Hibiscus rosa-sinensisChinese Hibiscus

The Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, or Chinese Hibiscus, is the flowering hedge of the warm world. Broad glossy toothed leaves clothe the plant to the ground, and the large trumpet flowers, each with its long projecting staminal column, open in reds, pinks, apricots, yellows and whites almost continuously wherever the temperature stays up.

It hedges, it screens, it takes hard clipping, and it delivers colour on a scale that few other shrubs manage, which is why it dominates streetscape and resort planting from the Gulf to the Pacific.

Specifications

• Height2 to 4 metres, reaching 5 metres where unpruned
• Width1.5 to 3 metres
• Native toOf cultivated origin in tropical Asia; not reliably known in the wild
• FoliageBroad, glossy, coarsely toothed dark green leaves held densely; evergreen
• Growth rateFast

Conditions

• SoilPrefers fertile, free-draining soils and adapts to a range of conditions
• LightFull sun to light shade
• WaterModerate to regular; flowering falls away under water stress
• ClimateThrives in tropical, subtropical and frost-free warm regions

Additional Features

• FlowersLarge trumpet flowers with a projecting staminal column, in reds, pinks, apricots, yellows and whites, produced near continuously in warm conditions
• UsesIdeal for flowering hedges, boundary and screen planting, streetscape colour beds and resort landscapes
• SpacingPlant 1 to 1.5 metres apart for a hedge or 2 metres apart for individual shrubs
• Low MaintenanceTakes hard clipping and reshoots readily; prune annually to keep the base furnished
• Pest ResistanceGenerally sound, with aphid, mealybug and whitefly the usual concerns
• Seasonal AppealFlowers across most of the year in warm climates rather than in a defined season
• VersatilityWorks as a formal hedge, an informal shrub mass, a standard or a container specimen

Chinese Hibiscus remains the most productive flowering hedge available for warm climates, and it takes the shears as readily as it flowers.