A flower picked up by the roadside is a treasure from head to toe: good to eat, good to look at, and good for treating coughs

Walking past the roadside, I casually picked up a flower from the ground, and on closer look it turned out to be a hibiscus flower. Though it was a bit wilted, its color still looked quite vivid. Looking around, it turned out that several hibiscus trees were planted along the street, and the flowers were still blooming in this season, though some had already begun to quietly fall.

Hibiscus flowers are brightly colored and can be used both for ornament and for eating. I knew since childhood that hibiscus flowers can be picked to stew chicken, and they have a very good effect on coughs caused by lung heat. If you get scalded, mashing up hibiscus flowers or leaves and applying them to the wound also works quite well.

Hibiscus flower is also called cotton rose hibiscus, and its place of origin is China, where it has a very long history of cultivation. It is a tree that can reach up to 5 m tall, and its flowering period is mainly from August to November. The flowers are large and gorgeous, very beautiful, and it is commonly cultivated in parks, roadsides, courtyards and other places. As an ornamental flower, the hibiscus flower is quite well liked.

To grow hibiscus flowers, you can choose the cutting method of propagation. It has low requirements for soil and is very tolerant of poor soil. For household potted planting, it is best to choose dwarf varieties and a larger flower pot. In addition, the potting soil should be loose, fertile, well-draining sandy soil, which is more favorable for its growth.

Hibiscus flowers are not cold-tolerant and prefer a warm environment with light. Their blooming happens to be in autumn, and with plenty of sunlight they bloom abundantly. If kept in a shaded environment for a long time, the branches become thin and weak, flowering is poor, and it easily causes flowers to drop, so only slight shading in summer is needed.

Hibiscus flowers also like a moist environment. Usually they need watering more frequently than ordinary flowers, especially during their growing season, when sufficient water must be provided. They are very tolerant of waterlogging and not of drought, so they must never be allowed to lack water. The potting soil should be kept moist for a long time, as long as there is no standing water.