AusBonsai

Hi all,

I may of mentioned it before or not but I have a nice size Hibiscus(not sure of the variety) that I am planning on digging very soon and just thought I'd see if anyone has any tips or thoughts about it before I break ground.
I'm aware that the flowers wont reduce which is fine by me as this could probably be a large plant anyway and the pics don't show a great deal as it is hard to get in there and see very well. Although you can't really tell the trunk at the base is probably thicker than my arm but there are also a number of rather low branches to deal with.
I can't really tell much of what shape may be in there either and that worries me with my usual hack first ask questions later approach but I figure I'll have a go at it regardless.

I know Ken has some nice Hibiscus that I have been reading up on too which is a good shot in the arm to do this.

Anyway so here are a couple of pics, not the best but you can get the idea. I can post more if that helps.
Thoughts?

Nice
Keep it a larger tree and the flowers will be nicely sized.
They are hardy, grow fast, backshoot easily, ramify quite well, Can be wired to shape

Lots of reasons to give them a go

Ken

Cheers Ken,

I definitely want it larger, the flowers on this as they are double ones and seem quite heavy but should be alright.
This tree has been neglected in the garden and does alright so hopefully with a bit of care it will flourish.

A nice looking project and i am interested to see where it will go. Can't do them down here (not frost tolerant) and Ken has given good advice. Keep posting the progress thanks.

Will do, I just thinned it out a bit to get a better look before digging. Plenty of trunks but will get a better look at it after to make any decisions.
Should be more to post soon but I need to make sure I do something else useful around the house first to keep the wife happy before adding another tree to the collection.

A hibiscus will laugh at being dug up, it will push out leaves and probably flowers a couple of weeks later.

I have had one in the ground growing on for a few years now and will dig it up this spring
Will be watching this one with interest Starfox

I love Hibiscus

Ken

I have had one in the ground growing on for a few years now and will dig it up this spring
Will be watching this one with interest Starfox

I love Hibiscus

Ken

Thanks guys, I hope it will cope well.

So an update, I dug this yesterday and it turned in to a much bigger excavation than I had hoped. Even had the sledge hammer out at one point and was even attacked by a dirty great big centipede.

It also seemed to be planted on top of a rubble pile which made the digging tough...
But that also had other benefits like creating a nice flat radial root system to work with.
The size of this really took me by surprise(don't think it will make the shohin comp ) however and the pot I had was still too small even after trimming the roots back so I left it soak in some seaweed juice stuff while I had to sort out another container which was a large plastic tub that I drilled a bunch of holes in and it even killed all my soil and scoria supplies too.
I will knock up a wooden box I think but not now.

Anyway this is the state it is in now, I still have to remove a bunch of trunks but I was at that point when I had been looking at it too long and couldn't really think straight anymore. Plus that beer was open too.
All in all it was an experience, I'm a tad stuck on where to go next but I think I have an idea on the shape I'm after I just need to work out what to remove and keep now. Some of those crowns will be going unless anyone things it's a good idea to keep them?

Here is the flower of it, if anyone recognises the variety that would be great.

nice efforet.
Now just sit back and drink a few beers over the next few months while it recovers.
the way it recovers may help you decide where to go re if it dies back anywhere.

Ken

Thanks Ken,
I think I can just about manage that.

I think it is just a double version of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis too.

Nice little project,got base to get soothing going, hope all turns out well.

Thanks Andreas.
Hope so too.

MacGuyver wrote:A hibiscus will laugh at being dug up, it will push out leaves and probably flowers a couple of weeks later.

Well not far off, 5 weeks later and all is going well.

Just a bit off topic...
If you are in QLD and would like a nice hibiscus stump to work with. A friend is trying to give this away:
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/zillmere ... 1112809823
Cheers