Hibiscus Gardens Around the World

Montclair, New Jersey, USA

Dave's Hibiscus blooming inside in the winter

This is Dave, an academic at a nearby law university, who lives in Montclair, New Jersey, just outside New York City. Like New York, Montclair has very cold winters with many snowy months when hibiscus have to be inside a heated room to survive. Dave lives in an apartment so this is a challenge for him! He has been very creative in finding places to grow for his favorite plants.

Dave's hibiscus growing in his university hallway

Dave grows many of his plants in windows in his university, as you can see above. Some plants are in his office windows. Others are in the windows of the long hallways outside his office, blooming and looking beautiful for everyone in the university! He started with just a few plants, but over the years the numbers have grown, and his university hallways have become more colorful. Dave's hibiscus brighten everyone's day. People stop by all the time to comment on them, take pictures, and ask questions. He has made a truly special spot in the halls of his law school!

Hibiscus growing outside Dave's condo in summer

In the summer, Dave grows many hibiscus in the yard around his condo and more around his parents' house. He clusters pots of hibiscus together and uses a drip system to water them at his condo. They make a beautiful outdoor hibiscus garden all around the houses! Both he and his parents have grow lights set up in their basement, where the plants spend the winter.

Dave grows hibiscus on a drip system outside his condo in summer.

They bloom like crazy and make a gorgeous outdoor hibiscus garden.

More hibiscus growing in Dave's outdoor hibiscus garden.

Exotic hibiscus Tarzan growing in Dave's outdoor hibiscus garden.

Exotic hibiscus 'Marianne Charlton' blooming under lights in Dave's indoor grow room.

At home in his condo, Dave grows some plants in windows. But he has many plants under two T5 light fixtures where they grow and bloom all winter long. He used to keep most of his plants in the winter under one 4foot, 8 bulb, T5 light fixture in his spare bedroom. But he soon had too many plants to keep under just one fixture. His condo association liked his summer hibiscus so much that they let him use a spare room in the building basement. So now he has more plants under two 4-foot, 8-bulb fixtures, and he may soon need a third! He set up an indoor drip system (Claber Oasis self-watering system) under each light to feed and water his plants.

Dave's winter grow room

Because he loves houseplants, he keeps his apartment full of hibiscus all year round, and enjoys the blooms through all seasons. At first he was worried that his plants would become leggy under the lights. Some of his indoor plants in windows that only receive natural light had done this in the past because they had to reach for direct sunlight far away. "What's great about the T5's," says Dave, "is that you can keep the light source much closer to the plants (as well as adjust the fixture if they get too close) and I think this has helped keep my plants full and not reaching. I spray/mist my plants under the T5's with a mix of water and supernova daily. The warmth from the lights dries the plants back up pretty quickly after misting them down each day, and I've found that the plants love to be misted regardless of what conditions they are in."

Below are a few of the plants Dave grows under all his different growing conditions. We hope you enjoy them!

Exotic hibiscus 'Acapulco Gold' blooming under lights in Dave's indoor grow room.

Hibiscus blooming in Dave's outdoor garden at his condo in summer.

Exotic hibiscus 'Acapulco Gold' blooming outside Dave's parents' house in summer.

Exotic hibiscus 'Midnight Tryst' blooming in Dave's outdoor garden.

Exotic hibiscus 'Thunderhead' blooming in Dave's outdoor hibiscus garden.

Exotic hibiscus 'Prosperity' blooming in a window in Dave's indoor university garden.

Exotic hibiscus 'God's Eye' blooming in Dave's outdoor hibiscus garden.

Exotic hibiscus 'Bantam Rooster' blooming in a window in Dave's outdoor hibiscus garden.

Exotic hibiscus 'Language of Love' blooming in Dave's outdoor hibiscus garden.

Exotic hibiscus 'Rainbow Christie' blooming in Dave's outdoor hibiscus garden.

Dave's parents gave him his love of gardening and growing tropical plants. He fell in love with hibiscus and has taken his hibiscus gardening to amazing levels considering that he lives in a condo in a very cold and snowy place! He started his hibiscus hobby when he was single, then met and married his wife Geetha. Together they get to live in a world that is surrounded with flowers all year round. Their passion for hibiscus is such a huge part of their life together that Geetha's mother made them a hibiscus cake to celebrate their engagement. The hibiscus on the cake are as beautiful as the hibiscus in their gardens!

Hibiscus in a snowy window in Dave and Geetha's condo

We're halfway through fall, and soon Dave and Geetha's hibiscus will be snugly tucked into their winter spots, watching the snow outside, and continuing to grow and bloom under Dave's care. Thank you, Dave and Geetha, for sharing all your hibiscus gardens with us!

 

 

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