Being this far north it’s hard to find hardy plants that bring a tropical feel for year after year. One plant that has gardeners have used for year to fill this need is hardy hibiscus. You may have also heard them called rose mallow or dinner plate hibiscus, this large growing, somewhat woody perennials bring a dramatic show to their garden every summer. Reds and pinks are very popular, blasting color into the landscape. But I would like to introduce you to perhaps the exact opposite with a pure white hardy hibiscus. I have planted one of these at my home and it has outdone my expectations.
‘Marshmallow Moon’ boasts pure white petals surrounding its light yellow stigma and stamens. The petals and thick and hold up well in rough weather. Older white varieties had much more delicate petals that didn’t hold up, which ‘Marshmallow Moon’ has now solved. These large white blooms held up incredibly well in the heat and storms of summer and kept on going. Over a month of blooms graced my garden and still had late buds into early fall. The cherry on top is the well behaved branching which only helps the number of blooms.
There are some things to keep in mind when planting perennial hibiscus. The first is to know they are very late to wake up in spring and you shouldn’t expect to see anything until June. The biggest mistake I’ve seen with these plants while working at a garden center is people digging these plants up thinking they are dead in spring. Be patient well into June before making the call on living or dead. Another thing to keep in mind is that hardy hibiscus can tolerate many soils be do prefer acidic soils.
Make sure to plant this beauty in full sun where it can reach it’s full size of about 3 1/2 feet tall and 4 feet wide. Less sun will result in poor flowering performance. Make sure you give it a spot where it can enjoyed for the long lasting blooms!
References:
Walters Gardens: https://www.waltersgardens.com/variety.php?ID=HIBMR
