Hibiscus

I received a Starry Wind hibiscus plant from a friend last week. This plant needs a container about 10-14 inches and a lot of light and temperatures higher than 55 degrees farenheit. It cannot be allowed to dry out.

I replanted it and lost four buds in the process, but got a wonderful surprise this morning, a bloom:

The hibiscus should last several years if I bring it outside this summer and prune and de-insect with a Neem oil, water and castile soap mixture. it before bringing in for the winter.

My bloom should close at night. Then, I can harvest and dry it for tea or fry like a zucchini blossom.** Although my red hibiscus petals are supposed to be the sweetest for tea, I'm too enamoured with this particular bloom to cut it off and eat.

If you want to harvest your hibiscus, you can buy a dehydrator to dry out the flower petals (and use it for herbs too), but you can also use the good old fashioned heavy book method. That should take about 3-4 days. You can also dry them out in a brown paper bag and that will take about a week. Since I have a lot of old law and computer books, the book method works for me.

**be sure to only use the petals as the green part will be bitter. I'm not sure what the middle would taste like, but you're not supposed to eat that either.