• Image of Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' PP 20,443taken at Juniper Level Botanic Gdn, NC by JLBG
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Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' PP 20,443

Summer Storm Hardy Mallow

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

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Item #: 9132

Zones: 4a to 9b

Dormancy: Winter

Height: 84" tall

Culture: Sun

Origin: United States Hybrid

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


Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' is a superb dark-foliaged hibiscus hybrid from the breeders at Walters Gardens. Building on the work of the late Fleming Brothers, Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' produces 7' tall stalks clothed with deeply-lobed, dark purple leaves and is 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 this is amazingly drought-tolerant in the short term.

Maintenance:

Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' is 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:

Hibiscus like 'Summer Storm' grow 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 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.