A native of East Asia, it takes to Orlando’s climate easily when kept in the sunny parts of your gardens. Knowledgeable landscapers use it as an ornamental plant, as the flowers are quite large and attract attention with their vivid colors—red, yellow, orange and pink—with both single and double sets of petals. They also draw the interest of hummingbirds which makes placing specimens on either side of windows a happy idea.
An interesting side note is the fact that the flowers are eatable and used in salads in the Pacific Islands. (At the very least, putting them on a plate around a salad bowl makes an unusual table decoration.) A really curious fact: they are also used to shine shoes in parts of India. Seems a little cruel for such a lovely bloom.
However they’re used, the Hibiscus is an easy plant to care for and will turn an empty spot in your landscape into a visit to the tropics.
