• Bring tropical hibiscus indoors during harsh Canadian winters.hibiscus image by adrimar imaging from Fotolia.com
  
  Growing hibiscus in the far northern climate during spring, summer and fall is difficult enough for Canadian gardeners, but growing the flowers during a Canadian winter probably seems downright impossible. While your hibiscus plant probably won't bloom as it did during warmer seasons, if you take special care of your flowers over the winter, they'll live to see another spring.
  
  

Hardy and Tropical Hibiscus

• If you have a hardy hibiscus plant, you don't need to do much to ensure its survival, although you can't expect it to bloom over a Canadian winter. Hardy hibiscus plants die to the ground over the winter season, but their roots can survive freezing and wet soil. If you aren't sure whether your Canadian hibiscus is hardy or tropical, check the leaves. Hardy hibiscus leaves are heart-shaped with a dull luster, while tropical hibiscus have glossy dark-green leaves. All you need to do for a hardy hibiscus is cut it back close to the ground after the first frost.
  
  

Bring It Indoors

• The Canadian tropical hibiscus needs much more attention than does its hardy relative. Before temperatures where you live in Canada drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, bring your tropical hibiscus indoors; otherwise it could die after just one or two good freezes. If you put your hibiscus in front of a window where it can get at least three hours of direct sunlight per day, you'll greatly increase its survival chances. Keep your hibiscus comfortable during its indoor vacation by keeping it in a pot that is at least 10 inches in diameter.
  
  

Winter Watering

• Since hibiscus plants don't like being over-watered, for best results, keep the soil relatively dry; however, do compensate for the drying effect that heaters have on indoor air by running a humidifier near your hibiscus, if possible. Mist your plant's leaves daily and keep its pot atop a tray full of water and gravel. At the Tropical Hibiscus website, Boca Joe recommends at least once per winter covering your plant's pot and soil with plastic, sealing the stem off, and then sticking the entire plant in the shower for a lukewarm soaking to keep aphids and white flies at bay.
  
  

Consider Year-Round Potting

• Keeping your tropical hibiscus in a pot year round will help it survive the sometimes brutal Canadian winter by eliminating the need to re-pot it every fall. Re-potting stresses out your tropical hibiscus and it won't get re-established before the winter season, when it grows more sluggishly anyway.
  
  

Soil Solutions

• Instead of regular potting soil, use a seed starting mix or a soil-less mix containing vermiculite, peat moss, perlite and bark; your Canadian hibiscus needs the better drainage, especially over the winter months. Once your plant has made it through most of winter, remove the top 2 inches of your plant's soil and replace it with slow-release fertilizer.