Family: Malvaceae
Name: Hibiscus moscheutos (syn. Hibiscus palustris)
Bloom Time: Jul-Sep
Flower: White or pink flowers
Soil Condition: Average-moist-wet
Light: Sun, partial sun
Height/Width: 3-6' x 3-5'
Native Range: Southern and Eastern North America including Long Island
Zone: 4-9
Photos: form (credit: Nicole Tamaro of NNGI), flower with a pollen-covered bumble bee (KMS Native Plants), flower with a sleeping bumble bee (KMS Native Plants)
This stately summer bloomer with flowers that are 6-8" wide, adds a touch of the tropics to your garden, but unlike the tropical varieties, this one is hardy here on LI! It handles a small amount of drought once established, but its preferred site is moist to wet soil. This beauty is heat and humidity-proof. It also makes a great informal hedge for summer privacy. When grown from seed, the flowers can be white, white with a raspberry eye, or light, medium or dark pink. Seed pods are great for winter interest or in a dried flower arrangement. Hibiscus is also great in a planter.
Maintenance: None necessary. Pinching the stems early in the season will create a bushier plant. You may cut the stems down in the spring but leave stem-nesting insects at least 24" of old wood. Japanese beetles and sawfly larvae may be an issue.
Benefits: Salt tolerant, attracts hummingbirds and pollinators including the specialist bee Ptilothrix bombiformis (Hibiscus bee aka chimney bee), host plant to 28 species of butterflies and moths including gray hairstreak, painted lady, skippers, Io moth, and delightful bird-dropping moth
Noteworthy Cultivars:
Fun Facts: Hibiscus moscheutos may be used as a floral clock. Flowers consistently open between 9-11 am EST. The New York Botanical Garden had a floral (unsure if they still do).
Companion Plants: Asclepias incarnata ssp pulchra (showy swamp milkweed), Eutrochium fistulosum (hollow joe pye weed), Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower), Panicum virgatum (switchgrass), Helenium autumnale (sneezeweed)
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