Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Itsy Bitsy Hibiscus
Itsy Bitsy Hibiscus is a tropical hibiscus known for its many small, bright red flowers and glossy green leaves. It blooms heavily from spring through fall in the Valley, and hummingbirds visit the flowers. It works in large pots, along walls and walkways, and as a clipped accent by an entry or column. Give it morning sun, afternoon shade and regular deep water.
Best for: large patio pots, beds along a shaded wall or walkway, and clipped accents by an entry or column.
Itsy Bitsy is a common pick for large containers on a patio or by an entry. A pot keeps it smaller, and it can go under a roof on freezing nights.
Plant it along a walkway or against a wall that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Leave about 4 feet between plants, since each one can spread 5 to 8 feet.
It can be clipped to hold a neat shape as an accent by a column or entry. Do the main shaping in spring after frost danger has passed.
Afternoon sun on a hot west wall, frost below about 30°F and soggy soil all set it back. Frost can damage the flowers, and Valley soil can yellow the leaves without added iron.
- Dense hedge row4 ft apart
- Bed or loose screen6 ft apart
Keep the soil evenly moist but draining with deep, regular water. Water weekly or more in extreme summer heat, and less in winter when growth slows.
Make the main cut in spring once frost danger has passed, from late February to mid March. Light clipping keeps a pot or accent plant neat and smaller.
Itsy Bitsy is frost tender and does best above about 30°F. On freezing nights, drape frost cloth or a sheet to the ground, never plastic, and move pots under a roof.
Feed it regularly through the warm growing season. If new leaves turn yellow between green veins, the alkaline soil is short on iron, so add an iron product for plants.
Aphids and whiteflies cluster on new leaves and flower buds. Check the plant often, figure out which pest you have, then treat for that pest.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
Is Itsy Bitsy a dwarf hibiscus?
No. The name refers to its small flowers, not the plant. In the ground it grows into a full shrub about 6 to 10 feet tall. Keep it in a pot or clip it if you want it small.
What do Itsy Bitsy hibiscus flowers look like?
The flowers are small, single and bright red, set against glossy green leaves. The plant blooms heavily, and each flower lasts a day or two before new ones open.
What is the difference between Itsy Bitsy and Red Hibiscus?
Both are tropical hibiscus with the same care. Itsy Bitsy is one named variety with smaller red flowers in larger numbers, while our Red Hibiscus is the general red form with bigger flowers.
How big does Itsy Bitsy hibiscus get?
Plan on about 6 to 10 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide in the ground. It grows at a moderate pace, and a pot or regular clipping keeps it much smaller.
Can I grow Itsy Bitsy hibiscus in a pot?
Yes. It does well in a large container on a patio or by an entry. Use a pot that drains well, and move it under a roof on freezing nights.
Can Itsy Bitsy hibiscus take full sun in Phoenix?
It does best with morning sun and afternoon shade here. Plant it on the east side of the house, and keep it off hot west walls.
How often should I water Itsy Bitsy hibiscus?
Water deeply and regularly so the soil stays evenly moist but drains well. In extreme summer heat that means weekly or more, and less in winter.
How cold can Itsy Bitsy hibiscus take?
It is frost tender and does best above about 30°F, and frost can damage the flowers. On freezing nights, cover plants in the ground with frost cloth and move pots under a roof.
Why are my hibiscus leaves turning yellow?
Alkaline Valley soil often yellows the leaves between green veins, so add an iron product for plants. Soggy soil and cold snaps also yellow leaves, so let it drain between waterings.
When should I prune Itsy Bitsy hibiscus?
Do the main pruning in spring after frost danger, from late February to mid March in the Valley. Light clipping keeps an accent or pot plant in shape.
Itsy Bitsy Hibiscus for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Itsy Bitsy Hibiscus covers itself in small, bright red flowers from spring through fall. Despite the name, the plant grows into a full-size shrub. This page covers its real size, pots, clipping, water, frost and how it compares with our Red Hibiscus.
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Itsy Bitsy hibiscus in Phoenix
Itsy Bitsy is a tropical hibiscus covered in small, bright red flowers from spring through fall. Give it morning sun, afternoon shade and regular deep water.
Is Itsy Bitsy hibiscus a dwarf?
No. The name describes its small flowers. In the ground it can reach about 6 to 10 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide, so use a pot or clipping to keep it small.
Itsy Bitsy vs Red Hibiscus
Both take the same care in the Valley. Itsy Bitsy has smaller red flowers in larger numbers, while our Red Hibiscus is the general red form with bigger flowers.
Itsy Bitsy hibiscus in pots
It does well in large containers on patios and by entries. A pot keeps it smaller and lets you move it under a roof on freezing nights.
Where to plant Itsy Bitsy hibiscus
Plant it along a wall or walkway that gets morning sun and afternoon shade. Keep it off hot west walls, which are hard on hibiscus in summer.
Protecting Itsy Bitsy hibiscus from frost
It does best above about 30°F, and frost can damage the flowers. Cover plants in the ground on freezing nights, and wait until spring to prune off frost damage.
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