Too hot to transplant hibiscus?
I bought a red ‘Texas Star’ hibiscus, in March, in a 6-inch pot; it was 2 feet tall. I repotted it to a 12-inch clay pot and put it under a deck roof near the edge, where it gets a bit of morning sun and filtered light the rest of the day. It’s 95 degrees or more on the deck daily, so I water it daily. It’s grown to 5 feet with one to two blooms daily. Should I put it in the ground now, or wait until next spring? I don’t want to shock or kill it. It’s leggy, but otherwise fine. I am in zone 9, I believe. Thanks for all you do on your site!
The ‘Texas Star’ hibiscus (scarlet rosemallow) has a spectacular flower and is one of the largest and most beautiful of North American native flowers, according to Floridata. The plant occurs naturally in swamps, marshes and ditches from southern Georgia to central Florida, so keeping it well watered is a good idea; just don’t overdo the watering.
I would not recommend putting your hibiscus into the ground during August in Austin. This would stress the plant, and you would probably lose the blooms that you are now getting. The plant is a perennial and will go dormant during winter and re-sprout in the spring. By waiting until later in the fall when the plant begins to go dormant, you can minimize the transplant shock and allow the roots to become established and get ready for spring. It is hardy in USDA Zones 7-11 (Austin is in USDA Zone 8), so it should survive the winter just fine.
The plant is probably getting leggy because it isn’t receiving enough sun.
Mr. Smarty Plants is a service of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. More questions and answers at wildflower.org/expert or find a link at statesman.com/gardening.
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