Tiny Tina Hibiscus

Tiny Tina Hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Tiny Tina') is a dwarf hibiscus that stops at about 1m tall and 1m wide, which makes it one of the few hibiscus you can plant in a small garden and forget about. It flowers pink and red through the warm months on a naturally compact bush, without the hard annual pruning the tall varieties demand. Growth is fast, so a young plant fills its space in a season.

Why you'll love it

• Dwarf by breeding, not by pruning. A metre each way is its natural size, so it stays neat without constant cutting back.
• Tropical colour in a small footprint. Pink and red blooms through the warm season on a plant that fits a balcony pot.
• Fast to establish. A tube planted in spring is doing real work by the end of summer.
• Coastal and poolside tolerant. Salt wind and reflected heat do not trouble it, and honeyeaters work the flowers.

Where it works best

Low borders and mass planting. Plant 70cm apart for a low massed border. The plants touch without crowding at that spacing and give a continuous run of colour at about knee to hip height.

Pots, balconies and poolside. A 300mm to 400mm pot holds one plant well, and the flowering sits at eye level rather than overhead. It handles the heat and salt around a pool surround, and at a metre it will not shade the water or drop heavy leaf litter into it.

Growing Tiny Tina Hibiscus in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the most flowers. It belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens, and tolerates both heat and humidity well. It is frost tender: in cool inland and southern gardens grow it in a pot that can shift under cover for winter.

Soil. Free draining and enriched with compost. Hibiscus dislike wet feet, so on heavy clay plant on a raised mound. Keep 75mm of mulch clear of the stem.

Water and feed. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then whenever the topsoil dries. Flowering draws heavily on nutrients, so feed with a controlled release fertiliser in early spring and mid summer.

Pruning. Light work only. Tip prune in early spring to keep it dense. It flowers on new growth, so a spring trim increases the display rather than costing you buds.

What to expect when it arrives

Two sizes are grown: a single tube, and 200mm sold in a pack of 6. Tubes are young plants, and because this variety grows quickly they catch up fast, usually flowering in their first full warm season. The 200mm pack is the sensible choice for a border run, where matched, already branching plants give an even line.

Tubes are at their best bought in numbers, since a massed border of them costs little and fills out within a season, and most customers order a pack or combine plants for that reason. Stock is packed upright and delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Some bud drop after transit is normal and the plant reflowers within a few weeks. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• The complete hibiscus care guide for Australian gardens
• Browse more shrubs for small gardens
• Compare plants that suit poolside beds
• Coastal and salt tolerant planting

Common questions

How far apart should I plant it for a border?

Seventy centimetres apart. Each plant reaches about a metre wide, so that spacing lets them meet into a continuous low border while each keeps room to stay full at the base.

Does it really stay at a metre?

Yes, this is a genuine dwarf form rather than a tall hibiscus kept small. Expect about 1m tall and 1m wide, with a light spring tip prune enough to hold that shape.

Will it survive winter in a cold area?

Not in the ground. It is frost tender and suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate zones. In cooler districts keep it in a pot and move it to a sheltered spot before the first frosts.