Scarlet Hibiscus

Hibiscus coccineus

Size: 1 & 3 Gallon availability

Shrub
Max size: 8 tall x 3’ wide
Average size: 6′ tall x 3′ wide

Aquatic, Very Moist, Usually Moist
Loam, Muck, Sand, Clay
Sun, Part Shade

AKA: Red Hibiscus, Scarlet Rose Mallow, Texas Hibiscus

This winter dormant shrub blooms from the spring through to the summer, with large showy red flowers. The shape of the flowers makes them perfect for attracting hummingbirds. They are also a larval host of  Gray Hairstreak, Painted Lady Butterfly, Common Checkered Skipper and Tropical Checkered Skipper butterflies and  four moths : Pearly Wood Nymph, Yellow Scallop Moth, Io Moth,  and Delightful Bird-Dropping Moths. They attract many native bees, beetles, and butterflies, as well as specifically the Rose-mallow Bee. It is used as a specimen plant for its large flowers.

Flowers appear on new growth and not old, so in the spring you can prune it to maximize blooms. This should not be done before early spring however, because bees use the dead stems to nest.