Nha Trang, Viet Nam

David's beautiful garden in Vietnam

David's hibiscus garden is in Nha Trang, Viet Nam, north of Ho Chi Minh City on the coast of the South China Sea. Nha Trang is a resort city, with gorgeous beaches, warm sea water, fantastic restaurants, ocean breezes, and friendly people. David owns NhaTrangEasyRiders.com, a motor bike tour company that creates motorbike tours throughout Vietnam, providing guides, drivers, and itineraries for tourists from all over the world.

Hibiscus thrive in the warmth of the southern coast of Vietnam.

David's "tropical paradise" home is only 300 meters from the sea, and his hibiscus love it as much as he does. It is always very, very warm there. Nighttime temperatures seldom drop below 70°F (21°C), and on the rare occasions when they do drop that low, the government closes the schools to prevent flu outbreaks because the people there are so unaccustomed to cold that these temperatures feel frigid. Daytime temperatures don't often go above 100°F (40°C), so although it is always warm, it isn't the kind of blazing heat that many of us in hot desert climates get in the summer. Of course, these temperatures are just perfect for hibiscus!

David's apartment opens to a bridge that crosses to the roof next door for the ideal rooftop garden.

David's garden looks like a balcony, but it is actually the roof of the house next door, which David owns. When he built his apartment next to the house, he designed it so that the back doors of his lounge open onto a bridge that takes him to the roof of the house. David had, as he puts it, "a devil of a job" getting all his plants moved up to the roof. But he managed to get even large trees moved up, and his rooftop garden is now an exquisitely beautiful work of art, as you can see.

All these trees had to be moved up to the rooftop to create this garden! Quite a job!

David had not grown hibiscus until recently, so he had some ups and downs learning to grow them in the wind and heat of his rooftop garden. This was complicated by difficulties getting the right kind of fertilizer and care products to keep the hibiscus healthy, and David has some funny and interesting stories to tell about how he managed. But in the end, he got it all right, and his hibiscus are happy and healthy in their little paradise.

'Magnifique' blooming above the city of Nha Trang

David unpacking hibiscus that travelled for 22 days in a box, and survived!

Some of David's most amazing stories are the survival of hibiscus that he has ordered from around the world. His worst experience was one big box of several hibiscus that spent 22 days traveling in their box without sunlight or water. Amazingly, they all survived, although, as you can see, some barely!

Kim An and 'Think Pink'

'Voodoo Queen' ~ David's first exotic hibiscus