Hibiscus are wonderful, native plants that are sadly overlooked and underused in American gardens. The hardy garden hibiscus (mallows) are sun-loving native perennials with wonderful garden potential, because of their huge flowers that grow up to 10" wide in a variety of bright colors. Some of the newer hardy hibiscus hybrids even have purple foliage. Let's rectify this inequity and plant hibiscus in our gardens.
Read More About Hardy Hibiscus
Hardy garden hibiscus plants flower in midsummer and produce nectar for both butterflies and hummingbirds. Many hibiscus grow equally as well in soggy soil or typical garden conditions. Although hardy perennial hibiscus emerge from dormancy fairly late, they quickly grow to their mature size. We have trialed many perennial hibiscus species and hybrids, choosing the best ones to offer. When you are ready to buy a hardy hibiscus for your garden, we hope you will check out our list of hibiscus for sale.
Since 1988, Plant Delights Nursery has been the choice of serious gardeners and plant collectors looking for the best and rarest perennial plants. We are pleased to have received the Perennial Plant Association Retail Award in 2011, the American Horticulture Society Commercial Award in 2002, and to have been selected as one of the Best Mail Order Plant Sources - Garden Design Magazine 2010. Welcome to our family of plant lovers!
This wonderful native from NC, south and west to Texas, is one of the lesser-known of our native mallows. Hibiscus aculeatus is found in upland bogs, roadside ditches, and coastal pinelands within the Southeast. Although Hibiscus aculeatus likes moist feet, we have had very good luck growing it in raised sandy berms with regular watering. The fuzzy 4' stems are clothed with lobed, okra-like leaves. From the leaf axils, plenty of 4-5" open, cone-shaped, light yellow flowers highlighted with a dark purple eye are produced from early summer until fall...attractive to hummingbirds. Virtually everything about Hibiscus aculeatus is fuzzy...do not approach without a razor in hand. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This versatile native is equally at home in a swamp, submerged in a garden pool, or in a perennial border. The palmate-leaved (looks like a Japanese maple) Hibiscus coccineus has 6" brilliant red flowers on nice upright plants to 8' tall...a great see-through perennial. For us, Hibiscus coccineus flowers from June through October...attractive to hummingbirds. In the winter, we leave the stalks and enjoy the ornamental seed pods...great for arranging, both in the garden and in a vase! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This Frank Galloway discovery from Baldwin Co., Alabama, is one of several white-flowered forms of our typically red-flowered southeast native Hibiscus coccineus that has been recently discovered. The 8' tall green stems emerge in spring, clothed with green marijuana-like foliage. The stalks of Hibiscus 'Swamp Angel' are adorned with five-petaled, pure white flowers from summer through fall...a hummingbird favorite. Moist soils are best, but Hibiscus coccineus can make it through an amazing amount of drought as well. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This superb hibiscus hybrid from Walters Gardens is one of the most stunning selections we have grown. The brilliant red, almost scarlet flowers are unlike other hardy hibiscus whose red flowers are usually based in the blue spectrum. The 4' tall stalks are topped from midsummer through early fall with 7" wide, heavily-textured flowers with nicely overlapping petals...a hummingbird hub. Moist soils are best, but this hardy hibiscus is very drought-tolerant. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This 1999 hybrid from the late Fleming brothers, is a more compact version of the popular Hibiscus 'Kopper King'. Hibiscus 'Crown Jewels' boasts the same purple leaves on a compact plant to only 48" tall x 30" wide. Throughout the summer, the plants are adorned with 6", perfectly round flowers of white with a vivid dark red eye...a hummingbird favorite. This is a perfect plant for some really cool color combinations in the perennial border! As with most hibiscus, moist soils and plenty of sun give the best results. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This 1999 American Idol (not to be confused with the singing one) comes from the late Fleming brothers of Nebraska. Hibiscus 'Fantasia' is a heavy-blooming hybrid that boasts large, flat, rosy-pink flowers to 9" in width. Each flower is highlighted by a darker, rosy-red center pattern...attractive to hummingbirds. The green-foliaged, compact, 3' tall plants are adorned with flowers from midsummer until early fall. If you like your flowers "a little on the tacky side," you need this new mallow! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This dazzling 2001 introduction from the late Fleming brothers makes a compact 4' tall plant with fine-textured green foliage...often with a purple blush. From midsummer through early fall, the clumps are topped with brilliant, large burgundy-red flowers...a true showstopper and hummingbird favorite. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
We love this awesome hibiscus with felty grey leaves (right off an Elvis picture) on 8' stalks, topped with 10" light pink flowers in late summer...a structural marvel and hummingbird favorite in the garden. Its native habitat of brackish wetlands in the Southeast US is a testament to the durability of Hibiscus grandiflorus under adverse conditions. In winter, we (and the birds) enjoy the dramatic hairy seed pods perched atop the sturdy old stalks. Who needs toilet paper by the outhouse, when you've got a couple of velvet mallows? Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This exciting 1997 hybrid from Nebraska's famous Fleming brothers represents the culmination of 50 years of breeding. Hibiscus 'Kopper King' has stunning, dark purple foliage on a stocky 4' tall clump. From midsummer until early fall, the clumps are topped with giant, 1' wide, light pink flowers with a dark red eye and dramatic red veining...a huge hummingbird magnet. Designers should have a ball with this new mallow. For greatest foliage coloration, full sun exposure is best along with slightly moist soil. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This little-known deciduous mallow is the Japanese kissin' cousin of the Chinese Hibiscus mutabilis. For us, Hibiscus makinoi never reaches more than 7' tall, although in its native Kyushu and Ryoku Islands, it can reach 15' tall. In NC, it dies to the ground each winter, regrowing into a widely-branched plant clothed with large, fuzzy, green maple-like leaves and adorned, starting in early October, with dark pink buds that open into 4-5", large, very light pink flowers...attractive to hummingbirds. An extract from this renaissance plant is found in anti-aging creams since it triggers the creation of estrogen. Growing them in the garden sure makes me feel young! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
From China comes a wonderful hibiscus that's virtually unknown outside of China and the Gulf Coast region of the US. Hibiscus mutabilis emerges from dormancy and shoots 10' into the air. The foliage is quite bold, with soft, fuzzy green leaves up and down the stems...great for structure and texture even without flowers. The flowers emerge in late October and November, resembling giant, double rosy-pink camellias...holy cow! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This is a selection of the true Hibiscus paramutabilis that we made from wild collected seed from 3,000' elevation on China's Mt. Heng. This woody hibiscus (a deciduous perennial with mid-single digits F) makes a 10' tall shrub adorned with very fuzzy, medium green, maple-shaped leaves, topped from late summer through fall with 4" cup-shaped flowers of pure white with a bright cranberry-red central blotch...attractive to hummingbirds. We recommend cutting the plant to the ground each spring so someone other than airplane pilots can see the flowers. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This amazing introduction from Texan Greg Grant is topped all summer with huge 9" flowers which emerge light pink and age to white, except for the wild red flecking throughout the petals...attractive to hummingbirds. Hibiscus 'Peppermint Flare' is a floral sport from Sam McFadden's University of Florida release, the nearly sterile hybrid Hibiscus 'Flare'. Our plants have matured out at 4' tall x 4' wide. Hibiscus 'Peppermint Flare' is very tolerant of alkaline soils...as long as they aren't too dry. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Hibiscus 'Pink Comet' is the latest release in a series of breeding breakthroughs for which the late Fleming Brothers were known. Hibiscus 'Pink Comet' represents the commingling of genes from the hardy native hibiscus with the colorful tropical hybrids. The 30" tall plants are clothed with glossy, corrugated green leaves and adorned with wild 10" wide pink flowers, each flecked with red, from early summer until fall...a hummingbird favorite. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This 1999 Fleming Brothers' hybrid was obviously named after the brothers themselves...guess you had to be there. Hibiscus 'Plum Crazy' is prized for the purple-green, three-lobed leaves that adorn the compact, 4' tall clumps. From midsummer until early fall, the clumps are topped with cone-shaped, 7" wide, plum-colored flowers, each with darker purple venation and a very dark eye highlighting the center...very, very cool, especially when fanned by the hummingbird wings! Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Hibiscus 'Raspberry Rose' is the plant that stops everyone in their tracks during our Summer Open House. Hibiscus 'Raspberry Rose' has also been a favorite of ours for years due to its sheer abundance of 10" bright raspberry-red flowers. We grow quite a few hibiscus, and none come anywhere close to producing as many flowers...a hummingbird delight. Each clump can get quite large, to 7' tall x 10' across, so allow plenty of room. Remember that nine out of ten hibiscus surveyed prefer rich, moist soils...this is one of the nine. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This is our own hybrid of two US natives, Hibiscus coccineus x Hibiscus grandiflorus. The result is a monster plant, towering to 12' in height. The marijuana-like foliage comes from Hibiscus coccineus and its resistance to insects from Hibiscus grandiflorus. The hybrid vigor came from really good sex. For us, Hibiscus 'Red Flyer' starts flowering in mid-July and continues until frost...attractive to hummingbirds. Plenty of nutrition and moisture will produce the best results. Hibiscus 'Red Flyer' is sterile, so don't expect any offspring nearby. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This dazzling 2001 hybrid from the late Fleming Brothers makes a 3' tall compact clump adorned with hydrangea-shaped foliage. From late June (NC) until fall, Hibiscus 'Robert Fleming' is topped with clusters of large 7" shiny, black-red flowers, the most intense red we've ever seen...sure to be noticed in the garden. I could not find any matching color in the RHS color chart, so this is obviously a color not allowed in the old UK. Moist soils are best, although these are amazingly drought-tolerant. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
This virtually unknown Chinese species is genetically situated between Hibiscus paramutabilis and Hibiscus syriacus (Rose of Sharon). The 8' tall stems remain woody and are clothed during the growing season with glossy, dark green, maple-like leaves. The stems are adorned with 4" widely cupped lavender flowers, highlighted by a bright red central blotch, from June through the summer...a hummingbird favorite. If you get bored with your plant, various parts can be used as a diuretic, an expectorant, or to reduce bloody stools. I often have those when I sit too close while weeding around my agaves. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' is one of the next generation of colored-leaf hibiscus hybrids from the breeders at Walters Gardens. Building on the work of the late Fleming Brothers, Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' produces 5' tall stalks, clothed with deeply-lobed dark purple leaves and adorned from July until September with both axillary and terminally produced, 10" wide, medium pink flowers, highlighted with a dark red center and bloodshot-eye-like red veins...a hummingbird favorite. Moist soils are ideal, but these are amazingly drought-tolerant in the short term. Pot Size: 3.5" (24 fl. oz/709.77 ml)
.jpg "Epimedium wushanense (Wushan Fairy Wings)")
.jpg "Hibiscus 'Red Flyer' (Red Flyer Mallow)")
