Perennial · North Texas care guide
Hibiscus moscheutos
Nursery Pro tip: Dies to the ground in winter and is the last thing to come back in May — don't dig it up. Loves a wet spot or a soaker hose.
Dinner-plate flowers — eight to ten inches across in red, pink or white — from July through September on a 3–5 ft perennial that dies to the ground each winter. A native marsh mallow, so it wants the wet corner other plants dislike.
Full sun to light shade and moist, rich soil. The low spot, the edge of a pond, the area under a downspout. Space 3 ft apart. It will grow in an ordinary bed if you keep it watered.
Spring. Wide hole, ball at grade, native soil with plenty of compost, Root Stimulator, 3 inches of mulch.
Generously — two or three times a week in summer, more in a pot. It is very hard to overwater. Flower size falls off the moment it gets dry.
Spring feeding and again in June; it's a heavy feeder for a perennial.
Cut the stems to 4–6 in after frost or in late February. It emerges very late — often not until May — so mark the spot and don't dig there.
Japanese beetles and sawfly larvae chew the leaves in early summer. Aphids on buds. Late emergence panics people every spring.
Wet or irrigated beds with canna, Louisiana iris and bald cypress; the big flowers read from across the yard.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.