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Hibiscus moscheutos |
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| Common name |
hardy hibiscus; swamp rose-mallow |
| Family |
malvaceae |
| Life cycle |
perennial (Z4-9) |
| Flowers |
pink, white, and/or red (mid-July-August) |
| Size |
4-6' |
| Light |
sun |
| Cultural notes |
ordinary garden soil |
From seed  |
self-seeds in our garden
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| Seed ripens | mid-September |
Although hardy hibiscus occurs naturally in wet areas, it does just fine in our garden, even in decidedly dry spots. It is a contender for the title of "Latest plant to re-emerge in spring", but once it does, it quickly grows to a full, bushy plant, with huge eye-popping flowers in the middle of summer. Ours have a few different color combinations and flower shapes. They are, unfortunately, a favorite of our Japanese beetle population, but we wouldn't be without these magnificent plants.
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| | Larvae of the hibiscus sawfly also like to feast on its leaves. |
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We left this plant behind in our Pennsylvania garden (and wish it well); we don't grow it in Houston. Seed for this plant is included on my seed trade list One or more images of this plant are included in my stock photo catalog About my plant portraits
PlantLinks to other web pages about Hibiscus moscheutos
Visitors to this page have left the following comments| susanmannajr | Oct 21, 2006 | I just happened upon your website after googling hibisus moscheutos. I'm in charge of the grounds at my childrens school. I am trying to bring some charm to the landscape. Since spring and fall are when most people will be viewing the grounds I was wondering if you have any ideas what favorite plants you might recommend for the grounds. There are areas that get full sun and moderate sun. Thank You Susan Manna
I'm also officially taking care of my first-grader's school plantings (although I haven't gotten around to too much this year). One of the problems is the lack of maintenance (watering, mostly) through summer, so you need tough plants. No wonder our school's sunny areas were almost exclusively planted with Stella d'Oro daylilies when I first saw them! I've added Moonbeam coreopsis, germander, Mongolian aster, and a few other robust performers, and will be experimenting with some more next season. I hope I get a key to the outside spigot this time around :-) |
| anon | Oct 29, 2008 | doing research-- only page i found about what feeds on the Hibiscus moscheutos. |
| judith.roger@sympatico.ca | May 22, 2009 | I have a Hibiscus Moscheutos "Luna" red plant and want to know if it can safely be split to make 2 plants. The plant is 2 years old.
H. moscheutos has a very woody base - it would certainly be difficult to split it, but I don't know the likelihood of success. You could try to take cuttings as a first attempt. |
| rupppegj@yahoo.com | Aug 02, 2009 | I live in zone 4 in Lancaster, Wi. I was wondering if you thought this Hibiscus would make it though the winters. Or what type of Hibiscus would I have to get for this zone. I really like this flower a real showy plant.
Thank-you
According to most sources, this hibiscus is hardy to zone 4 or 5. I think it is likely to survive in zone 4. |
| Ed Dibble | Aug 18, 2009 | I live in Madison IN and just purchased my second Hibiscus Mascheutos. This one had almost white blooms and the blooms are almost 8 inches across when fully opened. Thw lady at the nursury said I shoukd wait until the plant is dieing back in the fall and then cut the plant to about three inches. Is this how you have pruned the plant?
That sounds about right. But it's OK too to let the top growth persist till spring. |
| Jim Brossette | Sep 24, 2009 | Can the Hibiscus Moscheutos be crossed with the Hibiscus rosa-sinesis. Can the two be grafted to each other?
I'm by no means knowledgeable about hybridization or grafting, but somehow I doubt that these very different species can (easily) be combined in these ways. |
| Tvish | Sep 29, 2009 | I am thinking of making a foundation border with these plants. This is right next to our porch. Do you think its okay to make a foundation border with hibiscus?I was planning on planting 3 or 4 in a row
Thanks
A few things to keep in mind: these hibiscus are very slow to return in spring. You'll be looking at a bare foundation all winter and most of spring. Also, they are not the tidiest plants - especially if you get Japanese beetles and hibiscus sawfly larvae skeletonizing your plants. But if you can live with less than 100% neatness, they certainly pack a punch in summer. |
| Diana | Aug 15, 2010 | I live in Mississauga, Ontario and I just purchased the Rose Mallow, what do you do with it in the fall. Do you cut it down and it regrows in the spring I have never had this type of plant before. I have the Hibiscus that you take in the fall into the house. I have other perennials but not this type.
Yes, just cut down the stalks in fall, and wait (patiently) for new growth to sprout in spring. They'll be bigger every year. |
| Antonia suarez | Jul 19, 2011 | This is the fist time that I've seen this Plant and i fell in love with it. I just want to know if I'm going to have the Plant back in the spring. I have purchased two Hibiscus Moscheutos Plants and I've planted them in my garden for the first time and were in July and I also live in Gainesville,Fl. And just wanted to know if there going to survive here?
Yes, I think they'll be just fine. According to Floridata, they can be grown as far south as zone 10. |
| Graziana | Aug 01, 2011 | Ho un Hibiscus moscheutus ed è una meraviglia ha dei fiori splendidi,bianchi screziati di rosa e color fucsia.La taglio in inverno,in primavera germoglia di nuovo diventando una pianta splendida ed in luglio ha una fioritura stupenda.Il clima temperato della mia regione che è la Toscana in Italia,è perfetto.Saluti. |
| James Dean | Oct 08, 2011 | I have four moscheuto hibiscus plants that I planted in the corner of my backyard in early June 2011 and Im so relieved to know that they will grow back next Spring I have enjoyed there white blooms all summer in the Houston heatwave and I noticed around October 9th they stopped blooming |
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