Candy Crush grows in an upright, columnar shape that gives it the structure of a small shrub. Its 8-inch flowers are bright bubblegum pink with a near-black red eye and are produced all over the plant, not just at the top.
It reaches 4 to 4½ feet tall and wide with rich, bright green leaves, and blooms from midsummer into late summer. Use it in place of a shrub to add height and color to a sunny garden.
What it looks like
An upright, columnar bush 48 to 54 inches tall and wide with rich, bright green leaves. Flowers are about 8 inches across, saucer-shaped, bright bubblegum pink with a near-black dark red eye. Blooms are spread evenly over the whole plant from top to bottom. At peak the plant looks like a green column dotted all over with large hot pink flowers.
Growing it with lavender
Grow it in a sunny spot with steady moisture, such as a rain garden or the back of a watered border, rather than in lean lavender soil.
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: Bright bubblegum pink with a near-black red eye
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Foliage: Bright green
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Growth habit: Upright, columnar bush
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Mature size: 4 ft–54 in tall × 4 ft–54 in 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
Community Grower Report
