Kosteletzkya

More Information About Kosteletzkya

The genus Kosteletzkya consists of 17 species of shrubs that were split off from the genus Hibiscus in the mid 1800s. This tongue twister of a genus name commemorates a Bohemian botanist by the name of Vincenz Franz Kosteletzky. Kosteletzky is Bohemian as in "from the western Czech Republic", and not as in "likes to wear sandals, play bongos and read Allen Ginsberg". The 17 species of Kosteletzkya are distributed worldwide, but in the US one species in particular dominates the landscape...Kosteletzkya virginica. This species is native to coastal plains from North Carolina up to northern Delaware and is valued by coastal gardeners because of its tolerance of salty environments.

In general, kosteletzkya prefers a boggy environment, sandy, acid soil, and full sun. Kosteletzkya is flexible about its growing conditions and will perform well in a wide variety of garden soils and pH levels outside of its marshy home. The 2" pink mallow-like flowers bloom all summer and fall and attract butterflies and hummingbirds to the garden. Kosteletzkya flowers are short lived, lasting just a single day, but are produced in copious numbers so that the plant always has plenty of color. Your kosteletzkya will produce lots of seeds so you will have some to share with friends.