Starry Starry Night has very dark, near-black, maple-like leaves that form an upright clump. Its 7- to 8-inch flowers are pale pink with darker pink speckles and veins, sitting on bright green calyces that stand out against the foliage.
Flowers open from top to bottom of the plant rather than only at the tips, giving a generous late summer show. It grows 3½ to 4 feet tall and wide and blooms from midsummer into early fall.
What it looks like
An upright clump 42 to 48 inches tall and wide of broad, maple-like, near-black leaves. Flowers are 7 to 8 inches across, pale pink with fine darker pink speckling and veining across the petals, held on bright green calyces. Blooms appear from the top to the bottom of the stems. At peak the dark clump is dotted with many soft pink, speckled flowers.
Growing it with lavender
Full sun suits it, but its thirst for steady moisture puts it in a watered border, pond edge or rain garden rather than beside lavender.
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: Pale pink with darker pink speckles and veins
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Foliage: Near-black
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Growth habit: Upright clump
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Mature size: 42 in–4 ft 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: 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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