18-08-2003, 12:32 AM
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Rose Mallow Hibiscus
From: "Ralph D."
Date: Sun, Aug 17, 2003 6:03 PM
Message-id:
Rose Mallow Hibiscus moscheutos 'Lord Baltimore'.
Picked up one of these yesterday in our new quest for late to very late
blooming perennials for our large rural SW PA zone 5/6ish perennial garden.
Years of work are paying off now, but it goes away too soon.
Anyhowz... what we're considering is plopping this thing (and maybe more
in
the future) in the middle (and later, ends) of our 3' X 12' iris bed. This
bed really is the focal point of the garden in the spring (being nearly
centered) as it should be, but by this point all that irisy looking scrub
detracts from all the other great stuff going on in there. I thought that
somehting like these, with their 10" blooms might dress it up.
How well do these hardy hibiscus play with others? Is there anything about
the iris rhizomes that will compete with it for nutrients or whatever? This
bed is slated for digging up and dividing this fall or next, and I was
wondering how the mature root system might affect them in future years?
This
garden is being done with the very long-term in mind and I want things that
I can do there that simplify, not complicate things.
I see many links for this variety, but they all seem to focus on the monster
blooms and never show the whole plant. I need to confirm whether this grows
in one 'trunk-like' shoot or many shoots that might put a whole in the
middle of the iris bed, and so-forth. Sparse folliage is a real good thing
for this spot which adds to it's appropriateness, so long as I do not do
anything to disrupt or diminish what is a spectacular iris show of colors
that carefully fade to the next.
Any thoughts on this or anything related?
My first thought is really a question:
What Iris species do you grow? If you're growing German bearded or other Iris
that likes dry soil, you might want to consider that Hibiscus moscheutos likes
moisture.....it's basically a wetland plant. Rose mallow and the German Iris
hybrids would be a difficult partnership.
Best,
Tyra
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