Tropical Hibiscus is S. CA

18 years ago

Hi everyone. I just became interested in Hibiscus and have found a number of very pretty ones on the Web that I would love to grow in my garden. Before I invest in a few plants, I want to make sure that they would do okay in my garden. I live in Chino, CA (part of San Bernandino County) and temparatures get pretty warm in the summer (up to 105 on a few days of the year).

The hibiscus that I like are the tropical hibiscus (Hula Girl and Bridal Veil for example). Can someone tell me if these types of hibiscus would do well in this climate. I'm able to grow plumerias with minimal care and that has encouraged me to try these other "tropical" plants.

I'll also post this in the California Gardening forum but wanted to get input from people here also.

Thank you for any help.

Marilu

Comments (5)

marilu_z10CA
Original Author
18 years ago
Sorry, spelling error.
rebobinar
18 years ago
Hi Marilu,
I'm in Seattle, but I've lived in S Cal. From what I understand you would need to be careful that your hibs don't get fried. I think you could grow them there, but if you put them in the yard, I'd put them somewhere that they get partial shade. Or, you could put them in pots and move them as necessary, maybe put them under an overhang. For instance, I know people grow hibs in Phoenix, and I'm sure that gets just as hot as SoCal.

You'd also want to make sure to water them very frequently (but with good drainage so they don't sit in standing water).

Hope that helps some!
Robin
zoiepoo
18 years ago
I have 29 hibiscus along a very HOT block wall with only a foot to grow in from the retaining wall and the block wall. I live in Upland,CA - your neighbor. I also grew them in Tustin next to our pool and they were BEAUTIFUL!!! Here, I have had great difficulty with our sprinkler/drip system always running when we are out of the country 2-3 months - they have been stressed with lack of water many times in the 10 years we have owned this home and since planting them but when I am home to make sure they get water - they grow and bloom BEAUTIFULLY. They CAN freeze but we have not had a problem with that even though we are at approximately 2,500ft elevation. We have our own eco-system with 23 trees in our orchard and MANY trees and plants on our acre of land. The problem I DO have is white flies!! They have taken over the plants and can . I have 5 to replace. I don't know which first - lack of water or from the sucking larva. The bottom 1/3 of most of my plants are WHITE with larva, webs and white flies. I have tried MANY cures for the white flies - none have worked but I just read the suggestions in this forum and am going to try those next. Good Luck if you plant hibiscus. You can't ask for a more brillant flower color or deep green leaf. My Tustin plants never saw a white fly so I don't know what the difference was.
marilu_z10CA
Original Author
18 years ago
Thank you all. I think I'll try planting some in the spring. I'm afraid to do it right now with the extreme heat. It'll give me a chance to research exactly which ones I want.

Marilu
crewelwanda1
17 years ago
Today I planted two hibiscus in pots and placed them under an open arbor in my back yard. They will only get 4 hours or so of direct sun each day, and I am wondering if that is enough. They were just so beautiful I couldn't pass them up and bought them without thinking that I really do not have an area that gets a lot of sun.
I live in the Buena Park area where summers are not super hot.
Also any suggestions as to when to fertilize and water requirements would be apprecaited