Swamp Rose Hibiscus moscheutos

Rose Mallow is a tall, shrub-like, woody-based herbaceous perennial in the Malvaceae or mallow family. It has huge hollyhock-like flowers in shades of white, pink, red, or burgundy that blooms from midsummer to early fall. The flowers measure up to 8 inches in diameter and have spreading petals with a contrasting central eye of red or burgundy and protruding staminal column that is creamy white to pale yellow. The leaves are alternate, ovate to lanceolate, green to greenish-gray on the upper surface, and the undersides are white and hairy. The plant grows upright from to 2 to 6 feet tall and 2 to 5 feet wide and has multiple sturdy stems. The flowers are replaced by seed capsules that are 1 to 1.25 inches long, oval, and short-beaked. The seed capsule contains a ring of seeds. 

Rose Mallow is native to wetlands and creek edges in the southeastern United States and is found in all areas of North Carolina.

The genus name, Hibiscus, is an old Greek and Latin name for mallow. The specific epithet, moscheutos, is Latin for mush-scented.

This plant prefers full to partial sun and wet to constantly moist soils containing loam, silt, or some sand with organic material and a slightly acidic pH. In full sun, the plant has better bloom production and is more disease resistant. This plant is heat, humidity, and wet soil tolerant, and it is slightly salt tolerant. Plant in a protected area to prevent wind damage, and be sure to provide good air circulation. Pinching back the growing tips will encourage the plant to be more bush-like, and deadheading the spent flowers will improve the plant's appearance. The individual flowers are short-lived, but the blooming period generally lasts about 1 month. Cut back the stems nearly to ground level in the fall. Flowers will appear on new growth. Propagation is through seed planting, stem cuttings, or plant division. 

This plant was selected as the 1997 NC Wildflower of the Year, a program managed by the North Carolina Botanical Garden with some financial support from the Garden Club of North Carolina. The flowers of cultivars vary in color and can be up to 12 inches across compact plants.  Native bees nest in the dead, hollow stems, so gardeners are encouraged to cut back dead stems to 12 to 24 inches and allow them to remain standing until they disintegrate on their own. Read more about best practices for stem-nesting bees in this NC Extension publication.

Use Rose Mallow in the lowest area of the garden, as a specimen, along streams or ponds, or as a temporary summer screen or hedge. Plant in native, pollinator, butterfly, or rain gardens. It can also be grown in large containers. Its saucer-shaped flowers are a wildlife food source and are an attractant for pollinators, hummingbirds, butterflies, and specialized bees.

Seasons of Interest:

Bloom:  Summer and Early Fall      Foliage:  Spring, Summer, and Early Fall     Fruits: Late Summer, Fall, and Winter

Quick ID Hints:

• rounded, somewhat shrubby, hairy stems, and woody base
• leaves are alternate, ovate to lanceolate, green above, and white and hairy beneath
• margins may be toothed, shallowly lobed, or entire
• flowers are dinner-plate size with white, pink, red, or burgundy, hollyhock-like, petals that overlap with a contrasting central eye, and bloom measures 4 to 6 inches in diameter
• fruits are brown seed capsules

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Japanese beetles and the caterpillars of sawflies can severely damage foliage if left unchecked. Whiteflies, aphids, and scales are occasional insect visitors. There is some susceptibility to leaf spots, blights, rust, and canker. Leaf scorch can occur if soils dry out. This plant is occasionally damaged by deer.  

VIDEO created by Andy Pulte for “Landscape Plant Identification, Taxonomy, and Morphology” a plant identification course offered by the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Tennessee.