Jonathan Ya'akobi

Chinese Hibiscus And Family – Excellent Landscaping Shrubs For Gardens In Mild Winter Climates

In mild winter climates, Chinese Hibiscus has to be one of the most useful landscaping bushes available, as it combines screening functions with spectacular flower color.

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, which is known by a number of common names of which “Chinese Hibiscus is just one, is one of the mainstay landscaping bushes in Mediterranean and dry climate gardens, despite originating from sub-tropical habitats. Its main benefit as a shrub is the showy, lush blooms that cover the plant throughout the summer.

Chinese Hibiscus is ideal for screening purposes and as an informal hedge. Its somewhat course leaf texture, renders it unsuitable as a sheared, trimmed hedge or for combining with fine-leaved shrubs. However, it has few rivals as an easy-to grow, flowering bush. Occasional pinching and an annual prune, ensure a reasonably dense and compact growth habit. It flowers more profusely with occasional, deep watering than on a shallow but frequent irrigation regime. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis can recover in the spring from a winter of light frosts, but it is best grown in frost-free climates.

There are now a number of varieties available, the most common being the ones that sport bright red blooms. However, there are those that flower white, pink, and various shades apricot. In terms of color design, Chinese Hibiscus can therefore be included successfully in a “warm” color theme. Growing to about 4 meters (12 feet) it can also be easily limbed up and shaped into a small tree. A vertical accent at this height is not always readily available to the gardener.

Other species

Hibiscus syriacus, from the Eastern Mediterranean, commonly known as The Rose of Sharon, is a deciduous shrub reaching about 3 meters in height. (9 feet) It looks better in a Mediterranean plant grouping, such as with Rosemary, Lavender, Pomegranate or Pistachio, than mixed with Chinese Hibiscus. The most common flower color is a shade of lilac-blue, although white-flowered varieties can also be found.

Hibiscus species belong to the Malvaceae botanical family, a fact of some significance, as large, showy flowers of very similar size and shape are typical of the various genera that belong to the family. From a design angle, it is beneficial that different plants have at least some anatomical and morphological features in common; in this case, the flower shape acting as a unifying factor. For example, the purple flowers of Alyogyne huegelii, echo in form, Hibiscus flowers, as do the blooms on a really fascinating plant, Alyogyne hakeafolia. This latter species, of very distinctive leaf texture, associates brilliantly with many shrubs belonging to the Proteaceae family, such as Hakea, Banksia and Grevillea.

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