Confederate Rose
I have recently purchased a Confederate Rose. My grandmother called it a Cotton Rose. Are they the same? I’d appreciate any information you can give me about this plant. Does it like full/partial sun? Mature height? My neighbor has two that are trees; can I train my potted bushy plant into a tree? If not, can you give me the estimated spread of the plant at maturity? All information you can give me would be so helpful. Thanks.
Confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) also referred to as Cotton Rose likes full sun, well-drained , slightly acid soil. It grows as a multi-branched shrub or a small deciduous tree with low branches which can get up to 12 feet tall and wide. Flowers bloom white and by evening turn pink. It can be invasive. It is hardy in zone 8-10 and will die back with the first hard freeze and return in the spring getting larger each year. If you are growing it in a container it will be easy to maintain. To get a tree shape choose one large dominant stem and cut away the others.
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Hi, I would like some help on taking care of my husbands confederate rose It is still full of buds and blooms and the wheather man is calling for a freeze within the next week or two. I know he cut it back each year and covered it but it never bloomed or had buds this late in the fall. Can I go ahead and cut it back or do I wait and let it keep blooming and let the freeze finish it then cut it back. Sorry I’m so dumb about it and I never thought I would be caring for ir or it becoming so important to me. He died in August and it was full of buds then, he never got to see it so beautiful as it is this year can you help me save it? Thank You
Comment by Hazel — 12/31/2005 @ 3:43 pm
I HAVE BEEN LOOKING ONLINE FOR SOMEWHERE THAT I CAN PURCHASE A CONFEDERATE ROSE PLANT. I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYONE WHO SELLS IT. CAN YOU PLEASE TELL ME WHERE I MIGHT BE ABLE TO FIND ONE? THANKS.
Comment by DANA — 3/19/2006 @ 3:21 pm
As i understand you can not buy a confederate rose. in the Carolinas. I have 5 potted
Comment by Joe P — 4/4/2006 @ 8:18 am
how close should i plant my confederate roses to my wood fence
Comment by wanda — 5/12/2006 @ 3:22 am
The info was very helpful. We have a pink confederate rose. It is awesome in the mornings when it opens up. Then it closes and become a dark pink and falls off. Is this normal? I am new at gardening.
Comment by Frances M. Pelham — 5/26/2006 @ 12:01 pm
My mother has a Confederate Rose tree. It was suppose to have pink, white and yellow flowers. This is the second year it has bloomed & has only bloomed in pink. Does the Conferate Rose tree ever bloom in the tri colors?
Comment by Christine Hurst — 7/13/2006 @ 5:55 pm
I am in zone 8.5 but have only had one bloom and yellow leaves. Mine has been planted for 3 years now and I have used Nursery Special to fertilizer each year. There must be a better fertilizer or pruning technique I need–mine hasn’t frozen back in 3 years. All advice appreciated!
Comment by May — 7/16/2006 @ 4:27 am
My husband recently received a confederate rose in a pot while visiting in Louisiana. It was a start and well rooted and potted in local soil. Ideally we would like to plant it in our yard in Northern New Mexico. Our zone is 6-7. Any pointers? Should it stay in a pot that will be covered or brought inside in the winter or is it doomed.
Comment by Sharron Torres — 8/27/2006 @ 7:55 am
I found some confederate rose seeds, and am curious as to whether they will sprout easily from seed, or do they need some special care?
Comment by Lynn P. — 9/1/2006 @ 9:21 pm
PROPAGATE FROM CUTTINGS
I have tried to start a triming from my confederate rose only, to have the trimings died. I put them in water and they just wilted up. I left them outside but, I need some advice on what I could of done wrong . I am trying to get these started for friends. I would like to know can I dig the rose up and move it. Thank you…
Dawn Spiegelhoff
I have confederate rose trees and I want to start one for my mother, how do I do this from the trees I all ready have.
Comment by sandy — 9/21/2006 @ 8:44 am
I lnow there is something that I am not doing right. I cut put it in sand, and some in water and still nothing. Either I have a rotten thumb or a stubborn plant. I want to know if I cut the new ones if I cut the ones with the rose’s on them or cut without? I just can not fiqure out what I am doing wrong? Thanks again for your help.
Comment by sandy — 10/16/2006 @ 6:26 am
I have read all of your comments,but none help. I live in Jax,Fl,My confederate rose is about 8 ft tall and straggly.I need to know when to prune.We don’t get much frost here,so I'’m not sure when to prune.I also need to know how far down to cut it.It also
has a problem with whiteflies.Help.thanks
Comment by Linda Mills — 1/23/2007 @ 5:11 pm
I have clippings from a Confederate Rose that I got last October. I put them in a vase and they rooted very well over the winter. They have leaves on them and are ready for planting. I put them in the ground and they just wilted and now have a white powder around the edges of the leaves. I water it twice a day and it still will not come back. What do I need to do. I live in Middle Tennessee (zone 6)?
Comment by Angela — 3/28/2007 @ 10:04 am
My Confederate Rose tree is about three feet tall and I want to transplant it because I believe it is not blooming and looking unhealthy because it is in a shady location. What is the best way and time to do relocate it to a sunny spot. I live in North Florida.
Comment by kimberly — 5/12/2007 @ 4:47 pm
I need to know If the roots will go to the sewer line are mess up the slab of the house. My rose is planted 2 ft. from the house and the sewer line runs close. If so how deep are the roots and what should I do about it. Thanks Nancy
Comment by Nancy Campbell — 5/20/2007 @ 6:38 pm
I am trying to find a Conferderate Rose. My son and husband both loved them but the one we had died. They were both killed 2 years ago and I would like to find one to plant in the cemetary.
Comment by Joan Billingsley — 7/9/2007 @ 5:57 am
I HAVE A CONFERDERATE ROSE IT IS SO PRETTY.WHEN OPEN
THANK -ROSE
Comment by rose — 10/3/2007 @ 7:37 am
i have a Confederate Rose i would like to move when is the best time to move?
Comment by v carney — 10/18/2007 @ 10:51 am
I live in zone 7 and have just put some cuttings in a quart of water. I don’t get full sun in any part of my trailer because it faces west. Where would be a good place to put them for the light?
Comment by amy hinkle — 12/31/2007 @ 4:03 pm
The cuttings that I’m rooting in a jar are smelling pretty bad right now. What can I do about the smell of stench? I was told not to change the water just add more as needed.
Comment by amy hinkle — 1/16/2008 @ 11:05 pm
I like the information I found here thank you
Comment by Brenda — 1/18/2008 @ 7:25 pm
I recently brought home 4 Confederate Rose cuttings from my mother in South Carolina. They’re are in water and doing wonderful! Problem: I live in Idaho ( Zone 4), can I plant these anywhere outside or do I have keep them inside?
Comment by Debby — 1/26/2008 @ 12:07 pm
Comment on Plant & Gardening Tips, for topic: Confederate Rose
I really need help. I have 2 Confederate Roses. One is about 7 to 10 feet tall and is planted next to a Cedar tree and a Crape Myrtle tree. I really need to move it but I don’t know if I need to trim it back before I move it or after I move it. Any help will be very useful to me.
Thank you. I forgot to say that I live in Texas about 50 miles north of Houston.
Thanks again.
Shirley
Comment by Shirley — 1/31/2008 @ 9:57 pm
I have 2 Confederate Roses. One is about 10 ft. tall and is already leafing out. This is the one that I need to move. The other comes back from the roots. It only gets about 4 ft. tall. The tall Rose is a double flower and is so pretty when it opens up. The small Rose is a single bloom. Why is one so tall and the other so short? I really need to move the tall Rose but I don’t dare to cut it back since it is leafing out. I know that it is only the middle of February but in Texas the weather is crazy. So what can I do to move it?
Comment by Shirley — 2/16/2008 @ 10:59 am
The small plant is a Confederate Rose also. I have 3 Star of Texas hibiscus and they aren’t the same. The leaves are different and so are the blooms. The tall Confederate Rose is about 10 feet tall and loaded with budding leaves and I know that the roots are tangled with the Crape Myrtle and the Cedar so how am I to cut it back to 6 inches.
Comment by shirley — 2/18/2008 @ 8:31 pm
I have gone from 8 flowers beds to having to learn to container garden and have just been given 2 healthy sprigs of confedrate rose. Great roots. Can I plant them in a container and where should I put them?
Comment by Anne Briggs — 3/3/2008 @ 11:19 am
I have a Confederate Rose Tree that is at least 15 feet tall but is scraggley I think due to the whiteflies we had at the end of it’s blooming season last year. I live in Jacksonville Beach, Florida and want to know since it is May, is it too late to prune back. I read your other articles but you said early spring for pruning. This was a tree my Mother gave my Husband and she died in October. We already lost the original tree and this is a cutting that has prospered. Help.
Comment by Cindy Everage — 5/7/2008 @ 10:30 am