wintered hibiscus

[Cookie]

We inherited two tropical hibiscus in December when we moved to Dallas.  They were left in the green house.  My husband watered them through winter, but they look dead.  There is new growth at the bottom of the tree.  What can we do to bring them back if they are dormant.
Thanks
Cookie

[Charlie]

Hi Cookie,

Dallas is pretty darn cold but it looks like the hibiscus survived. You can do 1 of 3 things:

1. Water and fertilizer and wait to see what happens. There is a chance the plants will come back to life wherever the wood is not entirely dead.

2. Check for life using the "scratch" test. Wherever you see green under the thin layer of bark the plant is alive at that point. Prune away all dead wood you find, but leave all wood that shows green under the bark. Water and fertilize and wait for the wood to leaf out again.

3. Cut the entire plant back to just above the green growth that is showing at the base of
 the plant. It will not grow back as a braided plant (unless you braid it) but will grow back as a bush.

The first 2 approaches will be more satisfactory if they work, but assume that the plant is alive above the base which may not turn out to be the case. The 3rd approach may be the least frustrating because the hibiscus will regrow as a brand new plant with no further messing with it and might even bloom before fall.

Good luck and please let us know what happens!

Charles

[Mike]

Hi Charlie
 I was wondering if I buy plants on the 1st how do they go about shipping in the winter. I'm in zone 9B witch is Arkansas night time temperatures are around 30 day time is in the 40s sometimes its warmer, but last week night time temp. were in the low 20s kinda have to watch the weather.

[Charlie]

Hi Quicksilver,

Good question. Long time customers know how it works but we always plan on explaining it again each year.

The plants ordered from January 1 through early spring are shipped when the weather at the destination is suitable for tropical plants AND when the plants are ready. In practice this means that the smaller plants in 4 inch pots ship first to places like south Florida and coastal Texas starting in late March with more northern states following as shipping becomes possible without risking the health of the plants. 6 inch pots ship about a month later than the 4 inch pots or in northern areas both sizes usually at the same time, for example the midwest will usually receive all plants in May. Our goal is to ship all plants on order between March and mid-June. By that time new orders are able to ship within a week of being placed which holds true from mid-June through December.

There is no need to order in January - we will have many plants available still in May. Varieties that are in limited supply often sell out in January and February which is why returning customers like to order them early but it is not necessary. We also plan to introduce more new varieties throughout the year and replenish sold out varieties as much as we can throughout the year. So, do it however it is comfortable for you. Orders placed in January are charged in January so if you do not want to do that then just wait until later and choose from what is available at that time.

Charlie