Perennial · North Texas care guide
Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii
Nursery Pro tip: Blooms in shade, in clay, in August. Hummingbirds work it all day.
A Texas native that solves the hardest problem in most yards: bright red flowers, all summer, in shade. The little hanging 'turban' blooms feed hummingbirds from May to frost, followed by red fruit the birds take. 3–5 ft, dies to the ground in winter, comes back every spring.
Part shade to full shade — under live oaks, on the north side of the house, along a shaded fence. It takes sun with enough water but shade is where it shines. Any soil. Space 3 ft apart.
Spring or fall. Hole twice the pot width, ball at grade, native soil, Root Stimulator, mulch.
Weekly the first summer; after that it handles dry shade, which almost nothing else does.
Not needed.
Cut to the ground in late February. Shear by a third in June if it gets rangy. It spreads slowly by roots — pull unwanted shoots or share them.
Almost nothing. Deer will browse it. Leafs out late in spring.
Dry-shade beds with holly fern, liriope, inland sea oats and yaupon holly. The go-to under-oak native planting.
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.