Trouble with hardy hibiscus

11 years ago

I posted this on the hibiscus forum and I apologize for the repost here, but that forum does not seem to get much traffic. I am desperate to save my hardy hibiscus.

I have a hardy hibiscus although I can't tell you what variety it is. It was a seedling from an older plant that my mom gave me. This is the second summer I have had it and I am sure I am going to lose it.

Day after day I go out and I find branches wilting. They break off down in the ground. I bring them in and put them in water and they begin developing what I think are roots.

I don't understand what is going on with this plant since it performed beautifully last summer. I do know that at the beginning of the summer my neighbors were letting their small children pick my flowers. At first I thought they were damaging this plant also, but I don't want to confront them if there is another explanation. Our area is having some high winds that I suppose could be damaging the plant.

Can anyone tell me why the branches of this plant are slowly one by one breaking off at the root?

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Comments (4)

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 years ago
There are a good number of hardy hibiscus.....do you mean the shrubby type, aka Rose of Sharon? If so, they are prone to stem cankers, which can produce the dieback or stem failure you describe.

I am a bit confused by your statement that "they break off down in the ground". Are the stems below ground? Or are these the stem-like canes that emerge from the root crown? Rotting below soil grade is often an indication of poor drainage or excess water. And if you really are located in WA like your name implies, then I'd not be at all surprised about the excess water this season :-)
zookeeperinwa
Original Author
11 years ago
Ok sorry for the confusion. It is not the rose of sharon type. It is the type that dies to the ground every winter and grows new braches each spring. So I guess you would say they are the canes that emerge from the root crown. That is where they are breaking off.

Also, I am located in Eastern WA and most people don't realize that this part of the state is practically a desert. Sorry about not specifying that. The dirt is very sandy and has excellent drainage.
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gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 years ago
Not sure I can be of much more help. Herbaceous hibiscus are most often native to very damp or marshy soil locations, although they will tolerate drier conditions once established. Not prone to very many disease issues either, even though what you describe is more indicative of a rot. Can you post a photo?

I fully understand the climate in eastern WA - I've lived here all my life and used to be a wholesale nursery sales rep for eastern WA :-) If you are a 'real' zookeeper (as in animals and not kids :-)), didn't realize there were any of those east of the mountains so didn't make that connection.
terrene
11 years ago
I wonder if you have voles eating at the roots? I had terrible vole problems in the front garden since the winter of 2011, and the first sign that a perennial was compromised is that the foliage starts to wilt and die back. Then, if you lift the shoots of the plants, you can see that sections of the root ball have loosened. Also the soil gets disturbed and fluffed up by the vole digging.

Solved that problem with a castor oil mixture and hardware cloth cages around the root balls!