On my daily walk in the neighborhood I pass many manicured lawns and beautiful gardens. In one yard there is an amazing hibiscus in full bloom with flowers the size of dinner-plates. It’s stunning. Back home I check out my own hibiscus and it too, has many blosoms. And it’s beautiful in it’s own way…it’s blooms are not meant to be the size of big plates.
During the summer my hibiscus enjoys a wonderful home on our deck. It is a flowering plant that cannot survive the cold Minnesota winters so I need to bring it in the house during the winter. It is a plant I have cared for for many years and every year I threaten to throw it into the compost pile instead of bringing it indoors! Although I love my outdoor flower gardens in the summer I’m not too interested in indoor plants. I have two: a pothos that trails down my cupboard in the kitchen and a Christmas cactus that a friend gave me…which was started by her grandmother years ago in Norway. Those two plants are hardy and survive with little attention from me.
So every fall I have to decide if I’m going to bring the hibiscus indoors for the winter. I have a friend who is the hibiscus’ advocate. She encourages me to keep the plant alive. When I went out to water it the other day it had so many blooms…I think the hibiscus has a sense that it needs to perform to save its life. So I guess I’ll keep it over winter again but I won’t bring it in until the last possible moment.
Will the hibiscus bloom indoors in winter? My guess is no. But if it does, this plant offers a respite from the cold and snow with its tropical bend.
I bring my Christmas cactus (an offshoot of my maternal grandma’s cactus) and ferns in every autumn. My ferns this summer are the most lush and full I’ve ever had. They present a bit of a mess indoors as they go into semi-dormancy and shed fronds. But still, each year I cannot bring myself to toss them into the compost heap.
Surprisingly the hibiscus does bloom a lot in the winter…I remember because I wait until it’s done blooming to trim it back. It’s blooms do help to, as you say, have “a respite from the cold and snow with its tropical bend.”
I do not have hanging ferns to bring in…only ones that come back every year by our porch out front.
Love the way the petals overlap… and such a pretty center.
(I am definitely thinning my ‘bring indoor’ collection this fall : )
The blooms are beautiful, even though I’m not thrilled with the color. You can leave plants over winter in your garage right?…that helps.
I loved this post, and I think it reminds us how much nature has to offer us in its boundless ability to create. What a gift. Thanks for sharing, Valerie!
Thanks Sheri!