Hibiscus Care and Information: Climates
Updated December 4, 2006
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Where Tropical Hibiscus Grow
With proper care, tropical Hibiscus rosa sinensis can grow anywhere from Alaska to Florida and from Maine to San Diego. In fact, they are grown all over the world in both Northern and Southern hemispheres.
The exact origin of tropical Hibiscus is unknown. Most experts think they came from India. Since their domestication thousands of years ago, people have learned how to enjoy Hibiscus in virtually every climate on earth.
One major difference between growing Hibiscus in Hawaii and growing them in your garden is adjusting the amount of sunlight you give them.
Another difference in climates is the night time temperatures. Here in the northwest our nighttime temperatures tend to be much cooler than the rest of the country during the summer time. Because of that, we can expect our Hibiscus to grow slower because they can't grow 24 hours a day.
Cool and Wet
 Tip!
If you cover your plants with plastic sheeting or any kind of plastic product, don’t allow the plastic to touch
the plant. If the temperature drops below freezing, the plastic will burn the leaves where it is allowed contact
with the plant.
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Cool and wet is more typical of the Pacific Coast areas from Santa Barbara in the South to the Canadian border in the North and including all of the San Francisco Bay Area. This is where frost is infrequent but where temperature might occasionally dip into the upper to mid-twenties. For the West Coast, this is also our wet period.
The temptation is to leave your plants outside. This is okay as long as you follow a couple of rules. Keep them protected next to a house or some other type of heat source. Protected areas such as this are called micro-climates. You would be surprised just how much warmer they can be. But perhaps the most important thing is to keep your plants on the dry side. Because wet and cold is a killer.
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Micro-climates
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Micro climates are those areas in which temperatures vary from the more dominant surrounding area. Most of the time the discussion is about areas of the property that are warmer than the surrounding air. These areas include next to the house (particularly on the south and west sides), near tall structures and among other plants that give some degree of protection.
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Tip!
Many people use a strand of Christmas lights or some other artificial lighting to provide the micro climate the
plant needs to go through a particularly cold night.
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Indoor Living
For indoor plants next to the window, treat them just as you would any houseplant. Watch for mottled yellow leaves. This can be an indication of a spider mite infestation. This is particularly true if you have other houseplants nearby. See the section on pests for information regarding spider mites. If you feed your plants during Winter, only give them half the recommended strength.
For plants that are left to go domant during Winter, or those receiving low light, cut way back on the water and only give them enough to survive. Try not to allow them to droop or wilt but only give them enough water to stay healthy. Make sure the excess water has someplace to go and never let water collect in a pan. Do not feed your Hibiscus during hibernation.
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