FLIMBY: Hardy hibiscus adds big tropical impact

This is another installment in our Flowers in My Back Yard series, devoted to blooming plants.

When I see a hibiscus, I think Hawaii. Because I love all things aloha, hibiscus always found a place in my garden.

That became problematic when I moved from Long Beach to Sacramento. While they were quite content in Southern California, my beloved Hawaiian shrubs could not withstand any frost. I lost all my transplanted hibiscuses the first winter.

I decided hibiscus must be one of those truly tropical plants that could flourish in warmer climates (and maybe in a pot that could be moved indoors) but would never be comfortable in my new hometown.

Then I got a “hardy hibiscus.” It was a test plant from Blooms of Bressingham (now known as Must Have Perennials) and part of their “Cordial” series.

It was aloha at first bloom – as big as a dinner plate, easily 10 inches across. The name was fun, too – “Brandy Punch.” (The next year, I also tried “Peppermint Schnapps” with equal success.)

Both varieties have giant pink blooms with bright red centers and handsome dark green foliage. The canes grow quickly to about 4 or 5 feet tall, crowned by over-sized flowers. The blooms don’t last long, maybe a day or two before withering. But the canes bloom so profusely, they’re almost always in flower during summer’s hottest months.

Hardy hibiscus (Hibiscus moscheutos) grows as a perennial, not an evergreen shrub. It dies down to the ground at frost, but reliably sprouts new canes in late spring (just before Memorial Day) and blooms from mid July into early fall.

Living up to its nickname, this hibiscus is indeed hardy. It can withstand winter snow and thrives even in Zones 4 and 5. Because it does need that kiss of winter cold, hardy hibiscus is not recommended for zones warmer than Sacramento’s Zone 9b. But during summer, it loves Sacramento’s heat.

Hibiscus is a member of the mallow family, which also includes okra (a veggie with a very pretty flower) and why it’s also known as “rose mallow” or “swamp mallow.” Although new hybrids are pushing its color range, hardy hibiscus tend to be pink (or pink-adjacent tones such as blush or magenta) or red.

Hardy hibiscus are native to North America, stretching from Massachusetts to Florida and west to Texas. Their natural habitats are wetlands and seasonal marshes – places where they may get a lot of water all at once or even be standing in wet soil – but they continue to flourish after the water recedes.