Ballet Slippers fills the need for a near-white hardy hibiscus. Its ruffled 7-inch flowers are white with a deep red eye and petal edges brushed in blush pink, and the heavily overlapping petals give each bloom a pinwheel look.
The plant grows upright and polished, about 4 feet tall and up to 5 feet wide, with healthy bright green leaves. A very high bud count and good side branching mean flowers open from top to bottom of the plant over a long season into early fall. It makes a fine backdrop or centerpiece for a sunny border.
What it looks like
An upright, well-branched bush about 48 inches tall and 54 to 60 inches wide with bright green, slightly serrated leaves. Flowers are about 7 inches across, ruffled, with heavily overlapping petals arranged in a pinwheel pattern; each is white with a deep red eye and a soft blush pink edge on every petal. Blooms open along the full length of the stems from top to bottom. At peak the bush is covered in pale white-and-pink pinwheels with red centers.
Growing it with lavender
It likes full sun but needs far more moisture than lavender, so plant it in a regularly watered border or rain garden rather than in the lavender bed.
Care
Plant in full sun for the most flowers; part shade is tolerated. It grows in poor to fertile soil but needs consistent moisture and should never dry out for long; hardy in zones 4-9. It is slow to wake up in spring, so mark the spot, and cut the old stems to the ground in late fall or early spring.
At a glance
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Botanical name: Hibiscus
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Flower color: White with blush pink edges and a deep red eye
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Foliage: Bright green
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Growth habit: Upright, well-branched bush
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Mature size: 4 ft tall × 54 in–5 ft wide
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USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
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Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
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Bloom start: Mid-July
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Peak bloom: Mid-August
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Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
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Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
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Pollinator value: Great
Sizes and shipping
Dormant bare-root plant, sold in boxes of 25 per variety (order in multiples of 25). Bare-root plants ship or are picked up March 1–May 31 only. They are soil-free, so they may ship to every state in that window. Dormant plants often show little or no top growth on arrival; plant or heel them in promptly. Hardy hibiscus arrives fully dormant and is one of the last perennials to wake up: expect no new growth until late May or June. That is normal, so plant it, water lightly and be patient.
Shipping note: Emerges late; dormant crowns look lifeless in spring until growth starts in late May or June.
Lavender companion · grow guide
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