Cookies and Cream pairs matte black leaves with pure white flowers. The foliage comes up dark in late spring and makes a strong backdrop for early perennials even before bloom. From midsummer, slightly cupped 6- to 7-inch white flowers appear, without the usual red eye, and the petal backs show a faint pink blush near the tips.
The plant is unusually compact and sturdy, only 2½ to 3 feet tall and 3½ to 4 feet wide. Flowers open along the full length of the stems, so it blooms earlier and longer than many older types. Full sun brings out the darkest leaf color.
What it looks like
A compact, sturdy mound 30 to 36 inches tall and 42 to 48 inches wide of matte, near-black leaves. Flowers are 6 to 7 inches across, slightly cupped, solid bright white with no colored eye, with a faint pink blush on the petal backs near the tips; green calyces remain after bloom. Blooms are spread from top to bottom along the stems. At peak the plant is a dark mound spotted with crisp white cups.
Growing it with lavender
It shares lavender's love of sun but not its dry feet, so give it a spot in a moist, regularly watered bed or rain garden instead.
Care
Give it full sun to bring out the darkest leaf color. It grows in poor to fertile soil but needs consistent moisture; hardy in zones 4-9. It emerges late in spring, so mark its spot, and cut 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: Pure white
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Foliage: Matte near-black
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Growth habit: Compact, sturdy mound
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Mature size: 30–36 in tall × 42 in–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: Early-July
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Peak bloom: Early-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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