Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
White Wings Hibiscus
White Wings Hibiscus is a named tropical hibiscus with single white flowers, each with a bright red center. It is a fast, bushy shrub that blooms from spring through fall in the Valley, and butterflies and hummingbirds visit the flowers. Use it as a flowering screen, a patio accent or a large potted plant. It does best with morning sun, afternoon shade and regular deep water.
Best for: bright white flowers on an east-facing bed or screen, patio and entry accents, and large pots that can move under cover on frost nights.
Each single white flower has a bright red center, and new flowers keep opening from spring through fall. Each one lasts a day or two, and butterflies visit them.
It grows fast into a bushy shrub about 6 to 10 feet tall in the Valley. Plant them about 4 feet apart along an east-facing fence for a dense flowering row.
A large glazed pot or half barrel by an entry or patio suits it well. The pot can move under a roof on freezing nights, and trimming keeps it a tidy size.
Hot afternoon sun on a west wall, frost below about 30°F and soggy soil all set it back. Without trimming it can get leggy, and Valley soil can yellow the leaves without added iron.
- Dense hedge row4 ft apart
- Bed or loose screen6 ft apart
Water deeply and regularly so the soil stays evenly moist but never soggy. Give it water weekly or more in extreme summer heat, and cut back in winter.
Cut it back by about a third once or twice a year to keep it full instead of leggy. Make the main cut in spring once frost danger has passed, from late February to mid March.
White Wings 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 take it off in the morning.
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.
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.
What does White Wings hibiscus look like?
It has large single white flowers with a bright red center, set against glossy green leaves. Each flower lasts a day or two, and new ones open from spring through fall.
What is the difference between White Wings and White Hibiscus?
Both are tropical hibiscus with the same care. White Wings is one named variety whose white flowers have a bright red center. Pick it if you want that red eye in the flower.
How big does White Wings hibiscus get?
It usually grows about 6 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide. Trim it each spring to keep it bushy and at the size you want.
How fast does White Wings hibiscus grow?
It grows fast once it is rooted in, with steady water and feeding through the warm season. Regular trimming turns that growth into a fuller, bushier plant.
Can White Wings 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 White Wings 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 do I keep White Wings hibiscus from getting leggy?
Prune it to control leggy growth, cutting it back by about a third once or twice a year. Do the main cut in spring after frost danger, from late February to mid March.
How cold can White Wings hibiscus take?
It is frost tender and does best above about 30°F. On freezing nights, drape frost cloth or an old sheet to the ground and move pots under a roof. Take covers off in the morning.
Why is my White Wings hibiscus dropping buds?
A sudden cold snap is a common cause, since buds can fall when nights drop into the 30s. Cover the plant on cold nights, and keep watering steady through the year.
What bugs attack hibiscus?
Aphids and whiteflies are the common ones, often clustered on new leaves and flower buds. Check the plant often, figure out which pest you have, then treat for that one.
White Wings Hibiscus for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
White Wings Hibiscus brings bright white, red-centered flowers to Valley yards from spring through fall. It grows fast and bushy with morning sun, afternoon shade and steady water. This page covers flower color, size, screens, pots, pruning, frost and how it compares with our White Hibiscus.
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White Wings hibiscus in Phoenix
White Wings is a fast, bushy tropical hibiscus with white, red-centered flowers from spring through fall. Give it morning sun, afternoon shade and regular deep water.
White Wings vs White Hibiscus
Both take the same care in the Valley. White Wings is a named variety with a bright red center in each white flower, while our White Hibiscus is the general white form.
How big does White Wings hibiscus get?
Plan on about 6 to 10 feet tall and 4 to 8 feet wide. Trimming by about a third once or twice a year keeps it bushy and smaller.
Where to plant White Wings hibiscus
Plant it on the east side of the house or anywhere with shade after noon. Keep it off hot west walls, which are hard on hibiscus in summer.
White Wings hibiscus in pots
It does well in a large pot on a patio or by an entry. A pot also makes frost nights easy, since you can move it under a roof.
Protecting White Wings hibiscus from frost
It is frost tender and does best above about 30°F. Cover plants in the ground on freezing nights, and wait until spring to prune off any frost damage.
How far apart to plant White Wings hibiscus
Space plants about 4 feet apart for a dense hedge row or about 6 feet apart for a bed or loose screen.
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