Low maintenance plant Hibiscus you can grow as dwarf, bush or tree in your garden.
All of us love to have beautiful gardens in front of our houses. Lack of sufficient time for caring the plants, is the most important factor that turns away a lot of people from this. Moreover, in flats or apartments space is another problem. Surely you can solve all these to a certain extent by selecting the plants carefully and utilising the space wisely. Nowadays most people prefer to grow non-flowering plants like succulents, cactus etc. Because these plants need less caring, and also we can grow them easily indoors.
Surely we can grow a lot of flowering plants, that thrive well with minimum caring. A place where we get sunlight for three or four hours a day, is the only must have requirement for this.
Let us see a few of such plants that we can grow directly in the soil in our garden, potted or even as bonsai. Most of these plants bloom throughout the year, that will definitely add colour to our garden.
Hibiscus plants.
The Hibiscus is an evergreen tropical perennial plant that produces flowers throughout the year. There are more than 200 Hibiscus plant varieties in the world, and we can grow most of them in tropical areas. Hibiscus rosa sinensis, with bright coloured flowers, is the most commonly found one.
Likewise, we can buy a lot of dwarf hybrid Hibiscus plant varieties from garden suppliers for pot planting.
Propagation.
You can surely use stem cuttings for the propagation of common varieties of Hibiscus plants. For this, collect cuttings of about ten inches from mature stems of mother plants without any kind of diseases. Though Hibiscus needs bright sunlight, never plant the cuttings directly in to soil. Indeed you can plant it in grow bags or pots for rooting.
Medium for growing your low maintenance plant Hibiscus.
Usually Hibiscus plants need well drained loamy sandy soil. Hence prepare a medium with the following ratio.
Sand – 30%
Garden soil – 40%
Vermi compost – 20%
Coco peat – 10%
First fill ¾ of the grow bag or pot with the medium and then plant the cutting about 3 inches deep in it. Place it in shade for a few days and water regularly. After one or two months, your Hibiscus sapling will become ready to replant.
Meanwhile prepare a pit in your garden where you plan to grow your Hibiscus. You can select any place where the plant gets direct bright sunlight.
Then fill the pit with a mixture of sand and some organic manure, especially well dried cow dung or vermi compost.
Plant your Hibiscus in it and water regularly. Definitely within a short period your Hibiscus begins to produce flower buds. Indeed, you can enjoy the beautiful flowers of your Hibiscus throughout the year. Try different varieties, if you have larger areas in the garden.
Never forget to add fertiliser at intervals of three to four months.
Pot planting your Hibiscus.
For growing your Hibiscus in pots, you can start with the same procedure as has been done for rooting. Here you can plant the cutting directly in the pot in which you are growing the Hibiscus. Once the plant begins to sprout new leaves, move the pot gradually to direct sunlight and water regularly.
With proper periodic pruning you can maintain the size your Hibiscus as a tree, shrub or dwarf. In tropical areas, you can prune your Hibiscus at any time, except the heavy monsoons in June and July.
Also there are a lot of hybrid varieties of dwarf Hibiscus plants that are suitable for pot planting. Definitely you can buy the saplings of these plants directly from sellers.
Diseases that affect low maintenance plant Hibiscus.
Spraying soap solution is an effective remedy against attack from insects like the mealy bugs. You can also use some insecticide, if the former one is not found effective.
To prevent drooping of leaves, always keep the medium of your potted plant moist, but avoid over watering.
Health benefits of Hibiscus plants.
Remember that we can use different parts of the Hibiscus plants as home remedies for a number of ailments.
For example, consuming a decoction made with a few Hibiscus flower buds in water is an effective remedy for anaemia. Likewise the coconut oil Hibiscus preparation is a very healthy hair tonic. Regular use of this oil not only helps hair growth, but prevents itching of the scalp and dandruff.
Keeping the above points in mind, try to grow Hibiscus plants in your garden. Definitely it will make your life as colourful as the Hibiscus blooms in your garden.
