Popsicle Hibiscus

Popsicle Hibiscus (Hibiscus 'Popsicle', from the Lollipops series) is a compact bred hibiscus for anyone who wants tropical flowers without a large shrub taking over the courtyard. It holds at about 1.2m tall and 1m wide, flowering in multicoloured blooms through the warm months on a plant small enough for a large pot.

Why you'll love it

• Compact by breeding, not by pruning. At 1.2m by 1m it stays in scale with a courtyard or balcony, so you are not fighting it back twice a year.
• Multicoloured flowers through the warm season. The Lollipops series was bred for heavy, continuous flowering rather than a single dramatic flush.
• It suits a pot. The size and root system make it one of the easier hibiscus to keep in a container long term.
• Poolside and coastal ready. Salt tolerant and heat tolerant, so splash and sea wind are far less of a problem than for most flowering shrubs.
• Fast to fill out. A fast grower, so a small plant becomes a presentable flowering shrub within a season.

Where it works best

Pots, balconies and poolside. A pot 400mm or wider suits it, in a premium mix with real drainage. It tolerates the salt and reflected heat around a pool surround.

Feature planting in warm gardens. In the ground it works as a low flowering feature at the front of a bed, or planted in a group about 1m apart for a run of colour.

Growing Popsicle Hibiscus in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, with at least six hours a day for proper flowering. It suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens and enjoys humidity. It is frost tender, so in cool temperate, tableland or inland gardens grow it in a pot that can move to shelter for winter.

Soil. Free draining and reasonably rich. In the ground, dig compost through the bed and raise it on heavy clay, since hibiscus roots do not tolerate sitting wet. In pots, never leave the pot in a full saucer.

Water and feed. Regular water through spring and summer, particularly in pots, which dry out quickly in the heat. Hibiscus are hungry: feed with a hibiscus or flowering shrub fertiliser every six to eight weeks from early spring to late summer.

Pruning. Tip prune lightly through the growing season to keep it bushy. A harder trim of about a third in early spring, once frost risk has passed, resets an untidy plant.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in two sizes: tube, currently on backorder, and 140mm in packs of ten. Both are young plants rather than instant colour, and the 140mm packs typically reach a presentable flowering size within a season in warm weather.

Hibiscus dislike travelling in the cold, so plants sent through winter to southern states may arrive looking flat and can drop a few leaves. They recover once the weather warms. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Advanced and large stock is freighted at cost, and every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Low maintenance plants for a poolside garden
• Browse the poolside planting range
• Plants that thrive in pots and on balconies
• Compare tropical garden plants

Common questions

Will it survive frost?

No. It is frost tender, and a hard frost will damage or kill an exposed plant. In frosty districts grow it in a pot and move it to a warm sheltered position through winter.

How big a pot does it need?

At least 400mm wide with a free draining premium mix. That gives enough root volume for several years, and repotting every three years or so keeps it flowering well.

Why are the flower buds dropping before they open?

Usually irregular watering, a sudden cold snap or the plant drying out in a pot. Hibiscus buds are sensitive to stress, so keep the moisture even and feed through the growing season.

How long does each flower last?

Individual hibiscus flowers generally open for a day or two, then finish. The plant makes up for it by producing them continuously through the warm months.