Blue Bird Hibiscus

Blue Bird Hibiscus (Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Bird') is a big, bushy deciduous shrub, about 2.5m high and 2m wide, with large semi-double purple-blue flowers and bright apple-green leaves. It has the tropical look of a hibiscus but is frost hardy to minus 10°C, which makes it the hibiscus for cold gardens. It leafs up in early summer and keeps flowering until the cold returns.

Why you'll love it

• Tropical looks, cold-proof. The big open flowers look tropical, yet the plant is frost hardy to minus 10°C, so it suits gardens where the usual tropical hibiscus would not survive winter.
• Purple-blue flowers. The colour glows against the apple-green leaves, and it looks pinker in full sun.
• A long season. From early summer until the cold returns, the shrub carries flower after flower.
• Not fussy about soil. It tolerates most well-drained soils and needs little beyond water in dry spells and a feed before flowering.
• Size to match the job. At 2.5m it fills a corner or forms a generous informal hedge, and it will also grow in a large pot.

Where it works best

Informal hedge. Plant 1.5m apart for a loose, flowering hedge. Because it is deciduous it thins out in winter, so it suits boundaries where year-round screening is not essential.

Feature shrub. A single plant in a sunny corner or beside a deck becomes a focal point from early summer.

Large pots. It grows in a big container on a sunny terrace, though a pot needs more regular watering than the garden.

Growing Blue Bird Hibiscus in Australia

Position and climate. A sunny or part sunny position gives the best flowering, and the flowers look pinker in full sun. Frost hardy to minus 10°C, it suits cool temperate, warm temperate and Mediterranean gardens, including cold inland districts. Expect bare stems until early summer: it is a late starter, not a dead plant.

Soil. It tolerates most well-drained soils. On heavy clay, add compost and plant on a slight mound.

Water and feed. Mulch and water well in dry periods, especially in its first summers. Fertilise before flowering in late spring.

Pruning. Prune in late winter while it is bare, cutting back last season's growth to shape the shrub and keep it dense. The flowers come on new growth.

What to expect when it arrives

We sell Blue Bird Hibiscus as tube stock, a young plant in an 80mm deep tube that establishes quickly. A shrub that matures at 2.5m starts small, and tubes are the economical way to plant a hedge. Because it is deciduous, a plant that arrives in the cooler months may carry few or no leaves, which is normal.

The grower does not always have tubes to send. When there are none, the tube reads as sold out on this page, and the notify button emails you the day it is back.

Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Browse our hibiscus range
• Hibiscus care guide for Australian gardens
• Frost hardy plants
• Deciduous shrubs

Common questions

Is Blue Bird really frost hardy?

Yes. It is frost hardy to minus 10°C, so cold winters do not trouble it, unlike tropical hibiscus.

Why does my plant have no leaves?

It is deciduous and slow to leaf. It looks like bare sticks until early summer, then bursts into leaf and flower.

What colour will the flowers be?

Purple-blue, and pinker in full sun. Our plant is a semi-double form, so each flower carries extra petals.