April 3rd is National Find a Rainbow Day! If you’re lucky enough, you might actually catch a glimpse of a real rainbow, but finding one in the wild is pretty rare—especially if you’re stuck at home. If rainbow hunting doesn’t seem to be in the cards for you this week, why not try growing your own multi-colored rainbow tree?
Our braided stem multicolor Hibiscus trees are vibrant, colorful, and just as cheerful and beautiful to look at as a real rainbow. With four different tropical flower colors, from red to orange to fuchsia to yellow, these combo trees are a riot of bright colors, blooming all summer long!
How Do You Braid Hibiscus?
Braiding hibiscus starts when the plants are quite young. When the stems are still young and flexible, about 1-3′ tall, four similar-sized rooted cuttings are potted together in the same pot. The lower leaves are pruned off, and their stems are braided up to the bottom of the leaves at the top of the stems. Then they’re secured with a soft tie to keep them together while they grow.
Once they’re about 4′ tall, they’re ready to grace your home with an explosion of color!
How Do You Care for Hibiscus?
Braided hibiscus trees require the same care as any other hibiscus. They’ll grow happily in a pot on your patio or in your home, or in the ground if you live in Southern Florida. They do best in full sun, with 6-8 hours of bright exposure per day, and warm temperatures. The tree may suffer damage if exposed to temperatures lower than 50ºF, so if you get temperatures below that, you may want to keep it in a pot so you can bring your tree indoors if necessary.
The two main care things you’ll need to keep on top of with a braided hibiscus is watering, fertilizing, and pruning.
Watering & Fertilizing Your Hibiscus
Because you’ve got four plants in the same pot competing for water and nutrients, they’ll need more frequent watering than a single plant would. During the heat of summer, you may need to water potted outdoor hibiscus every day. Hibiscus like soil that stays consistently moist, but not completely saturated, so make sure they’re in a pot with excellent drainage. Check the soil before you water to make sure watering is needed. Avoid getting the leaves wet when you water hibiscus because they can develop mildew if the leaves are too damp. It’s also a good idea to water in the early morning or late evening, with room temperature water, to avoid shocking the plant with extreme temperature differences between the cold water and hot sun.
Pruning Your Hibiscus
Hibiscus generally turn into tall and bushy shrubs if left to their own devices. You’ll want to do some pruning to keep them to the desired shape and height of a mini-tree. Since the braided stem of your four-color hibiscus is a beautiful feature, you’ll want to make sure you keep it pruned to maintain the tree shape and show off the unique trunks. Pruning in late winter or early spring will also encourage vigorous new growth and blossoming. Pinching, removing about ¼-1″ off the end of each branch encourages fuller growth in young plants. Selective pruning, cutting a few inches off of ⅓ of the branches to about ½” above a node, will help promote stronger growth and new tips. New growth and stems mean more blooms!
Completing the Rainbow Look
With its red, orange, pink, and yellow flowers complemented by green foliage, our braided hibiscus tree features all but two colors of the rainbow. For a full-spectrum look in the garden, add some blue and purple flowers to your garden design. Try adding a Sapphire Showers Duranta bush or a blue hydrangea to bring some blue into your backdrop. Then, incorporate purple flowers like Mona Lavender Plectranthus into your garden border along with these stunning Regina Brazilian Orchid irises.
Get your four-color braided hibiscus, and other colorful plants, by shopping at our online store! If you’re lucky, you might even attract some bright colored butterflies or other pollinators to add more shades to the rainbow.
