# Best way to preserve Hibiscus flower and leaf for winter?



## Toddrickfl1 (Jun 30, 2018)

I have three huge Rose of Sharon bushes and I want to store some flowers and leaf away for winter. Anybody have tips on the best way to do this? Should I freeze em, dehydrate them, vacuum seal?


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## Turtulas-Len (Jun 30, 2018)

I dehydrate using the sun and store in paper bags in dry unheated shed.


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## Redfool (Jun 30, 2018)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> I have three huge Rose of Sharon bushes and I want to store some flowers and leaf away for winter. Anybody have tips on the best way to do this? Should I freeze em, dehydrate them, vacuum seal?



Move to Florida! They flower and grow year round. Free food and can grow a whole new bush from a stem cutting. I don’t know about preserving them but I have noticed my redfoots prefer the older tougher leaves over the young tender ones. When I fine chop the older leaves they have a sappy slime that must taste like honey to my torts. The younger leaves don’t have much of this slime. When leaves are left overnight under their heat lamp they dry out but they still get eaten. I guess they think of them as “hibiscuchips”.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jun 30, 2018)

Redfool said:


> Move to Florida! They flower and grow year round. Free food and can grow a whole new bush from a stem cutting. I don’t know about preserving them but I have noticed my redfoots prefer the older tougher leaves over the young tender ones. When I fine chop the older leaves they have a sappy slime that must taste like honey to my torts. The younger leaves don’t have much of this slime. When leaves are left overnight under their heat lamp they dry out but they still get eaten. I guess they think of them as “hibiscuchips”.


Lol Hibicuschips, Yeah I grew up in Fort Lauderdale. Not for me anymore. Got tired of the heat and hurricanes.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jul 1, 2018)

Winter rations, I've froze some, and I'm going to dry some then store them in mason jars.


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## Maro2Bear (Jul 1, 2018)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Winter rations, I've froze some, and I'm going to dry some then store them in mason jars.



Nice looking bunch of flowers.


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## daniellenc (Jul 1, 2018)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Winter rations, I've froze some, and I'm going to dry some then store them in mason jars.


Ugh I need to get on bagging mine. So many flowers and only one tortoise.


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## Maro2Bear (Jul 2, 2018)

daniellenc said:


> Ugh I need to get on bagging mine. So many flowers and only one tortoise.




There you go. Dehydrate, bag them up, slap a label, and sell for $2.99/bag plus shipping. Easy to ship, light, ziploc bag inside a jiffy bag, slap a label. Bam.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Jul 7, 2018)

I dehydrated some others and put them in jars. See which method works best.


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## taza (Aug 11, 2018)

how did you dehydrate them I have tonnes growing also


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## Toddrickfl1 (Aug 11, 2018)

taza said:


> how did you dehydrate them I have tonnes growing also


I just layed them out on a cardboard box on my kitchen table for about 2 weeks.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Aug 11, 2018)

@wellington This is what they look like today, a month later


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## Maro2Bear (Aug 11, 2018)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> @wellington This is what they look like today, a month later
> View attachment 247969



You could probably just dump those into a gallon size zip lock bag..... cheaper and easier to stow away than 50 Mason jars..

I pruned my Rose of Sharon way back in Springtime and fed a lot of the greens to our Sully then. It’s really JUST now popping in to daily blooms.


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## Toddrickfl1 (Aug 11, 2018)

I have this one of greens too.


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## wellington (Aug 11, 2018)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> @wellington This is what they look like today, a month later
> View attachment 247969


Thanks, not bad.


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## Sue Ann (Apr 19, 2019)

Toddrickfl1 said:


> Winter rations, I've froze some, and I'm going to dry some then store them in mason jars.



flowers are so pretty


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