Edge of Night is a very compact hardy hibiscus, just 3 to 3½ feet tall, with some of the darkest foliage found on these plants. The jet black leaves set off green calyces and red leaf stems and veins.
Its 7- to 8-inch flowers are bubblegum pink with overlapping petals and darker pink veins, creating a dramatic layered look. It blooms from midsummer into early fall and has been recognized in several trials. Full sun gives the best color and performance.
What it looks like
A compact, rounded mound 36 to 42 inches tall and 48 to 54 inches wide of jet black leaves with red veins and red leaf stems. Flowers are 7 to 8 inches across, bubblegum pink with overlapping petals and darker pink veining that gives a three-dimensional effect; green calyces show beneath the blooms. At peak the plant is a low black mound spotted with large bright pink flowers.
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
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: Bubblegum pink with darker pink veins
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Foliage: Jet black with red veins
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Growth habit: Compact, rounded mound
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Mature size: 36–42 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
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