Hardy hibiscuses are happy-looking creatures, coloring summer gardens with 10-inch-wide flowers in reds, whites and pinks.
Don't confuse hardy hibiscus -- Hibiscus moscheutos -- with the tropical hibiscus, commonly called Chinese hibiscus -- Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. Hardy hibiscuses are sturdy and don't wilt or collapse in summer heat, especially the newer ones.
The new hibiscuses grow 3 to 6 feet tall and will thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and endure poor soils, flood and drought. They withstand temperatures from minus 25 degrees Fahrenheit to more than 100 degrees, and they also resist many pests and diseases.
These tough perennials make excellent flowering hedges or massed plantings for a tropical-looking touch to your gardens. They mix well with other perennials. Hardy hibiscus are good design partners with ornamental grasses, along with daylilies, Russian sage and other garden plants.
Place hardy hibiscus in a site that gets at least five to six hours of sun or more each day. Although soil fertility doesn't need to be high, the plants reach peak performance if they're grown in rich organic soil with ample moisture. You can mulch or not. Hardy hibiscus also do very well in damp to wet soil.
For bushier plants, place them on 3- to 5-foot centers and pinch back the growing tips when the plants are 8 inches tall and again when they're 12 inches tall. After hard frost in the fall, cut the plants back to 4 to 5 inches. New spring growth rises from the roots. Most of our hibiscus will be ready to ship April 01, 2009.
Its hard to believe that this tropical looking plant is hardy to zone 4! Enormous, dinner plate sized white flowers explode from robust, shrub-like plants. Blooms begin to appear in mid summer and continue to unfurl right up until the first frost. Blue River is continued to be a heavy bloomer and with age the flowers get larger and larger. The pure white flowers of this Hardy Hibiscus have no contrasting eye, making them perfect for the all white or moonlight garden. The leaves of Blue River have a subtle hint of blue in them creating a very elegant backdrop for the large white flowers. Introduced by Dr. Harold F. Winters who found this beautiful perennial growing along the bank of the Blue River in southern Oklahoma - hence the name. Hibiscus are true sun lovers and need a rich moist soil. While Hibiscus will grow in dryer soils - providing the plants with adequate water will reward you with larger blooms and lush foliage.
Turn of the Century is a very tall, vigorous, sturdy, erect hibiscus typically growing 6-8' high and features dinner plate-sized, 5-petaled, hollyhock-like flowers. Turn of the Century has beautiful bi-colored blossoms with petals rangeing from red to light pink, looking very much like a pinwheel. Each flower has a prominent, pale yellow, tubular central staminal column. These beautiful blooms are shown off perfectly with the green cut leaf foliage. This plant seems to do well in central Texas in a little afternoon shade. In cooler climates, it will do well in full sun. Turn of the Century is a real showstopper! It is hardy thru zone 5, and has no insect or disease problems. This plant will be beautiful in a large container or as the feature plant in the border. Don’t miss this lovely plant.
Ann Arundel is like cotton candy. Ann Arundel is a compact, vigorous, sturdy, erect, woody-based hibiscus cultivar that typically grows 4-5' tall and features dinner plate-sized (up to 9 inches), 5-petaled, hollyhock-like flowers. Flowers are clear pink. Each flower has a prominent and showy central staminal column. Ann will have lots of blooms up and down the stem -- meaning you are going to get a bunch of blooms at one time and they just keep coming. We grow ours in a large container and it is a large bouquet in bloom. Absolutely stunning!! Hardy thru zone 4 with no serious insect or disease problems.
Lady Baltimore is so very much a lady in the hibiscus world. Rather tailored, cupped blooms of a soft pink but then she has a bright enamel red eyezone. Quite a contrast. Makes for a very pretty, different specimen in the landscape. Beautiful, dark green lobed leaves sets this beauty off perfectly. Lots of blooms all summer. Definetely a "What's that?" kind of plant. Hardy thru zone 4 with no serious insect or disease problems.
Most people understand that “Muoy Grande” is Spanish for “very big”. However, Moy Grande is a hardy hibiscus cultivar with perhaps the largest flowers ever developed. It was hybridized by Dr. Ying Doon Moy at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, and sports enormous 12” diameter rose-pink blooms. When you have six or seven blooms open at one time,the only other thing you need is a cup of coffee and a little time to enjoy. This is a very hardy plant and blooms prolifically. This is also listed as a Texas Superstar. It is hardy thru zone 5 and will make you a very nice border plant as well as a large container plant. Don’t miss this lovely specieman plant.