Native Plants

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Thursday - February 26, 2009

From: Granbury, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Pruning, Herbs/Forbs
Title: Trimming back Texas Star hibiscus in Granbury TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

Can I trim back my Texas Star Hibuscus? And when do I do that?

ANSWER:

The funny thing about Hibiscus coccineus (scarlet rosemallow), also called Texas Star Hibiscus, is that it isn't even native to Texas, but is a southeastern United States plant, with its range from Florida to Mississippi. Some plant nursery operator looked at those gorgeous red flowers and decided it would sell well named "Texas Star." This is okay, because it's still a North American native, and has adapted well to Texas soils. And, yes, it can be trimmed. We used to trim ours as soon as they began to die back to the ground in the Fall, leaving about 6 inches of stub to show where the roots where. It can certainly still be trimmed now, and clean up any fallen leaves or debris to help prevent mold and harboring insects. It emerges from the roots fairly late in the Spring.