Tropical Hibiscus 'Carolina Breeze'

I had gotten this at the local Home Depot in 2008 because of it's bright orange flowers. I have not seen that color in my area and was ex...Read Morecited. Once the plant was home and placed in a bigger pot it stopped blooming... I did finally get a couple more blooms during the winter of 2010 when it was inside for the winter. The plant is still alive..barely I think it has one branch still alive and it is outside sitting in a weedbed for now till I decide what to do with it. I just do not think hibiscus in general like me.. I have since stopped buying the tropical versions and now are going to try the mandevillas instead and see if they like me any better.

I just got two of these for my backyard - both currently have red AND orange blooms on them! I'm wondering if that's typical - variation...Read More in color? Hoping it will continue....

I think my plant is nuts -- and in a good way! I bought this in the early summer of 2006 in a grocery store expecting it to maybe last m...Read Moree through September. The color was so gorgeous and it had several blooms on it. I was new to hibiscus (other than having grown some outdoors in the desert), and according to the ID spike in the soil this was a tropical CB Hibiscus. So I "read up" and learned that they're tough to grow indoors (tend not to bloom), not meant for my region, finicky (especially when repotting), and they go dormant in the winter. Most advice was to not even bother. Well... never say never! On finicky: yes, it can be touchy when moved or turned; a few leaves will go yellow and drop. But then it blooms, at least three in a row. This thing has bloomed every month during the cold DC winter and, as you can see in the pic I uploaded, has a good four to five blooms in waiting every time one pops! So much for a dormant period, and so much for not caring for dry/cold areas. I stopped feeding it in October and won't resume until late March, it's by a cold window, gets very little direct light (just a couple of hours each day), and... I'm just amazed! To have beautfiul summer blooms in pyucky February is a serious treat. My advice to anybody trying to grow one of these indoors is to just leave it be. Keep it by a bright window (mine faces southeast), water it well once a week or so (let the soil almost dry out between waterings), keep the pot clean by removing dropped leaves/blooms, and pull the leaves once they're yellow. If you repot it you will get MANY yellow leaves from shock, but again, leave it be... it finds its way.
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Edit May 2018: Still growing strong 12 years later! It's no longer an indoor plant in a small pot by a DC window, it's a huge plant in a huge pot and gets all-day sun in Cincinnati—and now it's outdoors between May and October. The wood is thick and strong like a tree. It still goes through the same sorts of shock, like yellow leaves during transitions (meaning when I bring it inside in the fall, and when I put it outside in the spring), and still has the same beautiful, saturated orange flowers. Was at the flower/plant store today and saw some gorgeous hibiscus plants, but none with this color flower. Several people have admired it and asked me for cuttings, which I only take in early spring. So if you see one grab it. Looks gorgeous in a cobalt pot.

Just purchase this plant today at local nursery to add to all my other hibicus plants. It really looks pretty and they are having a reall...Read Morey great sale. Will see how it does. I live in Spring, Tx , Just adding a note , as of today blooms are opening and it is just beautiful!! So glad I bought this one.