Blackberry Merlot Hibiscus

Hibiscus don’t just grow in Hawaii, there is a native species throughout much of the east, from Texas to Canada. Transformed by breeders into a garden plant, right now is a hot time for these amazing plants, whose huge flowers transform your garden in summer and early fall. For the darkest red there is, choose the Blackberry Merlot Hibiscus. A vigorous hardy shrub to 5 feet tall in warmer zones, It carries an abundance of huge, 8-inch flowers at the ends of every branch. A fabulous velvety red of great intensity, these smother the lobed green leaves. Forming a dense mound, it is in bloom from midsummer to the first hard frost – it just never seems to stop. Cold hardy into zone 4, in colder zones it re-sprouts from the roots – be patient, it can be late to come into growth. Plant it in sunny shrub beds and watch it go. Grow it surrounded by annual flowers in a bed on your lawn for a knockout centerpiece. Plant it in a large pot for your terrace, and even grow it on a balcony, with no garden at all. Super-easy and super-fast

• Enormous deep red flowers have a velvety look
• Dense, mounding shrub grows rapidly each year to 5 feet tall
• In bloom from midsummer to the first hard frost
• Sun loving, and loves water too
• Great in beds, pots, and even beside a pond or stream

The Blackberry Merlot Hibiscus is hardy in warmer parts of zone 4, and in zones 4, 5 and 6 it will often be killed back to the roots in winter. However new growth begins in late spring, and a full-sized bush rapidly grows up. Plant in full sun in rich soil, and water frequently. It will grow in most soils that aren’t dry, and loves wet areas too. Reliable in both cooler zones and the heat of the South. Deer don’t eat it and it rarely has any serious pests – a few aphids on the flowers are easily controlled with soapy water or our Neem oil spray. Dead flowers usually just fall, so dead-heading isn’t needed. Prune in spring back to areas of active growth, removing smaller branches and leaving a framework of thicker stems.