Hibiscus is a flower plant that belongs to the Malvaceae family. It is famous for having a large variety of species. It has large and beautiful flowers.
Today, we are going to discuss whether hibiscus plants come back every year and if they are perennials.
Do hibiscus come back every year?
Some of the hibiscus plants come back every year while others do not. As hibiscus has a large species base, it has both perennial and annual plants. The annual plants include the tropical hibiscus species. On the other hand, the perennial plants include the hardy hibiscus species.
Let’s talk about some species of hibiscus to find out if they come back every year or not.
Tropical hibiscus:
Tropical hibiscus is also known as Chinese hibiscus and China rose. Tropical hibiscus plants usually do not possess the ability to come back every year.
Because it is difficult for them to survive the winter. Tropical hibiscus has to be planted as an annual plant.
Hawaiian punch hibiscus:
Hawaiian punch hibiscus plants are used ornamental plants. They flourish under dry conditions but do not do well under cool conditions.
That is why Hawaiian punch hibiscus plants do not come back every year. They are most suitable as annual plants.
Hollywood hibiscus:
Hollywood hibiscus plants are most famous for its interesting name. But they have great looking flowers too. Hollywood hibiscus plants cannot survive the cold weather.
So they do not come back every year and are planted as annual plants.
Hardy hibiscus:
One important thing about Hardy hibiscus plants is that they are known as non tropical hibiscus.
It means they have the ability to survive the cold weather. That is why Hardy hibiscus plants come back every year and can be planted as perennial plants.
Luna hibiscus:
Luna hibiscus plants are famous for their large flowers. These flowers work as a natural landscape beauty.
Luna hibiscus plants possess the ability to live through the winter. So Luna hibiscus plants are perennial and their flowers are seen coming back every year.
Red heart hibiscus:
Red heart hibiscus plants are also known as Hibiscus syriacus. They work great as pollinators in the garden.
Red heart hibiscus plants are very strong and do not lose life in the winter. They are perennial plants and have the ability to come back every year.
Dinner plate hibiscus:
The botanical name of dinner plate hibiscus is Hibiscus moscheutos. Dinner plate hibiscus flowers are available in red, white and pink color.
They add great eye-soothing beauty to the garden. Dinner plate hibiscus plants are strong enough to survive the winter and can come back every year.
Painted lady hibiscus:
Painted lady hibiscus is also known as Hibiscus rosa sinensis. One of the great things about Painted lady hibiscus plants is that they do not need a lot of looking after to grow.
That being said, they do struggle during the winter and most of them lose life. Painted lady hibiscus plants work better as annual plants and do not come back every year.
Braided hibiscus:
Several stems of Chinese hibiscus plants are put together to grow braided hibiscus. Growing braided hibiscus takes a lot of time and effort but the end result is satisfying as they turn out to be really beautiful.
But just like Chinese hibiscus, braided hibiscus plants also do not have the ability to survive the winter. They do not come back every year and can be planted as annual plants.
Will potted hibiscus come back?
Potted hibiscus coming back depends on a lot of things. First of all, if you have planted a hibiscus species in your flower pot that is not perennial, then it will most likely not come back.
Perennial potted hibiscus plants have the ability to survive and live through the winter. If you bring your annual potted hibiscus plant indoors, it will survive for a short period of time. But eventually, it will lose life out.
But the perennial potted hibiscus plants can survive outdoors in the winter and will come back once again.
Are hibiscus annual or perennial?
Hibiscus plants are both. It might sound confusing but that is the truth. Some species of hibiscus are annual while others are perennial. The annual hibiscus plants do well under warm climate and conditions.
But when the winter comes, they struggle to cope up with the cold weather and eventually lose life out without coming back in the next growing season.
But the perennial hibiscus plants do well in both warm and cold weather. After their blooming season is over, they once again come back in the new growing season. So hibiscus plants are both annual and perennial.
Which hibiscus are perennials?
Let’s make a list and see which hibiscus are perennials.
- Vintage wine hibiscus
- Berry awesome hibiscus
- Lord baltimore hibiscus
- Luna hibiscus
- Midnight marvel hibiscus
- Cranberry crush hibiscus
- Red heart hibiscus
- Chiffon hibiscus
- Purple pillar hibiscus
- Summer ruffle hibiscus
- Blueberry smoothie hibiscus
- Lucy hibiscus
- Aphrodite hibiscus
- Minerva hibiscus
- Sugar tip hibiscus
- Lil kim hibiscus
- Dinner plate hibiscus
How do I know if my hibiscus is perennial or annual?
Let’s talk about my signs that can help you find out the nature of your hibiscus plant. They are:
Color of the leaves:
Perennial hibiscus plants have leaves that are known as dull-colored. This means that they do not have bright leaves. On the other hand, annual hibiscus plants have bright-colored leaves.
Shape of the leaves:
Perennial hibiscus plants possess heart shaped leaves. So if your hibiscus plant does not have heart shaped leaves, then it is most likely an annual hibiscus.
Color of the flowers:
The color of the perennial hibiscus plants vary from that of the annual hibiscus plants. If your hibiscus plant has white, pink or red flowers, then it is definitely a perennial hibiscus plant.
Because annual hibiscus plants have yellow, orange, peach, and salmon color flowers.
Shape of the flowers:
The annual hibiscus plants contain double flowers. If your hibiscus plants do not have double flowers, then it is a perennial hibiscus plant.
The survival nature:
Perennial hibiscus plants can survive under cold weather and do not lose life out permanently in the winter. Rather they come back again in the growing and blooming season.
But annual plants cannot survive in the winter and loses life out permanently. So if your hibiscus plant comes back in the next growing and blooming season, then it is a perennial hibiscus plant.
When does hardy hibiscus come back?
Hardy hibiscus comes back in the spring. Hardy hibiscus plants are perennial plants. That means they can survive through the freezing temperature of the winter and come back again in the next growing and blooming season.
The hardy hibiscus plants lose life back in the winter. At that time, the perennial hardy hibiscus plants have to be pruned a little in order to grow better in the spring.
Hardy hibiscus plants are a beautiful variety of hibiscus species with the ability of coming back every year. They do not need to be replanted.
Can standard hibiscus plants survive the winter?
The tropical hibiscus plants are known as the standard hibiscus plants because of their landscape beauty. Most people plant tropical hibiscus plants in pots in their garden.
These standard tropical hibiscus plants thrive under warm condition. But when the winter arrives, they start drying out.
These standard tropical plants are annual. Therefore, they can not survive the winter and cannot come back in the spring.
But if these standard tropical plants are grown in regions where the temperature does not fall below ten degrees Celsius (C) in the winter, then some of them may survive the winter. But in most cases, they do not.
How long do hibiscus blooms last and hibiscus plants live?
The blooming period of hibiscus depends on a lot of factors. First of all, the variety of hibiscus matters when it comes to the blooming period. Most of the hibiscus plants have a blooming time of one to two days.
Some of the hibiscus plants are seen having a one week bloom period. But that’s a very small portion of hibiscus hybrids that have this long blooming time.
The amount of water a hibiscus plant is getting can also alter its blooming time. Other important factors in this case are sunlight, fertilizer, and temperature.
The hybrid hibiscus plants have a shorter life span than the purebred hibiscus plants. The purebred hibiscus plants can live up to fifty years. But the hybrid varieties can live up to only ten years.
Final thoughts
Hibiscus coming back every year depends on the variety of the hibiscus in question. Hibiscus plants are famous for having both the annual and the perennial variety. The perennial varieties hibiscus plants lose life out in the winter and come back again in the following spring.