Now in: Hardy Hibiscus

You may hear of ‘hibiscus’ often in the home and yard, but it’s important to recognize that hibiscus is a large genus that covers shrubs, perennials and tropical plants. At the end of a hot New England Summer, the hardy perennial hibiscus begins to emerge in the garden.  Not to be confused with its tropical cousins, the perennial hibiscus has a beautiful show of blooms in late-summer only, coming back year after year. It differs from it’s shrub counterpart- Rose of Sharon that blooms around the same time, but with smaller flowers. With bigger blooms  up to 12″ across, the perennial hibiscus stuns in the home landscape unlike anything else. With many hardy to zone 4, they are a must-have in every perennial landscape.

 

Hardy hibiscus are-not difficult to grow, all they ask for is full sun and decent soil. They are slow to start out each year, many often think they did not survive the winter as they die-back to the ground every year. They show growth in late spring by pushing up new stems from beneath the soil. In a few weeks you’ll have attractive foliage and following soon after:  a summer full of gorgeous, tropical-looking blooms. Here are some of our new introductions this season:

 

Bleu Brulee Hibiscus

3’w x 3’h | Zone 5

Bleu Brulee is a new introduction and part of the multi-award- winning Summer Spice Hardy Hibiscus collection. This hibiscus has large flowers of smoky-steel blue with red centers. It has a natural, well-kept, compact habit with dark green foliage and flowers that bloom until the first frost.

 

Blue River II

3’w x 5’h | Zone 4

Pure white gigantic blooms will amaze and illuminate the garden at night. Stunning blue-green foliage is a lovely contrast with the snow- white blooms. By the way, the name is in honor of the Blue River in Oklahoma where the hybridizer found one of the native species used in his crosses. This is an older variety, but the pristine white flowers are a must.

Grape Sorbet

3’w x 3’h | Zone 5

This is another new introduction in the Summer Spice collection. Compact dark green foliage that is covered with ruffled blooms until the first frost. The flowers have overlapping petals of grape-blue that graduate to a red center. A truly tropical look!