Should You Cut Back Hibiscus in Winter? Gardening Experts Weigh In

The flamboyant blooms of hibiscus can be a gardener’s dream. However, it can also feel intimidating to maintain year-round, as hibiscus is a temperate plant that hails from locales with warmer weather.

Don't panic, though—you can help your hibiscus thrive during fall and winter with the proper pruning techniques. Here, we spoke to two experts about how to cut these flowers back the right way, so you'll have vibrant blooms for years to come.

Know Your Hibiscus

There are two main kinds of hibiscus: hardy and tropical.

“Hardy hibiscus is a reliable perennial that comes back year after year and produces huge, showy flowers,” says Sam Niemann, landscape designer and founder of Bleume and Grown by Design. “Most varieties do well in zones 4 through 9."

Depending on where you live, however, you may want to plant tropical hibiscus. “[This] is what you’ll see thriving in places like Florida or Hawaii,” adds Niemann. “They’re warm-weather shrubs that stay green year-round, and are loved for their constant blooms and bold colors.” 

When to Prune

Hardy hibiscus can be pruned either in late fall or in late winter to early spring. If you live on the colder side of their hardiness range, then Neimann recommends leaving the stems standing through winter. This will protect the crown from the cold.

Tropical hibiscus can be pruned any time of year, as long as frost isn’t a concern. It doesn't need as much pruning, however, so focus on shaping the plant instead and removing dead or damaged branches.

“For young or newly propagated plants, I recommend periodically pinching back the new growth as early as possible,” says Stephen McFarlane, regional landscaping manager at Sandals Resorts. “This helps the plant develop a bushier shape, which in turn produces more abundant blooms."

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How to Prune

Ready to get to pruning? “For hardy hibiscus, cut the plant all the way down to the crown,” says Neimann. “In practice, that means removing the old stems right to the soil line, leaving just a few inches at the base. Each spring, new shoots will grow from the crown.”

Tropical hibiscus can be pruned like other shrubs. Neimann recommends using a sharp pair of pruners to cut individual branches where needed, instead of shearing the whole plant. This keeps the natural shape and encourages healthy new growth.

McFarlane recommends making your cuts about a quarter inch above an outward-facing node. This helps create a fuller, bushier plant with good air circulation and an open center.

Another effective method is stagger pruning. “With this technique, we selectively cut back a few branches by about half their length, while leaving the others to continue growing,” he says. “This helps prevent the plant from becoming too leggy, and ensures there are always some branches producing blooms."