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Care of Hibiscus, care of Burgmansia, or preparing your garden for winter?
HOW TO CARE FOR HIBISCUS
Hibiscus is a flowering indoor plant, which can bloom nearly all year round. It has large, colourful flowers, and is native to the tropics.
Size and growth rate: This plant comes in varying sizes. The normal height is from 6 inches to 1 foot, but they often grow to as much as 5 feet if not cut back. They grow quickly with good care and will need a yearly pruning to keep them in bounds.
Flowering and fragrance: Flowers appear where the leaves branch at the top of the stem and bloom for 1 to 3 days, depending on the plant variety. They have no distinctive fragrance.
Light and Temperature: Hibiscus like the sun and can spend the summer outdoors where the temperatures stay about 65 degrees F. Its favourite winter temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees F, when it remains dormant.
Watering and Feeding: Water regularly and generously in the growing season, and mist during daylight hours. Feed with liquid fertilizer at ½ strength during active growth.
Soil and Transplanting: Use humus-rich nutritious potting soil. The best time for transplanting is in early spring.
Grooming: To stop a plant from getting too big, and to enhance its compactness, cut it back in early spring and remove leggy growth.
Propagation: Prepare cuttings by removing to top shoots (3-5 inches long) in spring. Put them in potting soil and cover them with a plastic bag with air holes in it. In 3-5 weeks they will develop roots, but until then, do not use fertilizer. The new shoots should be pinched back to ensure compact growth. If desired, give them a decorative tree shape, but wait to do this until the “trunk” has reached the desired height.
Environment: Hibiscus cannot withstand extreme fluctuations in temperature and humidity.
A YEAR WITH YOUR HIBISCUS
FEBRUARY: Transplant your Hibiscus to a larger tub or pot. Use a good commercial potting soil and gradually increase the amount of water you give your plant, but keep it in a cool spot (54 degrees F) if you let it lie dormant in the winter.
March-April: Raise the temperature to between 68 and 75 degrees F. Water frequently and add liquid fertilizer. From now on, leaves and buds will develop rapidly. You may like to force some blooms by letting the plant dry out a little between watering.
May-October: Dry heat from radiators or forced air will not find favour with your Hibiscus. Mist it regularly and maintain a constant temperature. Add liquid fertilizer every time you water it. Remove withered blooms and clip back leggy growth.
November: Reduce water and fertilizer gradually and lower the temperature so that your Hibiscus can prepare for its winter rest (unless you want it to keep growing). Give it as much light as possible and keep watering and feeding, though more moderately than in summer.
December-January: The winter months give your plant time to rest, and the temperature should be lower.
CULTIVATE YOUR HIBISCUS TWO WAYS
Let it go dormant over the winter months: The traditional method is to give the plant less food and water in October and November. Then you cut the plant back and put it in a cool spot. This method yields a profusion of blooms during the plants growth period and none while it is dormant.
Let it grow all year: To keep it going all year, mist it regularly. Also, regular watering, feeding and giving your plant as much light as possible. Meanwhile be sure to cut back leggy leafless shoots.
PLANT DOCTOR
Aphids: often to be found at the tips of shoots and on the buds. They cause uneven curling of leaves or lack of growth. Check your Hibiscus every time you water it. Spray with insecticide.
Spider Mites: tiny insects that latch on to the underside of leaves. The leaves develop white or brown spots and finally, they wither and drop off. You can fight spider mites by removing infested leaves and spraying your Hibiscus with a pyrethrin spray.
Yellow Leaves are caused by lack of water, or root damage. They may also be the result of over-feeding.
Bud drop is due to drafts and extreme differences in night and day temperatures, or insufficient light.
Thickened, hard leaves with malformed ribs mean not enough warmth.
CARING FOR YOUR BRUGMANSIA
The brugmansia has one of the largest flowers in the plant kingdom. As an added bonus, these gigantic flowers have a wonderful fragrance at night.
Size and Growth Rate:
Evergreen tree or shrub with large, grey-green velvety leaves. In the wild, these plant can be quite large, up to 20 feet and even in cultivation, they can grow to well over five feet. In a tub, they most often grow to about eight feet. They are fast growing.
Flowering and Fragrance: The flowers, which appear in the summer and early fall, are large, white and trumpet shaped with turned=up edges. They have an intense fragrance at night, much fainter during the day. Other varieties have yellow, pink or peach colored flowers.
Light and Temperature:
Needs plenty of light throughout the year. Happiest outdoors in filtered sun/afternoon shade. Over winter at about 55 degrees F with high humidity.
Watering and Feeding:
Plenty of water during the summer. When in flower, everyday watering is recommended, especially in hot weather. Water sparingly in the fall and winter but never allow it to dry out. Feed at least once a week in spring and summer and gradually reduce fertilizer as fall approaches
Soil and Transplanting:
Potting soil should be well-drained and moderately rich but not too acid. Pot in the spring or top dress older plants with fresh soil. Be sure to use a large enough pot.
General Care:
Cut back leggy plants in the spring to encourage bushier growth. Prune to shape during the growing season. This is a large plant so give it plenty of room. Excellent for a patio or terrace in the summer, or all year in the greenhouse and conservatory.
THROUGH THE YEAR WITH THE BRUGMANSIA
May-June: Depending on the area, a tub plant may be placed out to a sheltered place in the garden, with early morning sun or dappled sun. This plant is very frost tender.
July –September: The Brugmansia will start to bloom now and can stand outside all through the summer. Water daily and feed once a week, especially when the plant is in flower.
Late September: (or when there is a risk of frost) – move the plant indoors again. Choose the most humid location possible. If not possible, misting the Brugmansia will be beneficial.
October-January: This is when the plant rests. Reduce watering but never let the soil dry out completely. Do not feed.
February: Pot the plant if it needs it. Older plants may be content with a top dressing of fresh soil. Prune the plant to encourage more compact, bushy growth
March – April: Begin to water well, again, and feed once a week. Sow seeds now if available. If the plant is going to be moved out for the summer, begin to harden it off by opening the window for a few hours each day or place the plant outside if warm enough.
Preparing Your Garden For Winter
When autumn nights start to get cold, it’s time to prepare your garden for winter. Winterizing not only makes your garden look better during the cold weather months, but also will make for easier work in the spring.
Start with Annuals
Start your clean up by removing weeds and spent annuals from your beds. Remove non-hardy bulbs such as cannas, dahlias, and gladiolus from the beds. Allow the bulbs to dry in the sun for a few hours. This will prevent them from moulding in storage. Store in a paper bag or box with peat moss in a cool dry spot for the winter (i.e. Attic, basement).
Winterizing Shrubs and Trees
Removed diseased leaves (if any) from around your shrubs and trees. Remove any dead branches. Pruning is not recommended in the fall as it may stimulate new growth just as the harsh winter is bearing down. Water the shrubs thoroughly (if mother nature doesn’t provide enough rain in the fall), before the ground freezes. This will provide enough moisture for the plants until spring. Winter can be dry and harsh on many trees and shrubs, such as evergreens, so it’s best to supply them with a large supply of moisture.
Winterizing Perennials
Perennials look tired and messy during the cold weather months so you may want to cut them back in the fall to keep your garden looking tidy and to avoid extra work in the spring. Excellent perennials to cut back include: Aliceville, Campanula, Coreopsis, Delphinium, Geranium, Hosta, and Veronica. These perennials should be cut back to about 6-8 inches above the ground. Do not cut back evergreen and alpine perennials (such as Artemisia, Dianthus, Helianthemum and Heuchera)
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