Hibiscus, Flare

Hibiscus moscheutos, commonly known as hardy hibiscus or swamp rose mallow, is a vigorous, sturdy, rounded, somewhat shrubby, hairy-stemmed, woody-based perennial of the mallow family. It typically grows to 3-7’ tall and to 2-4’ wide. It is native to wet spots (marshes, swamps, floodplains, river banks, moist meadows, and moist woods) from Ontario and Massachusetts south to Ohio, Indiana, Alabama and Florida. Showy, dinner plate-sized, hollyhock-like flowers (each to 4-6” diameter) have five overlapping white, creamy white or pink petals with reddish-purple to dark crimson bases which form a sharply contrasting central eye. Each flower has a prominent and showy central staminal column of white to pale yellow anthers surrounding an even longer style. Individual flowers last only 1-2 days, but new flowers open each day in rapid succession over a long July to September bloom period. At the peak of bloom, a large plant can produce 20 or more flowers per day. Flowers (to 6-9” wide) are among the largest flowers produced by any perennial that is winter hardy to the zones 5 and lower area. Alternate, broad-ovate to lanceolate leaves (3-8” long) with toothed margins are green above and white-hairy beneath. Leaves are lobeless or have 3-5 shallow lobes. Seed capsules will float on water which facilitates seed dispersal.