Description
Hibiscus moscheutos
CT DR RG P
Soil: Moist, Rich, Slightly Acidic
Moisture: Average to Wet
Light: Full Sun
Plant Height: 3 to 8 feet
Plant Width: 2 to 4 feet
Pests: Japanese beetles
Landscape Value: Good for moist borders, rain gardens, wet meadows, water gardens, along stream and pond edges, and in low soggy spots in the landscape. Can be grown as a temporary summer screen.
A shrubby perennial with numerous sturdy stems and large, heart-shaped leaves that are grayish-green above and white-hairy beneath. Showy, large, hollyhock-like flowers are usually creamy-white with a crimson eye, but occasionally pink or rose colored. Flowers consistently open between 9 and 11 am EST and last only 1-2 days, but new flowers bloom each day in rapid succession from July to September. When planting, choose sites protected from wind to minimize windburn. To create bushier plants, pinch back growing tips when they reach 8” and again at 12”. Cut back stems to 3-4 inches in late autumn. New growth is slow to emerge in spring, but once it begins, growth proceeds rapidly. Keep soil from drying out to avoid leaf scorch. Attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Pollinated by long-tongued bees, including bumblebees and the specialist Rose Mallow bee that collects pollen only from Hibiscus plants. Tolerates heat, humidity, clay soil, some salt, and shallow, standing water.
3 gallon pot
Photo credits:
Chesapeake Bay Native Plant Center
US Fish & Wildlife Service (photo by Bob Glennon)
