Hibiscus

Hibiscus

January 8, 2015

Back in 2011, we had our last house on the market so I bought a couple of potted hibiscus from Walmart to grace the front porch.  We brought them with us when we moved.  The funny thing is, hibiscus is not tolerant to temperatures lower than 50°F so they must have been selling them as a seasonal item, likely brought in by mistake as they would not survive our winters if planted outdoors.  One of the hibiscus died but the other has survived, still rewarding me with beautiful showy blooms year round.  I have been moving it to the front porch for June through September then bringing it in the rest of the year. 

While we were away for October and five weeks spanning November and December, our thermostat was set to vacation mode (55°F).  It's a Nest so we checked the temperature in the house to be sure it didn't drop lower than 55°F.  The hibiscus was on the lower level so even though the main level stayed above 55°F, the lower level likely hovered right around 50°F.  Unfortunately, the cooler temperature affected a couple of house plants but I only lost one that was doing poorly before we left.  The cooler temperature did not affect the hibiscus at all!  The hibiscus needs a bit of TLC but weathered through our vacation nicely.