Cherry Choco Latte is a long-blooming hardy hibiscus sized for smaller spaces. Its 8- to 9-inch flowers are white with vivid deep pink veins running through the petals and a large red eye, giving them a rich, dimensional look.
The dark olive green leaves carry bronze highlights and form a compact clump about 4 feet tall and wide. Later in the season, flowers cover the whole plant. It has earned trial recognition in several regions and is a strong choice for a moist, sunny bed.
What it looks like
A compact clump about 48 inches tall and wide with dark olive green leaves showing bronze highlights. Flowers are 8 to 9 inches across, three-dimensional with cupped, overlapping petals, white with intense deep pink veining that radiates out from a large red eye. By late season blooms cover the entire plant. At peak the dark-leaved bush is dotted with large white-and-pink veined saucers.
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 deep pink veining and a large red eye
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Foliage: Dark olive green with bronze highlights
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Growth habit: Compact clump
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Mature size: 4 ft tall × 4 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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