Swamp Rose Hibiscus moscheutos

Rose Mallow is a herbaceous perennial that may grow 5 to 7 feet tall. The leaves are alternate with a toothed margin. Lower leaves may have three lobes. White flowers with a burgundy center first mature in summer and continue into early fall. Rose mallow is native to wetlands and creek edges in the southeastern USA and is found in all areas of NC. It prefers full to partial sun in wet to constantly moist soils containing loam, silt, or some sand with organic material. The flowers of cultivars vary in color and can be up to 12 in. across on compact plants.  This plant is slightly salt tolerant.

Use Rose Mallow in low place of the garden, as a specimen, along streams or ponds or as a temporary summer screen or hedge. It can also be grown in large containers.

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.

Seasons of Interest: 

  Blooms:  Late summer            Nut/Fruit/Seed:  Fall

Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Japanese beetles can severely damage foliage if left unchecked. Whiteflies, aphids and scale are occasional insect visitors.  There is some susceptibility to leaf spots, blights, rusts, and canker. Leaf scorch can occur if soils dry out. Healthy plants grown in the proper environment usually do not have problems and do not need staking. 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.