Hardy Hibiscus adds a touch of the tropics to your garden. Their large, showy blooms – up to 10-12” in diameter are stunning and one of my favorites. Better yet, they are a perennial, so they come back every year!

There are many different varieties ranging in height from 2 feet to 10 feet tall. This year the taller varieties are in short supply, however the smaller, compact plants, like the Luna and Honeymoon series, with their 6”-8” blooms are readily available.

They need full sun to produce their flowers but can handle some late afternoon shade. Blooms appear as the weather heats up and they continue to flower throughout the summer until the first frost arrives. Their bloom colors are white, red, pink, pink swirl, and white with a red dot in the center. They attract hummingbirds and butterflies to your garden also.

In the wild, they grow in swampy areas, so they do require watering daily during the growing season.

Winter care is easy too – after the first freeze the plant will die back, prune the plant to the ground and cover it with some mulch. They “wake up” later than most perennials in the spring, so don’t give up on them coming back. Once they break dormancy, they grow very quickly. They send up additional canes throughout the growing season adding width to the plant along with many more flowers.

The compact varieties are good for planting in the ground or in containers, giving you more options on where to add this “must have” perennial in your garden.