Pink Chiffon Hibiscus

Pink Chiffon Hibiscus carries large ruffled double blooms in soft candy pink right through the warm months. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Pink Chiffon' reaches about 2.5m tall and 1.8m wide, grows fast, and flowers on new wood, so every trim buys more flowers.

Why you'll love it

• Flowers for most of the year. In tropical and subtropical gardens it barely stops; warm temperate gardens run from late spring to autumn.
• Ruffled double blooms. The layered petals hold their shape in wind and rain better than a single flowered hibiscus.
• Fast enough to matter. Close to a metre in a good season, so a young plant becomes a real shrub quickly.
• Coastal and poolside ready. Salt, humidity and heat tolerant, with no invasive roots to worry a pool shell or paving.
• It brings the garden to life. Honeyeaters work the flowers and bees follow.

Where it works best

Flowering screens. Plant 1.2m apart in a single row. It is a loose screen rather than a clipped hedge, so allow a metre of depth.

Poolside and coastal gardens. It does not shed the way palms and figs do. Set plants a metre back from the coping.

Pots and courtyards. A 400mm or larger pot in full sun grows a presentable specimen, and is the only sensible option in a frost prone garden.

Growing Pink Chiffon Hibiscus in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, six hours minimum, or flowering thins. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and it is frost tender. Melbourne, Adelaide, Canberra and cold inland districts need a warm north facing wall, or a pot that winters under shelter.

Soil. Free draining and enriched. Dig compost or aged manure through the bed, then mulch 75mm deep, clear of the stem. Waterlogged soil causes yellow leaves and sudden collapse.

Water and feed. Deep water twice a week through the first summer and in dry spells after that. Feed a potassium rich hibiscus fertiliser every six to eight weeks from early spring to late summer.

Pruning. Prune in early spring once frost risk passes, taking about a third off and opening the centre. Pinch tips through the season to keep it bushy.

What to expect when it arrives

Two grades are grown: tube stock, and 200mm pots in packs of six. Tube plants are young and single stemmed, the value choice for a long screening run, and usually flower in their first full season. The 200mm plants arrive branched, often with buds, and read as a real shrub within months.

Hibiscus travel with soft growth and often shed a few leaves or buds in transit. That is normal rather than a fault, and they are replaced within a fortnight. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The full hibiscus care guide
• Poolside planting that stays clear of the water
• Plants that do well in pots
• Browse the wider flowering plant range

Common questions

How long does each flower last?

A single day, sometimes two in mild weather. A healthy plant opens new flowers every morning through the warm months, so the display is continuous.

Will it survive frost?

Not a hard one. It is frost tender, so cold southern and inland gardens should grow it in a pot that can move under cover. Light frost may burn the tips without killing the plant.

Why are the buds dropping before they open?

Almost always water stress, a sudden cold snap, or hibiscus bud weevil. Keep water even through summer, and check fallen buds for a small entry hole if it keeps happening.