A hibiscus plant produces pretty, delicately scented flowers that can be picked after wilting and dried for hibiscus tea. The hibiscus plant needs a warm climate, so it is an indoor plant in Germany.

 

The plant can either be bought ready-made or grown from seed. To do this, fill a flower pot with a mixture of sand, peat, perlite and wormstone. The seed is placed about one centimetre deep in the soil and covered. The pot must be kept warm and moistened occasionally, but do not overwater. After one week to one month the seed will start to sprout.
Unless the original pot was big enough, the sapling needs to be repotted to grow.

The hibiscus plant needs to be fertilised regularly to get as many flowers as possible. In spring, prune the plant to control the height and stimulate flower production.

When the hibiscus flowers start to fade, you can pick them. The flowers are cut off until only the calyx is left. The calyx is placed in the sun or oven to dry. The completely dried calyxes can be stored in a sealable container and used to make hibiscus tea. When dried in direct sunlight, the calyxes fade and lose their colour. To preserve the red colour for the tea infusion, place the flowers in the shade to dry.

Place the dried calyxes in a tea strainer and pour boiling water over them. Let steep for a few minutes until the tea has full flavour and colour. Dried flowers absorb the hot water and release aroma and colour. For tea infusions with fresh calyxes, boil them properly for a few minutes.