Common Rose Mallow
These are very different plants from the shrubby Hibiscus syriacus varieties which Burncoose also stock and they need to be treated very differently.
H. moscheutos varieties are strong growing, perennial, herbaceous plants which die down completely to ground level in the winter. They have broadly ovate green or brownish leaves which are 3 or 5 lobed. Once they appear, in mid-late summer, these plants produce a succession of enormous white, pink or red flowers which, when fully open, can be up to 8 inches across. They usually have a darker base to the centre of the flower. ‘Spectacular’ isn’t enough of a word to describe these flowers.
These are excellent plants for cottage gardens or as patio pot plants. They can be slow to start into growth in early Mary and then quickly make up for it. Our pot grown plants will often grow to 3 feet but, once established in the garden, these plants can grow to 6 or 8 feet with more than one stem.
Since they are quite dormant in winter, and can readily be mulched for protection, these plants are perfectly hardy down to minus 10°c. They are greedy plants and will grow best with a regular feed and good lot of compost or well-rotted dung in the planting pit.
As autumn ends prune down the old growth of deciduous Hibiscus to near ground level.
Root division from lifting mature clumps in early spring is the best way of generating additional plants.
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