karen
August 22, 2014 at 8:46 amMary: Protecting potted plants can be tricky, depending on your location. You want to attempt to simulate the natural situation they would have in their zone-specific winter. They would need to be cool but not allow the root ball to freeze and would need some occasional water; while the top of the plant is dormant, the roots are still busy taking in nutrients and water at a reduced rate. If you have a cool garage or basement you could store them there but they would need some light. A barn could work but you would still need to protect the root ball by setting the pot into a larger pot and adding more soil or sand to give another layer of insulation. In Zone 5 or 6 you can store them outside on the north side of the house if possible and pile leaves, or bags of leaves, around the pots. It’s best if they are outside to put the pot at an angle so that snow or ice does not remain on the top of the roots and freeze them. Burlap or bubble wrap would not be enough insulation for a cold winter. If you don't have bags of leaves, check with a neighbor or put out a call for some. Don't add the protection until mid- to late December, for Zone 6 and below; otherwise the plant might attempt to grow again and then be killed with a freeze.
Good luck, and I hope they make it thru the winter.
Karen
Mary
August 13, 2014 at 4:53 amCan caladiums be brought inside in the winter and continue to grow or should I take the kernels out of the soil? If I have to take them out how do I keep them from rotting? Thanks
jstutzman
August 14, 2014 at 9:01 amMary: Caladiums are a tropical plant grown from tubers, and if you have them planted in a pot you can bring them inside when the nights start to drop into the upper 40s. Keep them in a sunny window until the leaves begin to die back. They need a dormancy period, so you can move the pot to a cooler, non-sunny area. Do not water them. You can also take them out of the pot and clean all the dirt and dead leaves off and store the tubers in a mesh bag. They need to stay in temps that are in the mid 50s and can survive this way for up to five months. At this point you can pot them up again and put them in a sunny location to get them ready to return to the outside after all signs of frost have passed. When you take the tubers out of storage they should be firm and fleshy and not shriveled or mushy.
Happy Gardening, Karen
Jim Patrick
April 23, 2015 at 12:06 pmI purchased my first hardy hibiscus, what will happen if I pruned the plant before first hard frost,I am afraid I might have killed it there our no signs of new growth yet. It is April 23 is it to early to see new growth
Thank you
Jim Patrick
jstutzman
April 27, 2015 at 9:07 amJim, hardy hibiscus plants are very slow in coming out of dormancy. It could be as late a mid-late May before you see growth. Good luck. GHS
chris
November 8, 2015 at 12:50 pmI have a root for a herty hebiscus plant and dont know what to do with it the ground may be to cold at this pt should I put it in an indoor planter for the winter confused email me with info please
jstutzman
November 11, 2015 at 12:04 pmChris, if the ground is still workable, go ahead and plant the root. Good luck. GHS
Barbara Milligan
November 16, 2015 at 12:06 amI live in North Alabama, Zone 7. I have two yellow hibiscus that are potted on my front porch. It is November 15th and they are still blooming! I have had them since late spring and they have been potted ever since. Next week, we will get a freeze at night, so far we have only been down in the low 40’s at night, 60’s during the day. I am assuming these are hardy hibiscus, bought from Lowes, but there was not a tag marker in them. If they were tropical, they would be dead, right? So now, for winter, do I plant them in the ground now, wait for the first killing freeze and the leaves turn brown, then cut them down to the ground and cover with mulch? Or do I leave them in the pots, move them to the garage, or into the house? Please advise…need to do something in the next couple of days.
jstutzman
November 16, 2015 at 7:59 amBarbara, without knowing the variety of hibiscus you have growing, there is no way to know for sure if it is hardy or not. Since it is this late in the year, we would recommend leaving them in the pots they are currently growing in. If you have an unheated garage or outbuilding, move them into that for the winter. Cut them back once they go dormant. Give them a little water a few different times during the winter season. Next spring, move them back outside and wait for signs of growth before deciding if you want to keep them in the containers or put them into the ground. Good luck. GHS
John Cain
August 30, 2016 at 6:32 pmCan I wait till early spring to cut back my Hardy Hibiscus. I live in northern Ohio?
jstutzman
September 1, 2016 at 5:36 pmJohn, hardy hibiscus is best when cut back after it goes dormant in early winter.
Chuck
September 25, 2016 at 6:41 pmCan I leave it in the ground in Indiana overthe winter months
jstutzman
October 13, 2016 at 11:35 amChuck, yes you can keep your hardy hibiscus in the ground in your area.
Gracie
October 6, 2016 at 9:31 pmI was recently given a hardy hibiscus and I live in Zone 6, it is now Oct 6, and we have not planted it in the ground. Should we do this now? Also, we just moved to this house, and the well water has a lot of sulfur and who knows what else. The plant did not thrive once we got it home (it was beautiful); it only bloomed a couple weeks, and now the leaves are turning yellow. I was wondering if something bad was in the water (tasted terrible), and I ended up turning of the old filters (not sure what they were doing to the water) that were hooked up in the basement, and this may have improved the water slightly, but I had already watered the plant(the water isn’t very good to drink here in general). Any advice on water too? Not sure what to do. Thanks.
jstutzman
October 13, 2016 at 11:32 amGracie, congrats on your new plant! It sounds like it might not be getting enough nutrients. But without knowing the size of container, it will be hard to say. Yes you should get it planted immediately. Good luck.
Melissa L
November 6, 2016 at 11:42 pmCan some1 help please! I live in Zone 6A Boston, MA & I bought a hardy hibiscus that I left in a pot thinking I would just bring it in my house for the winter but I’m not sure that’s what I should do, its suppose to lay dormant and I’m not sure what to do! how do I winterize it?
jstutzman
November 7, 2016 at 10:17 amMelissa, They must have a time of dormancy. It will need to be left in an area that gets at least 32 degrees. Good luck. Joe
Katie
November 8, 2016 at 4:33 pmI’m in the same state as Melissa, but more western. The nights are starting to hurt in the low 30’s sometimes high 20’s. My red hibiscus is in a big pot outside. The leaves have Wilton. How far should I cut the stems back? And for the winter I can store it in a covered garage. Should I cover it or just put some leaves at the base? TIA!
jstutzman
November 10, 2016 at 10:37 amKatie, once it has gone dormant you can cut it back to 4-6 inches from the soil. And yes you can keep it in a covered garage as long as the temps do not consistently stay above 42 degrees. Good luck! Joe
Christine
June 2, 2017 at 7:07 pmI recently moved into an apt complex in Central Kentucky. I love my giant hardy hibiscus so much I dug them up from my yard when I moved here. They are now in large pots in the small yard I am allotted but when it gets cold I will bring them in my breezeway which is covered. What else should I do to prepare for the coming winter. They survived 8 years in the ground here but pot containers is a new thing for me. I also added to my pot garden Brugmansia plants those are a whole new ball game for me. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
jstutzman
August 10, 2017 at 7:49 amChristine, you can leave them in the pots; however, they may not overwinter the best in pots. Whatever you do, don’t bring them inside in the heat as they need to go dormant each year. One thing you can do once it get cold is wrap the pot with some type of insulation. Good luck at your new place. Joe
Dan Eckes
January 6, 2021 at 7:03 pmbesides occasional watering for wintering a hibiscus, any feeding required?
GrowJoy
January 8, 2021 at 1:27 pmDan, they don’t need any fertilizer during their dormancy period. Be sure to give them lots of time to come back in the spring, because they are late to show signs of life, it really is easy to assume they aren’t coming back, but they do! Once you see them sprouting back up again is the time to fertilize. Happy growing and let us know how it works out!
Danielle Boni
March 9, 2021 at 11:41 amHello! I planted my Vintage Red Wine Hibiscus back in May 2020. It bloomed beautifully and lived a beautiful life until late October. I cut it back around Thanksgiving down to 8″-12″. I worry that I didn’t cut off enough. I basically trimmed half the bush. The stems survived being covered in snow, they don’t look rotten (used mulch and pine needles to add protection). I just worry that I did not cut the stems down enough.
GrowJoy
March 9, 2021 at 4:06 pmDanielle, it sounds like you did fine. Hibiscus are late coming out of dormancy. You probably won’t see any signs of life until late May. Enjoy it!
Danielle
March 10, 2021 at 4:07 pmThank you!
Nancy
May 2, 2022 at 11:48 amHi, mine is down to the ground with two stubs left as my puppy ate the stems off LOL. Will this come back? I live in New Hampshire and it’s just getting warmer.
Thanks Nancy
GrowJoy
May 3, 2022 at 5:51 pmNancy, it should come back. Bear in mind that they always start to come up just as you’ve given up hope, so give it time!
Chris Wright
October 9, 2022 at 3:54 pmI live in Vermont and temperatures can be in the negative for days sometimes, I have a hardy rose mallow “mars madness”, will the mulch be enough? First winter having one, it’s in the ground
jstutzman
December 12, 2022 at 2:28 pmChris, without knowing what your hardiness zone is, we cannot say for sure. They are hardy down to zone 4; however, the northern part of Vermont is a zone 3. If you live up north, the plant will most likely not overwinter. Your question about mulch being enough would be correct if you live in the appropriate zones.
A. Mathur
June 2, 2023 at 9:19 pmHi, zone 6A (Massachusetts). My summerific candy crush hibiscus was planted last July and bloomed beautifully shortly after. I pruned it in the winter. It’s now June 2nd and there are no signs of growth. Has my hibiscus died or could it still come out of dormancy? I also have two summerific holy grail planted in the back and they came out of dormancy in mid-May, now growing quickly and very well. Worried about my candy crush. Is there any way to tell if the plant is just dormant and not really dead?
GrowJoy
June 19, 2023 at 6:41 pmIt does sound like the Candy Crush did not make it. Hardy hibiscus are notoriously late to break ground in the spring, which does lead a lot of gardeners to believe that they did not survive the winter when the opposite is actually true. You could move the soil off the top of the root to see if any new growth is pushing out. If you’ve got some new green, you are in luck.