Lagunaria patersonii - Norfolk Island Hibiscus

The Lagunaria patersonii, also known as the 'Norfolk Island Hibiscus' due to its Australian origins, is a small evergreen tree with numerous qualities. Adorned with a beautiful summer flowering, requiring little regarding soil nature, it is perfectly resistant to sea spray and tolerates summer drought quite well once established. If this plant is cultivated less often in our gardens, it is because of its poor resistance to cold, which condemns it from -5°C (23 °F). In summer, with its pretty hibiscus flowers of a pearlescent pink tucked in the axil of each of its olive-green leaves, it is as charming as a camellia in winter or a Japanese cherry tree in early spring! It will work wonders planted solitary in a small seaside garden. Its slow growth and good pruning tolerance allow its cultivation in a large pot for many years, which allows gardeners in colder climates to enjoy its beautiful flowering in the beautiful season on the terrace, and to shelter it from severe frosts in a cold greenhouse or a slightly heated veranda.

The Lagunaria patersonii (synonym Hibiscus patersonius, Solandra squamea) is a small tree belonging to the mallow family, such as hollyhocks and marshmallow. It is native to Australia, specifically from Norfolk and Lord Howe Islands, and Queensland. It has a lovely pyramidal habit and will reach about 5m (16 ft 5 in) in height and 2m (6 ft 7 in) in span, after many years. It bears ovate, tough leaves, covered with grey hairs, denser on the back. They are 5 to 10 cm (2 to 3.9 in) long and have an olive green upper surface, while the underside is greyer, very villous. Flowering begins at the end of June and lasts about 2 weeks. The flowers, solitary, 5cm (2 in) wide, are composed of 5 reflexed petals of waxy texture, arranged in an open cup, surrounding a central column composed of the pistil and yellow stamens. They bloom in a fresh pink, then become almost white at ripeness. They are followed by the formation of a large number of fruits, which are capsules. Each, persisting a few months on the tree, is lined with bristles reputed to be irritating to the skin, and contains smooth light orange seeds.

The Lagunaria patersonii is appreciated in privileged climates or in a large pot for the beauty of its flowering, despite its rather short duration. Easy to grow, it tolerates sea spray well, making it a good subject to plant in a windbreak hedge in a coastal garden. When planted in a wind-swept area, it sometimes takes on a somewhat distorted, contorted, tormented habit, with a singular graphic. It can be associated in a flowering hedge with Feijoa, Lagerstroemia, Sophora davidii and Myrtus communis Pumila. On the terrace, it can accompany for example an oleander, a Melaleuca gibbosa, and a Caesalpinia gilliesii.