• Image of Hibiscus coccineus taken at Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC by P. Schmidt
    Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC by P. Schmidt
  • Image of Hibiscus coccineus taken at Hoffman Nsy, NC
    Hoffman Nsy, NC
1 3

Hibiscus coccineus

Scarlet Rose Mallow

This plant is not currently for sale. This is an archive page preserved for informational use.

Shop Available Hibiscus
Write a review
| 2 answered questions

Item #: 1215

Zones: 6a to 9b

Dormancy: Winter

Height: 96" tall

Culture: Sun

Origin: United States

Pot Size: 3.5" pot (24 fl. oz/0.7 L)


Hibiscus coccineus is a versatile native mallow that's equally at home in a swamp, submerged in a garden pool, or in a perennial border. The palmate-leaved (looks like a Japanese maple) Scarlet rose mallow has 6" brilliant red flowers on nice upright stems to 8' tall...a great see-through perennial. For us, the clump 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!

Maintenance:

Perennial hardy hibiscus are a very low maintenance perennial, provided they are growing in the proper conditions. When the plants go dormant in winter, the stalks remain upright and sturdy. We prefer to leave them to give birds a place to perch. The structure also helps the garden remain much more interesting in winter than a flat carpet of brown mulch.

Hibiscus sawfly is the #1 pest of most hibiscus, causing skeletonized leaves. These can be treated with a beneficial bacteria product like Dipel, which contains BT bacillus.

Growing Conditions:

Scarlet rose mallow grows naturally in standing shallow water, although they are quite drought tolerant for short period. The drier the soil, the more the plants will be stressed, which increases the severity of insect damage.

Garden Value:

Perennial hardy hibiscus like Texas Star, add an upright garden form to the garden, as well as summer flowering when many spring perennials have finished flowering or gone dormant. Also, there are few plants with such a floral show that tolerates wet soil.

Natural Impacts:

Bees are the primarily pollinators of all of the herbaceous, hardy hibiscus.