While the genus name conjures up the innumerable cultivars of
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, perhaps the most widely grown and admired of
all flowering shrubs in tropical and subtropical gardens, the genus
is large and diverse, including hot-climate evergreen shrubs and
small trees and also a few deciduous, temperate-zone shrubs and some
annuals and perennials.
The most important of these is H. esculentus, a bushy, warm-climate
annual whose immature fruit are the okra or gumbo so popular in
Creole cooking.
Flowering colors: Blue, Brown, Crimson, Mauve, Orange, Pink, Red,
Scarlet, Violet, White, Yellow
Cultivation: Easy to grow, the shrubby species thrive in sun and
slightly acid, well-drained soil.
Water regularly and fertilize during flowering.
Trim after flowering to maintain shape.
Propagation is from seed or cuttings or by division, depending on
the species.
Watch for aphids, mealybugs and whitefly.
most flowers are ediible
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