Growing guide · Perennials

Hibiscus 'Dark Mystery'

How to grow Hardy Hibiscus 'Dark Mystery'.

Dark leaves, giant white flowers.

Light
Full sun
Water
High
Zones
4–9
Size
5–5.5 ft tall and wide
Spacing
4–5 ft apart.
Pets
Not on the ASPCA pet-safe list; keep it out of reach
See sizes · from $61.99
Hardy hibiscus with very large white flowers with a red center over wine-purple maple-like leaves

Light

Full sun. Leaf color dulls and stems weaken in shade.

Water

Likes steady moisture and handles wet soil. Water deeply in dry spells.

Planting and soil

Plant in spring or early summer in rich soil, crown level with the surface.

Feeding

Compost or a balanced slow-release feed in late spring when shoots appear.

Pruning

Cut dead stems to 4–6 in. in late fall or early spring.

Through the year

Shoots in late May. Flowers July to September. Dies back with frost.

If something's off

Japanese beetles and sawfly larvae chew leaves; hand-pick or hose them off. Don't write it off until June.

Plays well with

Plant it with friends.

Switch Grass 'Cheyenne Sky'
Panicum virgatumSwitch Grass 'Cheyenne Sky' from $61.99
Russian SageSold out · notify me
Salvia yangiiRussian Sage from $21.99 Notify me when it's back
Garden Phlox Flame Coral
Phlox paniculata 'Barsixtytwo'Garden Phlox Flame Coral from $34.99

Why we stock it: Dark foliage and big, clean white flowers make it the showiest thing in a sunny bed in August.

About 25 native butterfly and moth species use Hibiscus as a host (Narango et al. 2020).

That's everything we know about growing it. Thanks for reading.

Know someone with the right spot? Send them this.

Next
Find your next plant →
All perennials →How we label →

Kits with Hardy Hibiscus 'Dark Mystery'.

All plant kits →
The Rain Garden Rain garden kit The Rain Garden Turns the soggy spot into the best spot. SummersweetHibiscusBlue flag irisTurtleheadChokeberryAll 5 native or native varietyZones 4–911 plants · $519.894 × 8 ft low spot
The Sunday Tip · every Sunday

One good plant idea,
every Sunday.

What to plant this week in your zone, every Sunday. New ways to plant and odd tricks that actually work.