Hibiscus- bonsai material or not?

[Tropicalgirl]

Hi all
This hibiscus is in a neglected part of my garden it has been there for well over twenty years. It used to be in a sunny spot but is now under a big mahogany tree that shades it too much and keeps dropping dead branches in it, do you think it has potential as a bonsai? The trunk is about 3 1/2 inches wide . It is a bit of a mess but I kind of think it might have possibilities, I would just have to dig the old thing up.
It is Hibiscus schizopetalus so the flowers are small for hibiscus and really pretty but no one sees them anymore,
Deanna

[shibui]

Almost anything has potential for bonsai, especially if it does not cost anything
It is hard to judge from just one 2d photo - no idea of size or depth - but it does look like it has enough interesting movement in the trunk to be worth considering.
Even if the tree does not make show quality bonsai you will learn much from the process of collecting, cutting back and growing new branches. I'd say nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[Tropicalgirl]

Here a photo from the other side

[matlea]

Definitely give it a go... By the looks of its current shady position you will be doing it a favour! From the photos I like the first image maybe rotated to the right a bit.

[Graeme]

Go for it Deanna. Google Hibiscus Bonsai and you will see some great Bonsai from the Asia region. Fantastic ramification can be obtained with constant pruning. Just remember, they are a hungry plant and must be fed constantly, but the rewards are great. Leaves reduce in size fairly easily as well and you already have the smaller flowers. I would still aim for a larger (600mm + ) Bonsai.

Probably wont get a lot of root when you dig this one, because of where it's growing, but as long as you get as many of the fine feeder roots as you can it should be right, they are a fairly hardy plant up your way. I had one laying on the bench for a couple of days (with a bit of soil covering the roots) and it was fine with a bit of after care. Not recommended treatment of course, but goes to show they are tough.

Good luck with it - and remember we all love pic's on here

[kcpoole]

Go for it Deanna. Google Hibiscus Bonsai and you will see some great Bonsai from the Asia region. Fantastic ramification can be obtained with constant pruning. Just remember, they are a hungry plant and must be fed constantly, but the rewards are great. Leaves reduce in size fairly easily as well and you already have the smaller flowers. I would still aim for a larger (600mm + ) Bonsai.

You do not have to go to thos lengths even. I think mine here viewtopic.php?f=132&t=17636 is ok
A larger sized tree is better as the leave reduce but not to tiny sizes, but yes they Ramify really well
as graeme says, check the asian shows for some larger sized trees, they are stunning

Ken

[Tropicalgirl]

Thanks guys,
I am going away for a few days but I'll have a go at digging it up when I get back, also I have a dwarf Ixoria out there that I will dig up too, I googled them and they make really lovely bonsai. Then there is a Murraya out the back I want as well, I got some digging to do
The hibiscus will be big because the trunk is fairly large so the flowers will be more in proportion than yours were Ken
The Ixoria will be a small one though, I'll post some pics when I dig them,
Deanna