Hibiscus Tree

[Stephens91]

I live in SW Florida We had a really bad freeze this winter and I have a hibiscus tree. I’m not sure how to prune it back and how far to prune it back.

Thank you.

 

[Marck]

Wait until all chance of frost has passed, then prune off any obviously dead wood. However,err on the side of caution, as the exact place on a branch where resprouting will occur is difficult to determine beforehand. Once new growth is evident on numerous branches, you can prune more dead wood away.

 

[Stephens91]

Thank you.

 

[Stephens91]

I have checked the hibiscus branches and they are all dead. There is no green under the until I reach the area marked on the picture. Not sure if the tree is still salvageable. What are your thoughts? Thanks

 

[cntrlwagdnr]

We have dinner plate hibiscus - 4 of them. Blooms up to 9 inches and prolific - thousands of them from late April/early May into October. They only last about a day, maybe two once they open, but there are hundreds at a time at various stages once they get going. They get over to 5 1/2 ft tall and wide. We are in SE WA shrub steppe high dessert, so very hot in summer and very cold in winter Often gets down in single digits F most years. They die back to the ground and are the absolute last things to reshoot, but go really fast when they do. Photos are about their 3nd year dated April 26, 2020, so still getting going for the year. They were in small 1 gallon pots when we bought them. The other two are recent additions and white with deep red/purple throats. There are an amazing array of colors available but not sure if all are as hardy. If you want some seed I can probably send you some in the fall, but it will take a couple of years for them to get big from seed.

 

[Marck]

I have checked the hibiscus branches and they are all dead. There is no green under the until I reach the area marked on the picture. Not sure if the tree is still salvageable. What are your thoughts? Thanks

It is unlikely, though perhaps not impossible, for Tropical Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis or similar species) to resprout from older wood. Perhaps cut away the dead wood now, but leave the trunk. At the same time there is plenty of room to plant other plants around the trunk. Plant something low and ful to hide or distract from the bare trunk while you wait to see if it repsrouts or not. For example a trailing Lantana, to name just one of countless possibilities.

The Hibiscus discussed in the previous post is a completely different species. Swamp Rose-mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos and hybrids) is a hardy perennial that dies down completely in Winter.