• Fabulous vertical shrub in bloom for months
• Beautiful large red flower with a red-purple heart
• Hardy from zone 5 – tough and reliable
• Great in pots, bringing height without width
• Deer-proof and drought resistant

One of the classic colors of hardy hibiscus is lavender, and in the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus we have that gorgeous color, but in a beautiful semi-double flower, on a bush that simply never stops blooming, even in cool zones, from mid-summer right into the fall. The flowers are a full 4 inches across, and produced in abundance, with new ones opening every day. Plus, it is self-cleaning and produces less seed, something that also encourages longer blooming. Of course this variety grows in hot zones too, so it’s perfect for everyone, but especially for northern growers, who can finally enjoy the true beauty of these easy-care shrubs.

Growing the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus

Size and Appearance

The Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus is a tough deciduous shrub that is very easy to grow, and develops into an upright plant with many branches. Bushy and full, it typically reaches 7 or 8 feet tall, but older, unpruned plants can approach 12 feet in height. Yet it is relatively narrow, spreading around 4 feet wide. Compared to older varieties it has many slender branches, making it much bushier, and also encourages many more flowers to develop. When planting consider how large it is going to become, and allow room for it to grow. This plant grows rapidly, adding as much as 2 feet every year, so it matures in a short time, just a few growing seasons.

The new leaves come in the middle of spring, and these develop abundantly on every branch. Smooth, glossy and dark green, they are broadly oval and about 4 inches long, but divided into three lobes, and with jagged, irregular edges. Through spring and the first few weeks of summer it makes an attractive green bush while your early shrubs give your garden color.

Summer has barely got going, though, before you see the first flowers opening, and these blooms are a revelation. They are held upright, so they show well, and are a full circle of overlapping, ruffled petals that is 4 inches in diameter. In the center of the bloom there are numerous smaller petals, narrow and irregular in form, giving this flower great charm and beauty, and intensifying its appeal. All the petals are a wonderful shade of soft but bright lavender, making a charming bush that fits in with any and all other colors in your garden.

Each bloom only lasts a day or two, but more and more just keep opening, keeping this bush in full-bloom throughout the summer and into fall. In warm falls it can take a hard frost to stop this vigorous bush blooming. Flowers drop neatly, meaning no need to dead-head, and although some seed pods will develop, there are far fewer than in older varieties. This is a big factor in keeping the plant in bloom longer, and it also means this variety isn’t weedy, the way many older ones could be.

Using the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus in Your Garden

There are lots of ways you can grow the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus. It is perfect in any sunny shrub bed, and makes a lovely specimen bush out on a lawn. It is perfect for planting in front of a bare wall of your home, and it also makes a magnificent flowering hedge. For a continuous row, space plants about 3 feet apart.

It can also be grown in planters, alone or mixed with other plants like ornamental grasses or summer perennials. From zone 7 it will survive in pots outdoors all winter. In colder areas plant in the garden for the winter, or store in a cool shed – light isn’t necessary since it is deciduous.

Hardiness

This bush is hardy all the way from zone 5 into zone 9. Bred to grow well in cooler regions, it is ideal for zones 5 and 6, even if you have cloudy, cooler summers. In hotter zones it thrives on the heat and humidity too, and is reliable and easy.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

The best location for the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus is out in full sun, all day long, no matter how hot your garden is. This is especially important in cooler zones, but in warmer ones a couple of hours of shade each day is going to be fine. As for soil, anything goes, just as long as it isn’t wet or boggy. Dry spots are fine, and sandy soils or heavy but not wet clays are not a problem. New plants should have some water regularly of course, but once established this plant is very drought tolerant and thrives in dry locations and also in hot and humid conditions.

Maintenance and Pruning

Hardy hibiscus is rarely bothered by deer, although a very young plant should be protected if you do have deer around. Established plants are left alone. No serious pests or diseases are likely to attack it, and this is a very easy plant to grow, needing very little care. In spring you can prune if needed. This plant flowers on new stems, so don’t prune or trim at all once new shoots appear. You can shorten back the stems that grew last year, usually to about 12 inches long. In older plants removing a couple of the oldest stems close to the ground is a good way to keep it vigorous.

History and Origin of the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus

Despite it’s botanical name, the hardy hibiscus, Hibiscus syriacus, grows wild in China and Korea. It came to Europe from Syria, where it had been introduced along the ancient Silk Route, which explains the mix-up in the naming. Often called the Rose of Sharon, it has always been grown in hotter areas, like southern Europe or the southwest of the USA.

That wasn’t good enough for Roderick Woods, a professor at Cambridge University in England. He became intrigued by these plants when he saw them in the south of France, and was determined to grow them in England, despite the climate being too cold and wet. He kept on making crosses and selecting seedlings, and eventually got what he wanted – some of the most magnificent blooms ever seen on the hardy hibiscus, and growing on plants that blooms happily in cooler climates. In the middle of the 1990s he selected one seedling from the hundreds he grew, because of its wonderful flowers. After several years of trials he named it ‘Notwoodone’ and in 2002, working with Spring Meadows Nursery of Grand Haven, Michigan, he was granted a US patent (PP# 12,619) on his beautiful plant, which expired a couple of years ago. It was released with the trademark name of Lavender Chiffon®, and is today widely admired for its beauty.

Buying the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus at The Tree Center

If you already know Hardy Hibiscus you will see why this one is so special. If you don’t grow them, and especially if you live in the northeast, then the Lavender Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus is the perfect plant to start with. All the plants in this ‘Chiffon’ range are wonderful, but for the classic look of lavender, this one can’t be beaten. It is always a top seller, so don’t wait until they are all gone before deciding to order it – go for it now.

Be assured too that this is not some difficult plant that underperforms and likely fails. Not at all. Like other hardy hibiscus it is incredibly tough and reliable, thriving in hot, dry locations, growing rapidly, and blooming with wild abandon. Plus, it has been specially bred by one of the world’s top breeders of these plants, to grow well and bloom for a long period in cooler zones, where, if you have tried, most hardy hibiscus grow poorly and give a distinctly underwhelming performance. This won’t happen when you grow the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus. Instead you get a fast-growing bush that will be 6 or 8 feet tall and a generous 4 feet wide within just a few years. Smothered in blooms from mid-summer right into fall, this great shrub will be an instant favorite, and if you are feeling blue about the impact of your garden, this plant is the solution.

Growing the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus

Size and Appearance

The Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus grows rapidly – around 2 feet a year – into a generous and vigorous deciduous bush. Plants are typically about 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide, but unpruned it will become substantially larger in time, with the ability to reach 12 feet tall and 10 feet wide. So when planting, be sure to allow plenty of space for it to develop in, and plant at least 3 feet in all directions from walls, fences, boundaries or other plants. With many upright branches it naturally forms a dense bush, with branches to the ground. The leaves are dark green, glossy and smooth. They are about 3 inches long, with a lobed and deeply-cut margin that makes them exceptionally attractive. It is noticeably more bushy and densely branched than older types of hardy hibiscus.

Blooms appear on new stems, once they have developed a little, and the first will appear around June in most areas. Flowering continues throughout the summer, in profusion, usually continuing into fall unless it is very cold, and often only stopping after the first hard frost, especially so in warmer zones. Part of the reason this plant keeps blooming so long is that it rarely produces any seeds, meaning no weed problems, and also the energy of the plant going into more flowers instead of seed pods.

Flowers open along the stems in succession, and each bloom is a flat disc of 5 broad and full petals, 3 1⁄2 inches across, surrounding a center of many small, narrow twisted petals. Through these petaloids you can catch a glimpse of a deep-red throat, with feathery edges reaching into the base of the petals. The color is a uniform and gorgeous sky blue – a real treat and a standout in your garden.

Using the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus in Your Garden

Because it is so easy to grow, the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus is a great asset in your garden. With its bulk and rapid growth it is perfect for creating new shrub beds – or filling gaps in existing ones. It’s wonderful blue coloring fits in perfectly with any and all other colors – one of the assets of blue in the garden. Use it to make a dramatic and colorful flowering hedge – space plants about 4 or even 5 feet apart, so you don’t need many for a long screen. It is also wonderful planted out on a lawn as a specimen, where it will be admired by all.

Hardiness

This plant enjoys hot parts of the country, but it has been bred to do well in cooler zones too – much better than older hardy hibiscus did. So from zone 5 to zone 9, it will thrive.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Plant the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus in full sun – it loves it and thanks you by producing many blooms. In warmer zones it will take a few hours a day of shade, but not too much, or growth will be weaker. Any well-drained soil, of any type, is just fine – this is not a difficult plant at all. Water new plants regularly during the first summer, but once established you will be amazed at how drought tolerant it is, while keeping on flowering.

Maintenance and Pruning

Deer leave mature hardy hibiscus alone, but they can sometimes browse on young plants, so give some protection when it is newly planted. Serious pests or diseases are never seen on it – any problems come from too much water or too much shade. Prune in spring as needed – cutting back stems from the previous year to 12 inches long or less is the usual thing done, but you can also remove a few big branches once it becomes older – this will rejuvenate it. Don’t trim once new growth begins, because the flowers are formed on those new stems, and cutting them off means few flowers.

History and Origin of the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus

The hardy hibiscus, Hibiscus syriacus, is often also called Rose of Sharon. Despite its name it comes from China and Korea, and it was carried along the Silk Route centuries ago to the Middle East. From there it was brought to Europe. It has always been popular in hot and humid parts of America, where it performs well even in high heat and drought.

Roderick Woods fell in love with this plant in the South of France, but found it didn’t grow so well in his home country – England. He had been a renowned professor at Cambridge University, but hardy hibiscus was his obsession. After years of breeding he developed spectacular blooms on plants that also grew well in cool, wet areas. He built a large collection of fabulous seedlings to use for his breeding. In 2001 he crossed, by hand-pollination, two of his own plants. Among the batch of seedlings he grew was one that really caught his eye – because it was a stunning blue color. After testing it he partnered with Spring Meadows Nursery of Grand Haven, Michigan to take out a US patent, which he was granted in 2009. He named his plant ‘Notwood3’. It has been released for gardeners with the trademark name of Blue Chiffon®, and sold under the Proven Winners® label.

Buying the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus at The Tree Center

The Proven Winners® label is not just a name. Plants like the Blue Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus are the result of years of breeding and selection, which makes each one a reliable and novel addition to your garden. If you like blue, you will adore this plant, so don’t hesitate to add it to your garden, and don’t wait or you will find them all gone.

Yes, these plants represent a whole rebirth for a plant that has long been in our gardens, but is so often ignored or seen as a boring filler. Now it can take its true place among the best of your garden plants, and solve all your problems by keeping those blooms coming through the long hot days of summer. Growing from 8 to as much as 12 feet tall and 5 feet wide, this is the show-stopper flowering hedge like no other. A fabulous back-drop to your garden beds, or the perfect plant to transform an awkward corner. All this on a trouble-free, hardy plant that is so easy to grow it does all the work for you.

Growing the Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus

Size and Appearance

The Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus is a strong, vigorous deciduous shrub that grows quickly to become a broad, upright fountain of branches. Typically reaching about 8 feet, left to just grow you will find that 12 feet tall is certainly possible. This is a broad, multi-stemmed plant, 6 feet wide, and in time, unpruned, as much as 10 feet across. So when planting, don’t tuck this ‘cute little bush’ into a space suitable for a marigold – give it room to show you just how impressive it can become.

Leaves appear a little later than on many shrubs, so be a little patient. Soon enough it will be clothed in handsome, deep-green leaves a little over 4 inches long and 3 inches across. These have a smooth, glossy surface and are oval, but with three noticeable lobes and a charming jagged border. Leaves grow both on new growth and on short side-stems all along the branches, making for a bushy plant.

By the time June arrives you will be seeing the first buds, and even a new plant not even 3 feet tall is going to have 50 blooms in the season – imagine what a mature plant will do! From fat buds huge flowers expand, up to 4 inches across, in a wonderful, glowing, purple-pink. Each bloom is a swirl of petals, making a full, rounded, fully-double blossom that is the most striking we have ever seen. The rich tones shine out, turning heads and winning hearts. Plus, these are not the old ‘one day’ flowers – no, each one lasts a full 4 days, keeping this bush packed with blooms throughout summer. There will still be blooms in fall too, right up to the first hard frost. No other shrub comes close to this in continuous summer blooming. Although the genetics of this variety aren’t clear, it doesn’t seem to produce seed, which keeps it blooming longer and longer, while avoiding any need to dead-head.

Using the Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus in Your Garden

You will be amazed at just how tough and useful the Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus is. It takes heat and humidity in its stride, and thrives out on a lawn as a stunning specimen. Use it behind shorter shrubs, fill an awkward corner, or make a spectacular informal flowering hedge that must be seen to be believed. For hedges and screens space plants 3 feet apart for a wall of blooms. In warmer zones it can also be grown outdoors all year round as a potted tree, although it won’t grow as large as it will in the open ground.

Hardiness

Tough, hardy and reliable, this is a plant for everyone. Hardy from zone 5 to zone 9, including areas that are hot and dry or hot and humid all summer. Bred to grow well in cooler, damper regions too, it’s also highly-recommended for cool zones. We have even heard reports of it surviving in zone 4, dying back but re-sprouting and blooming profusely, but on a smaller bush of course. We can’t guarantee this plant in zone 4, though, but it could be worth the experiment.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

“Give me sun!” is what the Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus would tell you if it could. Plant it right out in full sun for the best results, but it is tough enough to take a couple off hours of shade each day if it must, and still bloom well. It doesn’t ask for much – just a well-drained soil that can be anything, from sand to clay and acid to alkaline. Avoid wet areas, and if your soil tends to hold a lot of water, add plenty of coarse compost, and plant on a high spot. Established plants are incredibly drought tolerant, but a long, deep soak occasionally through extended dry periods will really make a difference in keeping those blooms coming.

Maintenance and Pruning

Deer don’t eat hardy hibiscus, and significant pests or diseases are very unlikely if the soil is well-drained and it is growing in the sun. For a vigorous variety like this we recommend you remove the tips of the new stems in spring once they are a few inches long – this will encourage dense, bushy growth. In spring trim lightly as needed, leaving about 12 inches of the wood that grew the previous year. For massive blooms in potted plants, leave just 2 or 3 inches of that growth from the previous year. Don’t trim in summer or blooming will be reduced.

History and Origin of the Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus

The hardy hibiscus, Hibiscus syriacus, often called Rose of Sharon, is indeed a close relative of the tropical hibiscus, and is originally native to China and Korea. It arrived in the Middle East centuries ago along the fabled Silk Route. From there it came to Europe a few hundred years ago, which is why it is called ‘syriacus’.

Roderick Woods is today a breeder of magnificent hardy hibiscus, but his life was spent as a renowned researcher and professor at Cambridge University, where, between teaching how the human body works, he developed life-saving protective clothing for workers in many dangerous professions. A life-long lover of hibiscus, he discovered some rare old varieties in France, and used them to then breed new varieties that would bloom long and well even in the uncertain British climate. The Chiffon Series is the result, and the world hasn’t seen plants like this before. They glow with color, bloom continuously and look spectacular. In 2018 he was granted a US patent on the variety officially called ‘Rwoods5’, and the plant has been released by Spring Meadows Nursery of Grand Haven, Michigan, with the trademark name of Magenta Chiffon®.

Buying the Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus at The Tree Center

This new range of double hardy hibiscus is really turning heads, and for our money the stunning brilliance of the Magenta Chiffon® Hardy Hibiscus makes it a top pick. Raise your summer flowering display to new levels, and turn the heat of summer into a bonus, not a problem. Settle back for a summer of beauty, but get that order in now, because these plants are so popular we just can’t keep them in stock for long at all.