The Beauty of Dwarf Hibiscus Flower

 

Dwarf Hibiscus Flower in my "garden" - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Who's loves this tropical flower? Talking about Hibiscus, it is identic with the tropical island as well. I agree this flower has a different magnet that could bring us to a shiny place where we could enjoy a day by relaxing on the beach! And in this article, I am going to talk about the beauty of dwarf Hibiscus!

Generally, the Hibiscus flower has big open petals that big as our palm. I used to see red color in my hometown but sometimes I could find a white one. Basically, it was single petals, however, there are double petals in different varieties. Two things that I could picture about Hibiscus are ease to grow and low maintenance. It should have become popular for those reasons, but it was not. People in my village did not take this flower as their favorite one in the garden. Why? Because Hibiscus was just a common flower in the villager's eyes.

Moving to Singapore many years ago make me want to create a "garden" by collecting some flowers that I used to see in my father's garden or yards such as Jasmine flower, Portulaca, et cetera. By growing those flowers, I can memories the old time when my father was around. Furthermore, Jasmine flower was my grandma's favorite when she told on how I should give respect to my ancestor by picking some stem of Jasmine that had some buds and put it into a glass with water. However, even though my father grew so many flowers and plants but he did not plant Hibiscus.

Dwarf Hibiscus in my "garden"; the flower is not big as you think - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

I loved Biology. Every time when we were studying Biology subject in the class I had always been excited, especially when talking about floral. I remember when I was in my third year in Secondary school, our Biology teacher told us to collect some flowers and did some small research in the class. One of those flowers was Hibiscus. We studied every part of this flower, for instance, pollen, flower pistil, petals, et cetera. It was a fun day!   

I chose Hibiscus as a part of my "garden" plant because it is common in my hometown. By planting them I can feel the scent of my hometown. The funny thing is when my Indonesian friend has always said, "why I grow flower that has no value or cheaper flowers?" In their eyes, Hibiscus, Jasmine, Portulaca, Periwinkle, are just "kampoeng" flowers. "Kampoeng" means village, it means that those flowers do not have status or prestige. When planting flowers and plants, I do not concern about the status, I do gardening because I love nature and the beauty of its flowers. That's what I feel growing Hibiscus.

Maybe 2 years ago I have tried to grow Hibiscus by buying Orange and yellow ones. Unfortunately, I throw the yellow one because it had a bad condition last year. Moreover, we are in crisis because of the Coronavirus virus. I did not do gardening last year because our "garden" is in the corridor. I avoided contact with my neighbor to protect our community. Last year was the toughest year in Singapore, we were 2-month semi-lockdown. However, nowadays, we are in good shape which means Singapore has succeeded in stopping the spread of the Coronavirus and become one of the safer countries during a pandemic. 

My Dwarf Hibiscus - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

The one left is Orange Hibiscus in my "garden." It was several times the flower blooms and attracts Sunbird to stopping by before I trimmed it. It looks like it won't have flowered for a while because a new stem hasn't come yet. But I bought another Hibiscus, there are red and tiny yellow Hibiscus. The red one is normal size Hibiscus, meanwhile, the yellow one is tiny Hibiscus that I call Dwarf because the flower is cute and pretty!

I haven't seen before about tiny Hibiscus. So, this is the first time I am trying to grow this variety. It seems different from the normal size that has always been love sunshine. I am still observing this cutie and learn about it. My feeling is that this Hibiscus doesn't like direct hot sunlight, I am not sure. It still needs time for me to understand this flower habit. Unlike the normal size Hibiscus, the more gain bright sunlight they will actively produce flowers because generally, Hibiscus flower withstands hot weather. Therefore, they need water every day.

Dwarf Hibiscus buds - Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti

Dwarf Hibiscus has its own magnet that not only could attract Sunbird but also my eyes. I have always been feeling happy when I see flowers in my "garden."  By looking at this bright flower, I find peace for a while or just take me break and get their pictures.  That's why I have always said that gardening is not a hobby. For me, it is one of my way to make me smile! 

I think the Hibiscus flower is one of the best choices to create a "garden" in a hot weather place. I know, the best place to grow it is in the ground, however is not that bad for planting them in a pot. Giving them organic fertilizer, trimming them by cutting some stems, and watering them every day, I think is enough to maintain this Hibiscus. 

Thank you for reading my article. The next article could be Rain Lily! Take care and bye for now!🖐😉

Note:

• Written by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Photographed by Acik Mardhiyanti
• Do not copy this article without permission
• Do not reuse these photographs anywhere else without permission