I just got a plant from HD, all it said was Hibiscus. It has a twisted trunk like base. Any care advice?

It has an orange/red flower w/several more buds. It almost looks like a topiary. I don't know if it's hardy or has to be dug up in the fall and brought inside. NH winters are pretty harsh.

I just got a plant from HD, all it said was Hibiscus. It has a twisted trunk like base. Any care advice?
The trend of training shrubs into topiary forms was just in Cottage Living magazine (or one of the many h %26amp; g mags that I get). The hardiness zone was listed as 10+. It caught my attention because I live in zone 9 and regular hibiscus thrive here- I have several in the yard. The article said that all of these topiary forms drop one hardiness zone - must have something to do with the long exposed trunk, but that you can keep it potted and bring it indoors when the temp drops. I definitely would not plant it. We had a "cold" winter this year and my mature ones took a beating, but all came back.


Also a tip - they are acid loving - coffee grounds and leaf litter work great for mulching. Full sun for best blooms.
Reply:I just bought a pink hibuscus at the green house, the tag said hardly to -20 just mulch it well after the gorund is frozen in the fall.
Reply:It is a hibiscus. It will not survive the Alabama winters so I know that it will not survive NH winters.


You can plant it in a planter to make it easy to move inside when you have to.


Deadhead it when the blooms die. It makes it look so much better.


They are easy to care for, mine lived in full/partial sun %26amp; I watered it every night.


It died b/c I forgot to bring it in when it got really cold but it lasted beautifully all summer/fall until the weather got bad.
Reply:Check out Wikipedia and look up hibiscus this is what I always do...
Reply:It is a braided hibiscus, and not hardy. Yes, you have to bring it in before the first frost. Winter it over in the house and put it out late next spring. If you want the easy one, pick up a hardy hibiscus, plant it and forget it. Each year it will give you the same type of blooms, but 2x as big.
Reply:You can check http://www.1800topsoil.com to see if they have someone local who can help you.