Hibiscus Plant, Can you grow it into a hibiscus tree?

[lorax]

Branch cuttings root easily - you have to make sure you've got wood, though, not just greens. I'm actually kind of notorious for carrying a pocketknife and taking slips off of interesting boulevard Hibiscus in this city.

When you get back to winter, be careful to watch your plant for spider-mites. A bit of prevention, like misting the plant daily, goes a long way to health and survival.

I had no problems moving this far - I'd always travelled within Canada (in the summertime, I had no fixed address) so it was just one more adventure. I actually came down here originally on vacation with my parents, and we all fell in love with the country so we decided that when they retired, we were coming back to stay. The bonus for me is that I'm the only representative of my profession in the country (scenographer) so I've got 100% employment without taking a job from a local. Ecuador is the Canada of this continent, although it's a very tiny country - the people are incredibly friendly, the government is reasonably sane, and it's known for being peaceful and free of terrorism.

Here's one of the most famous plantings of Hibiscus in Quito, in the Parque Carolina (the equivalent of Central Park for the city) - it's one of about 150 that are planted along Av. Amazonas. These are standard-trimmed pink Hibiscus, and are almost always in bloom. The trees are about 20 feet tall.
[img]https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh196/HabloPorArboles/A%20Few%20of%20My%20Favourite%20Trees%202009/HibiscusHabit.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh196/HabloPorArboles/A%20Few%20of%20My%20Favourite%20Trees%202009/HibiscusFlower.jpg[/img]

And here's one of my favourite colour combos, which grows in a friend's yard. She has left her canes uncut, which means that this is a large shrub with multiple stems, rather than a tree. It's about 10 feet tall.
[img]https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh196/HabloPorArboles/Best%20Photography/Botany/Hibiscus.jpg[/img]

[BewilderedGreenyO.o]

oh geez is that what I've been doing wrong?? I've been taking green new growth cuttings because that is how all other plants seem to need to be taken in order to be successful in rooting. *sigh* So does that mean that the third batch of new growth I've tried is going to fail as well? I've been thinking it was the kind of soil I was putting them in that was making them not root properly but maybe it's the type of cutting I've been taking

[shadowsmom]

oh geez is that what I've been doing wrong?? I've been taking green new growth cuttings because that is how all other plants seem to need to be taken in order to be successful in rooting. *sigh* So does that mean that the third batch of new growth I've tried is going to fail as well? I've been thinking it was the kind of soil I was putting them in that was making them not root properly but maybe it's the type of cutting I've been taking

Me too! I have 3 green cuttings sitting around, guess I need to redo them and get some woody cuttings started.

I'm going to attempt to turn my container shrub into a tree. If it's narrower I can find a place in the house to put it for the winter. Now it's way too wide. I tried to find it a new home but no takers, so far.

[Green Mantis]

lorax--Did you take that picture with the BIG tree? Looks like you are a great photographer!! Either way, those pics of your friends hibiscus are just beautiful!!!----Just out of curiousity how long do flowers last on hibiscus plants?

[lorax]

GM, any picture I post here will be my own work unless I expressly state otherwise... Thanks for the compliment! Those are, BTW, *not* the largest Hibiscus trees I've ever seen in Ecuador - that prize goes to the boulevard ones by the Guayaquil airport, on the coast.

Blooms last about a day on most Hibiscus, but the trees make up for it by producing new ones daily and staggering blooming. Generally, flowers start opening in the morning at sunrise, and close up again at sunset.

[Green Mantis]

Oh! Thank Goodness, I thought something was wrong with lorax the hibiscus! Feel much better about that. You are an incredible photographer by the way! Congrats on that.

[nakanj]

I have a tropical hibiscus that I started braiding from the bottom up when it was small. Now it is about 5 ft. tall and it's beautiful. I pull off all leaves on the braided part and it leaves a beautiful flowering bowl shaped plant at the top. Would post a picture but don't have a camera right now. I keep it in the green house at work in winter. Don't know what I'll do when I retire..lol