The Hibiscus - A Tropical Beauty

The Hibiscus is a natural beauty in the tropics. Certain plant specimens of this family can also grow in cooler climates. It is considered a perennial in zones four through seven and will die out in the winter time. The plant will drop its leaves after the first frost. You can trim it back before the first frost or wait until early spring.

In zones eight and higher, the plant becomes an colorful evergreen. In the tropics it is one of the highlights of many varieties of landscapes and gardens. There are hundreds of different selections available. One of the brilliant characteristics of this specimen is the prevalent flowers that appear in summer in northern climates and on and off year around in southern and tropical locations. The Hibiscus flower is considered to be one of the largest of a perennial or evergreen plant. It loves full sun and this is one reason it does so well in warm locations. The plants vary in size and can be anywhere from two to fifteen feet tall and three to fifteen feet wide. They don't like to be over watered and can take most soil conditions. A little salt in the soil helps in its growth pattern. This plant specimen does have some medicinal value. The Jamaica Sorrel variety is well known in China and tropical Asia and Africa as well as many islands of the Caribbean, such as Jamaica. This is a unique annual or perennial plant that produces dark colored fruit. The small young fruit is sometimes added to rum, and the ripe fruit is used in preserves such as jams and jellies. The bark, roots, leaves and flowers are used for other medicinal reasons. In tropical locations, the Hibiscus is one of the main attractions of natural landscapes as well as planned and defined gardens.

Mayan Rivieria, Mexico

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

The first photo was taken on the Mayan Rivieria in Mexico. The Mayan Rivieria is located on the Yucatan Peninsula, south of Cancun. You can drive down the highway and see natural Hibiscus plants along the roadside. Colors of pink, red, yellow, peach, and purple flow throughout the gardens in many different hotels and resorts in the Mayan region. I will be talking more about this gorgeous region in upcoming pages on the tropics.

The second photo was taken at a resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Punta Cana is located in the northeast part of this beautiful country. In the Dominican, the official way of writing this country is Republica Dominica. The Hibiscus is well known in this region and can also be seen along the new highways being built as well as luscious gardens and landscapes through the hotels and resorts. I will also be doing some feature hot spots in the Dominican and showing you some wonderful scenery and other plants. Teaching children about different climates is very important will all the news events taking place daily. Browse through the learning center and see how you could use the Hibiscus in your lesson plan or outdoor project. Take different plant specimens and allow students to see and read about different natural environments that evolve in other climatic regions .

Here are some pictures of a few tropical Hibiscus plants. The first one is a soft peach color and notice the gorgeous stamen of the flower. The bright yellow color accents the peach tones of the petals. The second was shot immediately after leaving an air conditioned room. Notice the haze on the photo. One tip for anyone traveling to a tropical location, give your camera time to adjust from air conditioning to the tropical air before shooting pictures.

Peach Color

Red Flower

The flowers not only can be viewed from the outdoors, as the petals also can decorate the inside of rooms. I wanted to share the different talents of some of the people from Mexico and the Dominican in a few resorts.

Doll With Petals

Bathroom Arrangement

Red Vibrant Flowers

Heart On Bed

As you can see, the Hibiscus flowers represents on of the most beautiful blossoms in the tropics. In the colder zones, this plant family emerges in the summer time and produces eloquent blooms. Here are a couple of shots a flower from zone seven.

Yellow Beauty

Details

The Hibiscus family is one of the most exciting flowering plants to view. The mass of flowers that each specimen produces shows a display of natural beauty in many different locations. The tropics are one of the predominant destinations to see this wonderful plant.