Product Overview
Scarlet Rosemallow aka Red Water Hibiscus (Hibiscus coccineus)
Red Water Hibiscus has deep crimson flowers 5" to 8" wide. The beautiful, eye-catching, flowers are among the reddest in the plant kingdom. Prune back in early summer to encourage branching. Over winters well with heavy mulch in areas where not hardy or move indoors to a cool location.
May be grown in the landscape in a moist spot -- pond not required!
Hibiscus do not begin growing until Spring temperatures get warm; if shipped before May, plants may still be dormant.
Hardiness Zone: 7-11
Planting Container: We recommend a 10" x 6" fabric pot to grow a plant slightly restricted in size, or a 12.5" x 7" or 15" x 6" fabric pot to grow a specimen sized plant. In colder climates, a 10" x 6" pot will be easier to move inside for winter, but you won't get as large a plant. Click on any fabric pot link to read about why fabric pots work better than hard plastic pots!
Light Requirements: full sun to part shade
Height: 6' to 9' - Spread: 3' to 6'
Water Depth: Moist soil or water to 4" (Maximum water depth is for mature bog plants)
FERTILIZING: For best health and growth, we recommend fertilizing regularly (unless using the plants in a plant filtration system!). Use Pondtabbs 20 count, 60 count, or 300 count for fast release, or Aquascape 6 count or 12 count capsules for slow release (once a year) fertilizing. Aquascape is preferred for low maintenance, but Pondtabbs are useful in Spring when Aquascape is slow to start in low temperatures. Pondtabbs are also useful for a quick extra nutrient push for extra bloom, and for mid-summer fertilizing of a new plant (we don't recommend using slow release fertilizer in mid-summer or later in cold climates, as plants should run out of fertilizer at the end of the year to encourage dormancy in cold climates).
Plants are shipped bare root or in starter pots, and will require planting upon arrival. For in depth planting and care instructions visit our Planting and Care Instructions for Shallow Water and Bog Plants.
For information on using plants for pond filtration, please read our blog on this topic!
