The
"Hardy Hibiscus" (Hibiscus moscheutos) is a wonderful flowering
plant which gives us bloom in July and August. It is always enjoyable
to have something in bloom in mid-summer for extended visual pleasure.
If not careful, one can establish a spring color blitz which may produce
a color void in the hot summer. Hardy hibiscus works well in alleviating
summer periods lacking in color bloom.
The hardy hibiscus is also called "rose mallow" or "swamp rose". This plant is deciduous, requires full sun, and is hardy from Zones 4 to 9 - pretty much anywhere. The hardy hibiscus is a native of the swamps which makes it an excellent choice for wet areas. Also known as "marsh mallow", they can be seen blooming on the roadsides throughout the Dismal Swamp in North Carolina. This is an interesting route to take to the beach if you're not in a hurry.
My "Lady Baltimore" hardy hibiscus has been providing me with the pleasure of "tissue paper like" pink blossoms with a deep red eye, opening 6 to 8 inches in diameter early in the morning. As the morning progresses the blossoms tightly twist to a close. The blooms are short lived lasting 1 to 3 days, but they are quickly replaced by a profusion of new buds. The hardy hibiscus bloom period generally lasts 2 to 4 weeks.
The hardy hibiscus is low maintenance in that I cut the previous year's dead stems back to 6 inches in early spring. Keep the plant evenly moist as you would any garden plant. New growth of the hardy hibiscus does not appear until late May or early June, so don't be alarmed. As with many plants which occur in a natural environment, the hardy hibiscus seems to be a low maintenance and low fertility plant. No one is trimming and fertilizing plants in nature and they adapt accordingly. This is a plant I strongly recommend incorporating into your landscape.
Andy Lynn