Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart

Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart, also known as Rose Mallow Red Heart, is a tough, reliable shrub which will bring exotic flowers in great abundance to your garden in the late summer. Its excellent qualities have earned it the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Native to Asia, Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart is one of the last shrubs to leaf out in the spring. Yellowish when they first emerge, they turn a dark green as the season progresses. However, it is for the flowers of late summer that Rose Mallow Red Heart is grown. Starting in late July and lasting for several weeks, the bushes are covered with blooms 10 cm across, bright white with red splotches at the centre, with a prominent white stamen cone. Bees and butterflies will be drawn to the flowers. While each flower lasts just a few days, new ones continually appear. Once its magnificent flowering period ends in October, the Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart bush will recede into the background as its leaves fall. 
Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart is hardy in most regions of the UK, quickly reaching a full height of 2.4-3 metres and spread of 2 metres. Plant 1.2-1.8 metres apart. Rose Mallow Red Heart responds well to pruning. Trim to desired size once flowering has finished in the autumn, and cut out some of the older stems in the centre. Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart can also be pruned to be grown as a single-stem standard tree. 
Plant your Rose Mallow Red Heart in any moist, well-drained soil in full sun, in a position sheltered from strong winds. Once established they will tolerate dry periods. Resistant to urban pollution, and not a favourite of deer, Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart will do equally well in a city or country garden. 
Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart will make a big statement during its flowering period, but has little to make it remarkable outside of late summer, so it is best planted where other shrubs will be able to take the focus the rest of the season. In a mixed hedge or grouping with spring-blooming shrubs such as azaleas, plants with a vivid autumn foliage show like Fagus sylvatica, and evergreens such as Ilex Meserveae Blue Angel, Rose Mallow Red Heart will be able to shine during its blooming season, and then let its companions take the spotlight. 
Hibiscus Syriacus Red Heart’s stunning late summer blooms will bring fresh new colour to your late summer garden!