Use & Care NotesCompanion Plants
Berry Awesome Hardy Hibiscus: Lavender Pink Saucers for Moist Ground
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Berry Awesome hardy hibiscus pairs huge, ruffled flowers 7 to 8 inches across with dark, olive green leaves cut deeply like a maple's. The blooms are lavender pink with a red eye, and pleated petals help them hold up to summer weather. Its dense, compact shape is a real step up from the floppy hibiscus of years past, and it was named a national Perennial of the Year in 2019.
The flower color is about as close to lavender as a hibiscus gets. The water needs are not.
Berry Awesome at a glance
| Trait | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Botanical name | Hibiscus 'Berry Awesome' |
| Flowers | 7 to 8 inches, lavender pink with a cherry red eye |
| Foliage | Dark olive green, deeply lobed like a maple |
| Size | About 4 feet tall, 4½ to 5 feet wide |
| Bloom | Starts mid-July, peaks mid-August, top to bottom of the stems |
| Hardiness | USDA zones 4 to 9 |
| Light | Full sun; part shade tolerated |
| Wildlife | Great for pollinators and hummingbirds; moderately deer resistant |
Planning it near lavender
Berry Awesome thrives on the same sun lavender loves, but it is a moisture plant at heart. In a lean, dry lavender bed it would wilt and sulk; in a wet one, the lavender would rot. So give the hibiscus its own moist, sunny spot nearby, like a rain garden at the bottom of a slope, a pond edge or a border you water regularly.
Seen together across the yard, the pairing works well. Lavender blooms first in early summer; Berry Awesome takes over from mid-July into late summer with flowers in a matching pink-purple family. The dark, lacy leaves also stand out against silvery lavender foliage. Map both moisture zones in the Companion Plant Planner.
Care through the year
- Water: consistent moisture is the whole game. Leaves wilt and flowering slows if the soil dries out in heat.
- Soil: poor to fertile, as long as it stays moist.
- Spring: very late to emerge, often late May or June. Mark the spot so no one digs it up.
- Fall or spring: cut the woody stems back to a few inches.
- Pests: Japanese beetles, aphids and sawfly larvae are the usual visitors; leaf spot can appear in wet seasons.
Plug tray or bare root
Berry Awesome is offered two ways. The 72-cell plug tray suits growers, landscapers and anyone planting a large rain garden or potting up their own stock. The bare root plant is the simple choice for a single specimen in a home garden. See each product page for current availability, and the Wholesale Hub for tray orders.
Frequently asked questions
Is it hardy in Michigan?
Yes. It is fully hardy in zones 4 to 9; it just wakes up late in spring.
Do the flowers last?
Each bloom lasts about a day, but flowers open from the top of the stems to the bottom for weeks.
Can I grow it in a container?
Only a very large one, and it will need frequent watering. It is happiest in the ground.
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