The hibiscus in a plant portrait

plant profile

system:

• Botanical name: Hibiscus syriacus
• Order: Malvales (Malvales)
• Family: Mallow family (Malvaceae)
• Subfamily: Malvoideae
• Genus: Hibiscus

Botanical:

• Growth type: small shrub
• Growth height: 150 to 400 centimeters
• Growth width: 100 to 200 centimeters
• Growth habit: Upright, bushy
• Main flowering period: June to October
• Flower: funnel flowers
• Flower Color: White, pink, red, violet, blue
• Leaves: Ovate, three-lobed
• Leaf Color: Dark Green
• Fruits: capsule fruits

Particularities:

The variant Hibiscus syriacus 'Speciosus' is an attractive hedge plant. Growing upright and densely branched, this pure white flowering marshmallow forms a privacy screen that can grow up to two meters high.

origin

The hibiscus is originally native to the subtropical regions of China and India, where it mainly thrives at the edge of water and in warm, humid forests. The fact that it has been chosen as the national flower of South Korea shows how popular the marshmallow is in Asia.

location and substrate

The plant, which is not completely hardy, prefers a sunny, at most partially shaded and somewhat sheltered place. The substrate should be permeable and rich in humus. Nutrient-rich, slightly acidic to alkaline soils are ideal.

On the other hand, the marshmallow does not like rather nutrient-poor, sandy soil. Here the shrub ages quickly and forms only a few flowers.

planting

Garden hibiscus should preferably be planted in spring. This gives the young plants enough time to take root well before the cold winter and to get used to the conditions.

• Dig a planting hole at least twice the size of the root ball.
• To cover the high nutrient requirement, mix the excavated soil with the deposited soil cattle manure(€22.00 at Amazon*) or mature compost.
• Plant the shrub so that the top of the ball is level with the ground.
• Since the hibiscus likes it moist, water it very well.
• In the first winter you should protect the trunk from cold cracks with fleece.

Care

The thirsty plant needs regular, penetrating watering during the summer months. If the hibiscus is too dry, it reacts to the lack of water by shedding buds and flowers.

The shrub responds to a lack of nutrients with weak budding and scanty blossoming. Fertilize Therefore, in the spring, treat the garden marshmallow with a good portion of compost or an organic fertilizer.

pruning

Hibiscus blooms on this year's wood. You can therefore cut back the plant vigorously in spring, before it sprout. Use this opportunity to thin out the crown as well.