By Doug Jimerson
Short, stocky, and swathed in big blooms, HibisQs® offer hibiscus lovers a new type of plant!
HibisQs® is a trademarked Hibiscus rosa-sinensis that has improved genetics that makes it ideal for containers and bedding plants. Developed in Denmark, these jewel-like beauties have overperformed in all of our test and trial gardens. This plant is part of our premium blooming collection, a curated group of tropical plants bred specifically for decks, patios, balconies, and other outdoor spaces.
Mighty Bloomers
The plant lovers at Costa Farms refer to these bold little hibiscus as “butterballs” because of their tight, rounded, branching growth habit. The plants are covered in a cloak of gorgeous flowers. HibisQs® come in an assortment of bright colors, too. Their crisp petals hold their shape and form, even as they age.
Versatile in the Garden
HibisQs® are as versatile as they are beautiful, You can plant them in pots, planters, or directly in the landscape. They look terrific mixed with annual flowers or planted en masse along a garden border or edge. In containers they make stunning “thriller” plants surrounded by any of your favorite annuals. Or, try creating drifts of color in your perennial border by incorporating small groupings of HibisQs® intermingled with species such as coneflower, daylily, or black-eyed Susan. In the fall, just pop your plants out of the garden and bring them indoors for the winter.
Color Indoors
You don’t even need a garden to enjoy HibisQs®. These easy-going beauties will thrive indoors as long as you can provide them enough sunlight. Place them near a sunny window and when they bloom, you can rotate them temporarily to other locations in your home. They make amazing tabletop displays. Or, just clip the flowers at any time and float them in water for an eye-popping display. Their flowers have an amazingly long shelf life when simply sitting in shallow water.
Easy Care
HibisQs® tropical hibiscus have the same needs as other members of the Hibiscus family. They are sun worshippers that require at least six hours of direct sunlight a day and a good drink whenever the soil begins to dry out. Never let their soil get bone dry. Also, because HibisQs® are tropical in nature, don’t plant them outdoors if temperatures will drop below 50F. When fall temperatures begin to drop, cut back your plants by a third and bring them indoors and place them in a south-facing window or under grow lights. With enough light and the correct moisture they should keep blooming all winter long.
