JoinMy Hardy Hibiscus took it’s own sweet time blooming this year. It didn’t really start until perhaps the third week of August. It’s still blooming now though so I’m not complaining (too much).

The plant is approximately 5 feet tall. I’m growing it at the back of the garden near some white clematis and Yellow Graham Thomas English rose bushes.

The blooms are huge! They are at least 10″ to 12″ in diam. That’s twice the size of my Rose of Sharon blooms, which coincidentally is from the same family. It’s latin name is Hibiscus moscheutos .

Hardy hibiscus grows from 4′ to 6′ feet. They’re hardy from USDA zones 5a to 10b. It needs full sun, and it blooms from mid summer to late summer early fall.

If you are like me and you live in a cooler climate but want a tropical feel to an area of your garden find one of these plants. You won’t regret it as they are very easy to care for. The stems and branches die down in the winter. I simply mound a bit of earth and leaves around the lower stalks of the plant to protect it during the harshest part of our winter (as mine is planted in one of the coldest windiest areas of our garden). In the late spring I uncover the stalk and watch it slowly become green again. New shoots emerge around the old stalk and the plant slowly grows throughout the summer. Easy easy, and very pretty.

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