Hibiscus is an incredibly well known and well-loved tree that can also be grown as hedging in your garden.
The Tricolour variety is particularly special due to the grafting that took place by plant breeders during its creation. Grafting is where you take the bud from one plant from the same species and connect it to a stem within another plant. In the case of Hibiscus Tricolour, the rootstock is taken up to a long straight stem which creates a standard.
A standard essentially means that the plant now has the classic lollipop shape. Within the top of the rootstock, the plant breeders grafted three different varieties of Hibiscus plants onto the rootstock. Each variety is a different colour, ranging from beautiful blues to gorgeous pinks and creamy whites. This forms what is known as the Tricolour Hibiscus Standard.
Each colour will remain in balance. In the future, if one begins to take over then you can easily prune a little harder to allow the other colours to flourish. The main priority is to maintain that gorgeous spherical shape to keep the blooms at their best.
Hibiscus Tricolour flowers reliably every July and August due to their winter hardy nature. This plant is also known as Hibiscus Syriacus due to being native to Syria where temperatures plummet much lower in the winter than the UK. You can plant Hibiscus Tricolour with total confidence knowing that it’ll survive the harshest winter conditions. Flowering around the time of the summer holidays, Hibiscus Tricolour will provide a beautiful backdrop to your family outdoor activities.
Different Sizes of Hibiscus Tricolour
We offer a few different varieties of Hibiscus Tricolour:
Hibiscus Tricolour Standard 1.2 – 1.5m Tall (6L pot) – The largest of our standards, great for instant impact.
Hibiscus Tricolour Standard 0.8 – 1m Tall (3L pot) – The smaller Hibiscus Standard we do, great for those on budget.
Hibiscus Tricolour Flowering Shrub (21cm pot) – The shrub version of Hibiscus Tricolour, better suited for beds and borders.
How to Plant Hibiscus Tricolour
Hibiscus Tricolour grows well in average soil and once established requires low-maintenance, tolerating summer heat, humidity and periods of drought.
Grow in a sheltered spot in full sun with rich soil mixed with good quality compost. Keep well-watered as these plants don’t like to dry out. They’re happy as a statement piece in a large container as long as you keep them well-watered.
How to Care For Hibiscus Tricolour
Producing masses of foliage and plenty of flowers outside the globe shape, Hibiscus is incredibly hard working and therefore a very hungry plant. They’ll benefit from regular feeding of blended foods such as nitrogen phosphorus and potassium. The blooming fast soluble plant food is perfect for Hibiscus and they’ll truly benefit from being fed this blend every single week from May all the way through to October. One teaspoon into a five-litre watering can is all you need, rewarding you with lush green foliage and beautiful tricolour displays.
Protect the crown with a dry mulch through the winter months. Trim any dead or damaged growth each year in mid spring and remove faded flowers.
Hibiscus flowers on the current season’s growth, so pruning encourages them to flower prolifically. Hibiscus can be bare of leaves right up until May, so don’t think that your plant has expired – keep it well watered and it will burst into life when ready!
