Hibiscus moscheutos also known as Rose mallow or Swamp Mallow is a cold-hardy perennial that grows in zones 4-9. The plant can grow up to 3-8 ft tall depending on cultivar and produces spectacular, dish plate sized, flowers 5-12″ wide that bloom in mid-summer until first frost. The large, showy flowers attract hummingbirds and butterflies.
Care
Grow it in rich moist, well-drained soil with a ph 6.5-7.5. It will tolerate occasional wet soil. Hibiscus moscheutos can grow in full sun to part shade but blooms better in full sun. Fertilize in spring with a 10-10-10 . Mulch the plant during the dry summer to maintain even moisture. They should not be allowed to wilt. To prolong blooming time, deadhead flowers and remove seed pods.
Winter care
When finished blooming allow the plant to dieback before cutting the stems 3″ above the ground or cut back in the spring. In cooler climates, Rose mallow will completely die back to the ground in winter, therefore mark the area where it was growing so that you know where to find it next season and mulch the area to protect the roots. It will return the following late spring but needs warm weather and long days to break dormancy. In cooler climates, it may not appear until June.
Propagation
It can be started from seed. Soak the seeds overnight before planting. Start seeds indoors in late winter/early spring. Hybrid seeds will not come true but will revert to original plant. They can also be propagated from soft-wood tip cuttings in the spring or hard-wood cutting in fall as well as root division.
A new cultivar for this season is Cranberry Crush a deep red color.
Problems:
Japanese beetles
From the reader archive
Useful reader questions
transplant shock I have a Swamp Mallow Hibiscus that is in a pot and has bloomed beautifully for several weeks. The pot was a large pot, but slightly small for the 22 shoots that the plant put out this year, so after…
Read Mimi Hollis discussionI have a large flower bed dominated by Mums and Asiatic Lilies that has been undisturbed for about 5 yrs (other than pulling weeds). Last week, while cutting down all of the spent lily stalks, I noticed a beautiful bloom peeking up…
Read Carol Myers discussionI have recently purchased 2 hibiscus moscheutos, Lady Baltimore & Lord Baltimore. I planted them 2 weeks ago, & have watered daily. The Lord Baltimore seems to be fine, but the Lady Baltimore does not. The Lady Baltimore wilts drastically every day,…
Read Terri discussionI have a lady baltimore hibiscus that is in a clay pot and has been for a few years and sits on the corner of my patio that gets full sun. I am in Connecticut. I trim it back in late fall…
Read Paul discussion
H. moscheutos
i bought a beautiful hibiscus tree and shrub last summer i was told i could leave them outside for the winter ( i live in Buffalo, ny) as of today either is showing any signs of life. did i kill them by not bringinging them inside. i pruned both back. i am seeing a little green when i scratch at the base of the tree and was told if i try to pull the tree up and it doesn’t come out the roots are still alive. plz help!!!!! ty
Seed pod
Is it advantageous to the Hibiscus moscheutos plant to leave the seed pod attatched over the winter? Do the ‘dropped’ seeds produce new hibiscus starts?
Help! I just recently moved to MS zone 8. Bought two beautiful Hibiscus late last summer and planted outside. Didn’t ask if they were hardy (silly me, I moved from FL) and it appears they are not as they are now black and wilted after a recent frost. One of the locals said to just cut it back even with the ground and next Spring all will be well! Is this possible?? They are well mulched and seemed to love their location responding beautifully after the transplant from pot to ground.
When to divide
Can a hardy hibiscus, about 6 feet tall and now 6 feet wide be divided? If so, when is a good time to do so? The flowers are about the size of a large dinner plate and are so beautiful! Should this plant be cut down to the ground before winter too? Please help. Thank you
Early Bud drop
I have a rose mallow hibiscus indoors. The plant looks perfectly healthy but the flowers have all fallen off before blooming. What’s causing this and will they grow back this season?
transplant shock
I have a Swamp Mallow Hibiscus that is in a pot and has bloomed beautifully for several weeks. The pot was a large pot, but slightly small for the 22 shoots that the plant put out this year, so after the main blooming was over we transplanted it to a larger pot, and now the plant has started drooping, one stem at a time. The leaves are wilting, but the stems are showing no sign of root-rot, are perfectly green and inside they have no discoloration. Is this stress from being re-potted? Would stress make it wilt one stem at a time? If so, what do I need to do for it to keep it from dying? I have moved it to the shade and am watering less, but don’t know what else to do.
Any information would be appreciated, because I really hate it lose the plant.
I just purchased a Rose Mallow Hibiscus and would like to grow it in a pot because I live in Canada zone 3 and 4 and pretty much know that since it’s a tropical flower it should be brought inside over the fall and winter months. My questions are can it be grown in a pot and what do I need for soil etc… How big should the pot be, right now I have pots that are twice as big as the plant itself. Do I have to do anything special to the plant before bringing it indoors for the winter months?
Thank-you ! Alli
Hi Alli
What type of hibiscus is it? Hibiscus moschetos?
Hibiscus moscheutos:
I have planted this about 3 months ago. They bloom perfectly last about 1 -2 days then wilt. Any suggestions
I was just given a beautiful Rose Mallow Hibiscus (moscheutos). I would like to plant it in the garden but am concerned that late summer in New England may not be the right time… can I transplant now or should I wait until spring and, if so, how do I care for it inside, in a pot all fall and winter? I am new to plants in general so all advice is welcome! I don;t want to lose this hibiscus – it is beautiful…
I have a beautiful “Mallow Rose” Hibiscus. It is a healthy green, lots and lots of blooming flowers, and its in large clay pot on my deck, and second season to survive the snowy conditions of the Sierra Neveda. My only concern is this: Once the flowers open, it is as if the stem can not hold the flowers weight and it droops, bending the small thin stem that holds the flower,then the flowers dont bloom as long, nor can you really see them, since they are pointing downward. Any reason for this or any suggestion to correct this issue?
Thanks~
Planting
I recently received a Hibiscus moscheutos as an indoor potted plant. It has dropped all of it’s flowers and most of its leaves. I live in planting zone 5 and it is September. I’m wondering if I should plant it outside or try to winter it over in the house and plant outside next spring. Help!
I have a rose mallow hibiscus and it is about 3 years old. I bought it in standard tree form and love it, but it needs to be pruned. I would love it to be small and bushy. I have been told by a horticulturist in my community that trimming it too far back will prevent it from blooming the following summer. Is this true? What trimming length is recommended for trimming back and is trimming back anytime in the winter ok, or a is there a certain time in the winter that would be best? It is so big that other house plants are not getting light and suffering….Please let me know, thank you in advance 🙂
To prune or not to prune
I planted a Hibiscus moscheutos last year. It wasn’t impressive but in the middle of tall buddleia and agastache, it was fine. It grew to 8 feet tall. I went out yesterday to do late winter pruning, expecting the mallow to have died back. After cutting the tallest stalk halfway, I found he stalks were still green. I am wondering if I should still cut them to the ground. The surrounding shrubs will grow to 6 feet, so the stalks won’t be too unattractive if I don’t.
I have recently purchased 2 hibiscus moscheutos, Lady Baltimore & Lord Baltimore. I planted them 2 weeks ago, & have watered daily. The Lord Baltimore seems to be fine, but the Lady Baltimore does not. The Lady Baltimore wilts drastically every day, until evening when it’s cooler. We water them every night & try to make sure that they don’t dry out, but even when the ground is wet, it still wilts & looks like it’s going to die. Can someone help me out with this, so that I don’t lose the plant? I’m new to gardening & I love these plants.
I have a Hibiscus moscheutos growing in a pot. What should I feed it…the H. moscheutos is in a pot kept outside.
I have a lady baltimore hibiscus that is in a clay pot and has been for a few years and sits on the corner of my patio that gets full sun. I am in Connecticut. I trim it back in late fall and gets bushier and taller every year with more and huger blooms. It now reaches a hight of around 6 ft. I also repot in into a slightly larger pot every spring. This is the only one I have in a pot. And all my other kopper king and lady baltimore hibiscus are planted. My question is should I just get rid of it being in the pot and plant in the ground? Every year it seems like it just gets bigger and bigger.
I have a Rose Mallow Hibiscus lasiocarpos which was planted this year. It has grown to about 4′ tall and has many what looks like spidery things hanging from the plant ends. Not exactly a bud but looks like it could be. It has not flowered and we are in aug in zone 6, so I think it should have bloomed by now. It is on a berm in full sun. Should we deadhead these to force a bloom or just leave it alone and see what will happen?
I have a large flower bed dominated by Mums and Asiatic Lilies that has been undisturbed for about 5 yrs (other than pulling weeds). Last week, while cutting down all of the spent lily stalks, I noticed a beautiful bloom peeking up from the row of mums. I picked it and brought it into the house to identify it. Turns out it is a Hibiscus moscheutos with big white petals edged in dark pink w/ a dark pink throat. I have no idea where it came from, but I would love to transplant it to its own area in the yard. I’m afraid the Mums will choke it out if I don’t move it. When is the best time of year to do this (Zone 5A – Northern edge of Illinois), and how much of a root ball do I need to safely do this? Right now it looks like there are 4 shoots coming out of the ground. Thanks for your help.
Hi, last year We planted four Luna Red Rose Mallow Hibiscus plants. They face West in my front garden and bloomed beautifully all summer. Unfortunately we didn’t cut them back or mulch them over the winter. Do you think they will come back this year. We are in zone 5b and its June already with no sign of growth. We just cut the stems back to see if that would help. What do you think? I’m so upset we didn’t know to mulch. Thanks Chris
Hi
Like Alli, I am in Canada (Zone 3/4). I bought a Cranberry Crush Rose Mallow Hibiscus two weeks ago and didn’t plant it. It’s now September and the leaves are starting to yellow a bit. It’s had lots of sun and water, but some cold nights and I hope I haven’t killed it. I wonder if I should bring it indoors and what I should do to keep it healthy. Also, will it bloom over winter if it is inside?