Growing Hardy Hibiscus
If it seems like we talk a lot about hibiscus, it’s because we do! For the past few months, we have been talking about tropical hibiscus, and they are truly something! Today, we want to talk about perennial hibiscus, also called hardy hibiscus or rose mallow, which is Hibiscus moscheutos. Like many other perennials, these die back to the ground after a killing frost and come back from the root system the following year. There have been many improvements to this North American native plant; improved cultivars of a native are called nativars.
It can be hard to find hardy hibiscus exactly when you want them, which for us, seems to be April. They don’t come out of dormancy that early, or if they do, they aren’t strong plants at that time. They are growing strong now, late May and by the end of June, they will be fully budded and starting to bloom.
There is a lot to love about this plant! Each cultivar is unique; some have purple leaves, some varieties feature variegated leaves and all have huge, beautiful blooms. The individual blooms don’t last long but there are a good amount of blooms at leach branch end. Mature size also varies by cultivar. Planting these in groupings as a backdrop to other perennials is a good option, as is placing them in focal points here and there in landscapes.
‘Summer Carnival’ is shown above; it features the variegated leaves we mentioned AND dark magenta color blooms that can be as large at 7 inches across. The blooms show up particularly well against the variegated foliage. Other varieties we have right now include:
- Cherry Chocolate Latte
- Berry Awesome
- Watermelon Ruffle
- Edge of Night
- Cookies & Cream
- Lilac Crush (pictured at top)
Inventory changes frequently, but as of the time of writing this article, we have all of these in stock (late May 2026).