Do you love that vibrant red, tart, flowery, vitamin C-rich hibiscus tea? Do you LOVE growing beautiful, interesting plants in your garden that can feed the pollinators? If you answered yes, then I am happy to let you know you can grow your own beautiful hibiscus here in our little county of Kitsap.
For the tea lover, we are focusing on the Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa) variety, a hardy annual. The best way to grow Roselle in our climate is to start from seed. You will want to sow the seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last frost (March/April). Wait to plant out your starts till the warm weather has set in, around June. When transplanting your plant, pick the correct site and growing conditions. Look for a spot that will get 6+ hours of sunlight each day during the heat of the growing season and has good drainage. Amend the soil with an organic compost mix and about 1 cup of peat moss (helps make the soil acidic). Your plants will need good, consistent moisture through the whole growing season to produce beautiful, plump red calyces (the part used for teas) in the fall. I recommend a way to help support the long branches because they can easily snap and not produce. All summer long, the plant will grow beautiful flowers that, as they get pollinated, form the calyces to later be harvested and dried for tea.
A great seed company to purchase seeds from is True Leaf Market, or you can follow my social media and watch for when I have starts for sale.
If you are interested in having beautiful flowers in your garden with less work, look for the hardy hibiscus plants at your local nursery. Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus, is considered a hardy hibiscus but is strictly for ornamental purposes. A beautiful perennial that you can grow and enjoy the beauty while also feeding the local pollinators. There are wide varieties of hardy hibiscus plants out there, and your favorite local nurseries will be able to help you. // NIKKI PARKS
