Okay Gardenstew, its been a while. I live in Houston and we got strange weather this year! It actually got down to freezing temperatures a few weeks this year. We've had freezes off and on for several weeks which is unusual for Houston weather. All of my beautiful hisbiscus trees had to be cut down to the ground. Im checking everyday but see no new growth. I don't want to dig the roots up yet in hopes they are still alive but I'm impatient! Last 2 weeks nice spring weather but no signs of life yet. My jatropha tree has been beautiful for 2 years also had to be cut to the ground. There is greening around the base but no new growth yet from the root. Should I wait for another few weeks or bring out the shovel?? Thanks!!
Hibiscus is a hot weather plant, it is one of the last to show green above ground and that's usually not until May at the earliest my zone 8 garden. The ones shaped as trees that I have seen at the stores are the hardy Hibiscus moscheutos, they die back above ground in winters north of Zone 8b but the roots are still alive and will put out new growth when the temperature heats up. So give it a couple of months at least before digging it up. Oh, and the ones you see in garden centers at this time of the year have been grown under warm perfect conditions in a greenhouse, not outside in a real garden, that's why they are already blooming. If there is green showing up around the base of the Jatropha that means the roots have survived, just leave it and see how much of it comes back.
Thanks Toni, that's encouraging news. I have a few rose bushes I can plant and I'll just wait and see what my once beautiful jatropha and hibiscus trees do later in the spring and summer.
Your hibiscus is a Tropical (a gorgeous one too I might add), and like Toni said, will need to warm up a bit more for it to make it's come-back. My Hardy Hibiscus are just now showing some signs of life. So there's hope. Ain't it hard to be patient this time of year?
Thank Cheryl. I have to be patient. I need to decide what to put around the live oak tree in the front yard this year. The soil is ready for planting a bed but just don't know what I want to put there. I am tired of replanting every year so I need to think about something that will come back on their own. I'm open to suggestions. Tree shade the flower bed in the afternoon but it gets sun in the morning.
Suggestion for you... post this question on it's own... maybe more people will see it and give some suggestions. A photo of the area too might be nice. In the meantime, I'll try to think of somethings you might like to try.
