AboutLong Island Gardener Expertise Decisions, decisions... If you can't make up your mind which Annuals to grow, you're not alone. Problem with your new flowering Annuals flats? I`ve been there, done that. Petunias, Sweet Alyssum, Larkspur, Marine Blue Lobelia -- they all grow here at my house on Garden Street on Long Island, N.Y.. Cutting and Cottage Gardens, Sun and Shade Gardens, White Gardens and Night Gardens, I`ve done them all. Annuals are the perfect summer flower, bursting with color June through fall's first frost. I can`t speak on Cactus or tender Tropical Plants -- they don`t grow outside in my Zone 7. I`m no Farmer, so I cannot guide you on Fruits and Vegetables. But whether it`s an Annual you want to start from seed, mail-order or pick up at your local garden center, I can help you grow amazing blooms this Summer. Yes, together, we can turn your neighbors green with envy.
Experience I have a lifetime of gardening behind me here on the North Shore of Long Island. While I have degrees in related fields, there's nothing like hands-on work to build real knowledge. I stay on top of current science -- there's a boom in research, and Kingdom Plantae is filled with surprises. By the way, I really do live on Garden Street.
Publications Gannett newspapers, The New York Times, and hundreds of others - but not on Annuals.
Education/Credentials B.A., botany; graduate credits in European Intellectual History and Political Science; minor coursework in related fields, docent training at our local botanical gardens (required for volunteers). I'm currently working on an advanced biochemistry degree.
Awards and Honors I could tell you, but then you'd know who I am.
Question After purchasing a annual Hibicus in bloom, should it be replanted in soil
(garden) or do they continue to bloom better in pots? I live in Long Island, New
York.
Answer Greetings from the North Shore, neighbor. FYI: There's no such thing literally as an Annual Hibiscus -- most likely you have a tender Hibscus that with the right care will grow (but not necessarily bloom) indoors during our frosty Long Island Winters, then brought out again to bloom next Spring. If you want to do that, keep it potted.
The Clemson University Extension Service website posts this advice on care of the tender Hibiscus:
'The two Hibiscus most commonly grown as Annuals are not true Annuals, but tropical shrubs that thrive outdoors during hot South Carolina Summers. They can be grown in the ground or as container plants that are easily transported inside for the Winter.'
Those two Hibscus they refer to: 'Chinese Hibscus' and 'Red-Leaf Hibiscus'. They are hardy Zone 9 and South. Long Island is Zone 7b.
'Chinese Hibiscus', H. rosa-sinensis, is the showier of the two, with big, brightly colored hybrid blooms 4 to 8 inches across. These are the ones you see at the greenhouse and on the internet at Will Soldani's Fancy Hibiscus Farm website:
www.fancyhibiscus.com
It is the official state flower of Hawaii.
'Red Leaf Hibiscus' (Hibiscus acetosella) is grown for its decorative foliage, rather than its pink flowers:
Now, it's true that some plants bloom better when pot-bound, and therefore would perform best in pots for our purposes. Hibiscus is not one of those plants.
If you lived in Zone 9, I'd say, put your plant in the ground asap. If you do this on Long Island, your Hibiscus will be history at the first frost, which would give it about 2 months max before it would be compost.
Keep this in a pot and start planning where you want to grow it.
Hibiscus tend to 'rest' in the darkest days of Winter, Thanksgiving through around Valentines Day, so don't expect to show this one off during the holiday season.
Once it resumes growth and starts to bloom again, you find it's worth it. Don't overwater; treat for Spider Mites when the central heating kicks in, or buy this plant its own humidifier to get through the Winter. Thanks for writing.
THE LONG ISLAND GARDENER
'Venice Mallow', Hibiscus trionum, is a Weed grown sometimes in cultivation; it is unlikely you purchased this at a local nursery, but it may pop up on its own as it did in my garden this year:
