Psyche Hibiscus

Psyche Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Psyche') is the fast, flamboyant shrub for a warm garden that needs colour rather than structure. It reaches about 2.5m tall and 2m wide within a few seasons, and carries large red and pink blooms almost continuously through the warm months. Heat, humidity and salt wind are all part of its range, which is why it holds up beside a pool where fussier shrubs give in.

Why you'll love it

• It flowers almost year round in the warm north. New buds keep coming through spring, summer and autumn wherever winters stay mild.
• Fast to fill a gap. A 200mm plant can be shoulder height inside a season.
• Poolside proof. It takes reflected heat, splash and salt wind, and the glossy leaves stay clean rather than browning at the tips.
• Honeyeaters use it. The big open blooms hold real nectar, so small birds work it through the day.
• It responds to pruning. Cut it back and it reshoots freely, so you decide between a 1.5m mound and a 2.5m screen.

Where it works best

Poolside and courtyard feature. The classic use. One plant beside paving gives constant colour without dropping enough litter to bother the water.

Informal screening. Plant 1.2m apart for a loose screen along a fence. Expect a soft edge rather than a clipped face, since the habit is naturally open.

Pots and coastal gardens. A pot 500mm or wider suits a balcony, and on a coastal block it handles salt wind in an exposed front garden.

Growing Psyche Hibiscus in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun, with at least six hours for good flowering. It belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, so Cairns, Brisbane, coastal New South Wales and Perth all work. It is frost tender, which is the honest limit: in cool or frosting gardens it needs a warm north facing wall, or a pot that moves under cover for winter.

Soil. Free draining and enriched with compost. It dislikes both drying out and sitting wet, so a well mulched bed holding even moisture is ideal. Mound the hole on heavy clay.

Water and feed. Deep water twice a week through the first summer, then weekly in dry spells. Hibiscus are hungry: a hibiscus or high potassium fertiliser every six to eight weeks in the growing season is the difference between a few flowers and a covered shrub.

Pruning. Prune in early spring as the weather warms, cutting back by up to a third to keep it bushy and stop the base going bare. Avoid pruning in cold weather, since soft regrowth is what frost damages first.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in three sizes: tubes, 200mm plants sold in packs of six, and single 300mm plants. Tubes are young and single stemmed, and with growth this fast they catch up quickly. The 200mm pack suits a run along a fence; the 300mm plants arrive branched and closest to flowering.

Hibiscus often drop buds and a few leaves after transit. That is a response to the change in light, not a fault, and new buds set within a few weeks. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete hibiscus care guide
• Browse plants suited to poolside gardens
• Choosing low maintenance tropical planting around a pool
• Compare the wider tropical plant range

Common questions

Will it survive a frost?

No. It is frost tender: a hard frost damages the soft growth and can kill a young plant. In cool gardens, grow it in a pot and move it under cover for winter.

Why do the flowers only last a day?

That is normal. Each bloom finishes within a day or two, but a healthy plant opens fresh flowers continuously, so the shrub looks in flower for months.

How far apart for a screen?

Plant 1.2m apart for an informal screen. At that spacing they meet and fill in, though this is a soft screen rather than a dense privacy hedge.