Hibiscus

Care

• Give your hibiscus a sunny spot.
• The plant likes to have a splash of water regularly.
  
• Remove wilted flowers in order to make room for new growth.
  
• If the weather is warm you can give your hibiscus a day out in the garden or on the balcony.
  
• The plant likes to hibernate in the winter: place it in a light, cool room and give it less water.
  
• You can prune the plant a bit in the spring if necessary.
  

Colours and shapes

Let’s start with hibiscus’ leaves. They offer a shining greeting, and have an attractive oval shape with a pointy tip. The real features are its flowers in red, orange, yellow, purple, pink, white or with two colours per flower. As the icing on the cake some varieties also have a coloured heart.

Symbolism

The plant has many different symbolic meanings, depending on the region where the plant blooms. For example, on Borneo brides wear a hibiscus flower in their hair because it symbolises exceptional beauty.

Origin

The roots of the hibiscus lie in South-west Asia where it grows wild as a shrub in (sub-)tropical regions. There are some 200 species, some of which are used to make hibiscus tea. But your plant is not suitable for consumption - it only serves as eye candy.