Hibiscus in Seattle?

It is sad to watch a plant suffer.  And plants which are clearly out of their eco-system, are especially sad cases.  I have a plant that is in need of Plant Amnesty--a one way ticket to Honolulu to be precise.

My very unhappy hibiscus plant

My plant's journey through suffering began last May.  It was a birthday gift to me from a good friend who loves plants as much as I do.  And when it was given to me, it was stunning.  It's leaves were thick and glossy, and it was covered in beautiful golden yellow Hawaii blossoms.  No doubt it was started in a nice warm nursery, coddled with simulated south pacific island air.  I've never had a hibiscus before, but I was excited about creating a tropical container for our summer patio.  My plan was to combine the hibiscus with some other tropical looking plants--maybe an interesting coleus, with a lime-green sweet potato vine and some bright pink impatiens.

My enthusiasm waned however, after I did a bit of research on this plant family.  I found out that hibiscus' like temperatures in the range of 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.  In May, we were a long way from that type of warmth!  And so I began the work of trying to keep the little hibiscus happy until summer appeared.  I kept it in its little plastic pot in a sunny spot in our dining room.  And when the temperature got warm enough outside, I moved it to a warm spot on our deck.  If you've seen any weather data about Seattle this year, you will find that up until August, my plant's outside time could be measured in hours, not days.

Finally....a bloom!

My plan of a tropical container ended as I watched the hibiscus shrink to about half its size.  It was withering away! I focused instead on trying to keep it happy.  I misted it with water, I put it in the warmest parts of the garden, and finally last week it bloomed again!  Such a sunny flower, but I'm not sure it was worth the effort.  The plant is still clearly miserable, and summer--what summer we had--is on its way out. This was just not the summer for hibiscus in Seattle.

Because I am still harboring fantasies about tropical plants, I may try to overwinter the hibiscus in the dining room and try again for next year.  But if the plant keeps shrinking, this may not end well.  Unless of course Plant Amnesty steps in and saves my little hibiscus with a one-way ticket to Hawaii.