Hibiscus

Question

Here in Albuquerque our local garden center is showing some lovely hibiscus that I would like to keep in well-watered pots. Two questions:

1: Am I a fool for thinking about hibiscus at all in our arid climate where we can have 30 degree swings between day and night temperatures? Is there a reason why hibiscus are never listed in my “gardening in the Southwest” books?

2: At the the garden center the plants are in full bloom. Since they were probably forced at the nursery does that mean they’ll go for a couple of weeks and then be done for the year?

Answer 1

Since it is so dry in your area, they will be hard to keep looking their best. This is not to say that they will not grow, but they will have a hard time during the dry heat.

A lack of humidity will, often, prevent it from flowering and will likely trigger it to start dormancy long before winter arrives. As long as you give it shade from the afternoon and keep it very well watered in the summer, it can survive, and even flower some years.