Swamp Rose Mallow

Perennial  •  $6, 4-inch pot

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Height	2 to 6 ft
Spacing	2 to 3 ft
Sun Exposure	Full to Part Sun
Soil Moisture	Medium Wet to Wet
Bloom Color	White to Pink w/ Burgundy Center
Bloom Time	July, Aug, Sept
Companion Plantings	Blue Lobelia,
Special Attributes

Hibiscus moscheutos

I am tempted to declare this as the showiest of our native flowers. Stunningly beautiful, dinner-plate sized blooms cover this plant for over a month (sometimes producing up to 20 flowers at a time), although individual flowers last only about a day. This plant is found growing along lakes, marshes, rivers, and moist woodlands where there is an abundance of organic matter, but will adapt to medium soils as long as it is kept relatively moist. Swamp Rose Mallow will benefit from deep, regular waterings, especially during drought. This plant can tolerate some shade, but will have the most vigorous growth and disease resistance if planted in full sun.

Our very cold-hardy native Hibiscus spp. are host plant to nearly two dozen moth and butterfly species in the Southern Indiana/Louisville area, including the Common Checkered Skipper, the Io Moth, and the Painted Lady and Gray Hairstreak butterflies. The blooms are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds and long-tongued bees, including the Rose Mallow bee, Ptilothrix bombiformis, a specialist pollinator. Unfortunately, the foliage is often consumed destructively by invasive Japanese Beetles and other pests, including scale; however, we strongly caution against the use of pesticides on this plant due to its value as a host plant to many insects and pollinators.

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