Valentine's Crush has bright cherry red flowers that open fully flat at 7 to 8 inches wide. The large, oval leaves give the plant a full look and take on a dark bronze cast in full sun.
It grows in an upright, columnar shape about 5 feet tall and 3½ feet wide, with sturdy stems that resist flopping. It blooms from midsummer into late summer and adds strong vertical structure to a sunny, moist bed.
What it looks like
An upright, columnar plant about 60 inches tall and 42 inches wide with large, oval leaves in green with a dark bronze cast in full sun. Flowers are 7 to 8 inches across, opening fully flat, in bright cherry red. Blooms are spread along the upright stems. At peak the plant is a narrow green-bronze column dotted with flat, glowing red 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
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
-
Botanical name: Hibiscus
-
Flower color: Bright cherry red
-
Foliage: Green with a dark bronze cast
-
Growth habit: Upright, columnar
-
Mature size: 5 ft tall × 42 in wide
-
USDA hardiness zones: 4–9
-
Light: full sun, part sun to part shade
-
Bloom start: Mid-July
-
Peak bloom: Mid-August
-
Bloom pattern: Long Blooming
-
Deer resistance: Moderately resistant
-
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
