Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby

Hibiscus is that plant that we associate with the warm climes of tropical hotspots – think Hawaii and Malaysia. The genus ranges from small shrubs to tall trees, growing up to 12ft tall in its homeland of China. If you think that you could never grow a Hibiscus at home, especially in a small garden, you’d be wrong. Hardy Hibiscus varieties are ideal for cold environments, and will even produce those big, beautiful flowers to sweep you away to a long, lazy summer in the tropics.

There’s one hardy Hibiscus that stands out from the rest: Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby… and here’s why.

 

How to grow Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby:

Flowering time: July – October

Location: In beds and borders, as a hedge, or in patio or balcony pots

Soil: Moist and well-draining

Light: Full sun

Water: Heat and drought tolerant, but water regularly throughout the summer

Care: Prune back to columnar shape in March

Size: Mature height of 3m and width of 80cm

 

Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby

How was this plant created?

Van Aart Boomkwekerijen’s Hibiscus Flower Towers are normally sterile; however, when the plant thinks it is going to die or get sick, it can produce good seed. This is exactly what happened at a nursery called Gandini in Italy in 2012. The nursery specialises in seedlings, so after they found the seeds, they attempted to grow them.

In 2013, Mario & Adrienne van Aart visited the nursery, where they were shown the seedlings growing in the fields. Most were upright, and so the pair decided to take the plants back to Holland. They spent the next two years selecting the best plants, ending up with 15 in total. After that they took grafting of every plant to check whether it could be grafted well, how well it grows, and – last but not least – what is the flower like?

 

Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby

 

From the beginning, the ‘Ruby’ was the most beautiful, standing out amongst the rest. After rigorous testing, the plant became available to other growers. The whole process took around six to seven years!

 

Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby

What’s different about this plant?

Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby grows in a narrow column, making it ideal for drawing the eye upwards in smaller gardens – especially courtyard gardens where the sky’s the limit! After around 10 years, the plant can reach 3m in height and 80cm in width.

 

Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby

 

It produces dark pink-red, half-filled flowers with red hearts, evocative of beautiful Hibiscus imagery from faraway, tropical lands! Expect continuous blooms from July to October, attracting hungry bees and butterflies to your garden.

 

Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby

Where can you plant Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby?

This plant is hardy down to -25C, and is best suited to areas of full sun and a moist, well-draining soil.

 

Hibiscus Flower Tower Ruby

Where can you buy this plant?

Coming soon to garden centres in the UK, and available by mail order in Europe from Loef Garden Plant Center.

 

Plant of the Month is sponsored by Plantipp, a company based in The Netherlands who handle the introduction of new plants into Europe.

See every Plant of the Month here.

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