Best way to preserve Hibiscus flower and leaf for winter?

Toddrickfl1

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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?
 

Redfool

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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”.
 

Toddrickfl1

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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.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I dehydrated some others and put them in jars. See which method works best.20180707_064924.jpg
 

Toddrickfl1

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@wellington This is what they look like today, a month later 20180811_163444.jpg
 

Maro2Bear

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@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.
 

Toddrickfl1

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I have this one of greens too.

20180811_175358.jpg
 

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