Hardy Hibiscus is "Bloomin' in the Patch"

Receiving the gift of an hibiscus is a gentle wish that you have a nice summer. The meaning of hibiscus flower is “delicate beauty.” The particular hibiscus that is now “Bloomin' in the Patch” is the “Hardy Hibiscus,” also known as a “Giant Rose Mallow,” “Hibiscus Grandiflorus,” or “Swamp Mallow” and is a member of the okra family “Malvaceae.”

The Rose Mallow grows wild in marshes and the edges of swamps, ponds and streams on the southeastern U.S. Coastal Plain from southern Louisiana to Florida and Georgia. It is a big herbaceous perennial, sometimes reaching 10 ft or more in height, and often developing a semi-woody stem near its base. The three-lobed leaves are grayish green framing huge flowers, with five six-inch petals making up a flower that can be easily 10-inches wide. They open in the late afternoon and are finished by noon the following day, but a succession of blooms (up to a dozen or more per plant each day) keeps up the show from mid summer through autumn. The colors range from white to pinks and red.

A happy giant rose mallow plant grows bigger each year by adding additional stalks from its root crown. I have one that is 14 years old, started from an old plant, and pieces of it have been transferred to other gardens. You simply propagate by dividing the root mass in the very early spring.  You can also collect seeds and try planting them in the spring.

Hardy Hibiscus are at , Home Depot in Long Branch and Sickles Market, but the plants appear small, sometime only 2 feet in height. Do not let this persuade you to plant them at the edge of a garden (mine are 5 feet tall!). Plant them at the back, in full sunlight and they will give you years of continued pleasure, especially at this time of year when the lilies are finished and the annuals start to look leggy. Do give it extra water during this time of the year in the afternoons keeping the blooms fresh for the next day. They are wonderful to grow in the vegetable garden!

The plants die back to the ground each year and produce all new growth in the spring. You can cut back the old stems anytime from fall to early spring. It does not appear to be affected by insects, but it does attract the hummingbirds and bees.