The woody flowering plant with the longest blooming period, flowering in all four seasons with large, brightly colored blooms; easy to grow and can even be trained as a bonsai

Introduction

Potted greenery is an essential decorative element of home life. Keeping some flowers and plants at home brings many benefits - it beautifies the room and lifts your mood. "Flower Sound Potted Plant Diary, Issue 1262" introduces you to a woody flowering plant with an exceptionally long blooming period.

Today's Featured Plant

When you think of the plants with the longest blooming periods, you might think of herbaceous flowers like moss rose, petunia, kalanchoe and lisianthus, which can bloom across multiple seasons with proper care. The woody plant we introduce today needs no special care to bloom nonstop through all four seasons.

Zhuangyuan Hong

This flower is called Zhuangyuan Hong, Big Red Flower and other names here, named for its usual large red blooms. Its scientific name is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis (Chinese hibiscus), a shrub in the mallow family, genus Hibiscus. It is native to China, Southeast Asia and other places, and is now introduced all over the world. It is a famous flower worldwide and much loved by gardeners.

Large blooms, vivid colors

Zhuangyuan Hong has many horticultural varieties, the most famous being the "Danish hibiscus" bred in Denmark. The plant is low-growing, only about 30 cm tall, with large, brightly colored blooms up to 15 cm in diameter, comparable to an adult's palm, in colors such as bright red, pink, rose red, yellow and cream.

Exceptionally long blooming period

Zhuangyuan Hong is one of the plants with the longest blooming periods on Earth, flowering nonstop all year round. Although a single flower lasts only a few days before fading, it produces a great many buds - as soon as one flower fades, a new one opens, wave after wave without interruption, giving an exceptionally long ornamental period.

It roots from cuttings

Zhuangyuan Hong is also very vigorous. Although it is a woody plant, it can be propagated from cuttings like succulents - put a branch in clean water and it will root and sprout in about 15 days. One mother plant can yield many pots of flowers a year. It is very hardy and can be cared for as casually as pothos or spider plant. Its drawback is that it is not cold-tolerant, so in northern regions it must be moved indoors in winter.

Bonsai tree

Zhuangyuan Hong branches profusely, has a compact and attractive shape, grows quickly and tolerates pruning. It can be trained into a beautiful bonsai tree according to your preference - with both shape and, when in bloom, a whole tree of red flowers, beautiful and festive. It is suitable as a Chinese New Year flower and is a rare fine potted plant and excellent bonsai material.