5 hibiscus with red flowers

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Red Wine' - Common Rose Mallow

The Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Red Wine’ is a common Rose mallow, a marsh hibiscus, notable for its giant flowers in a deep rich red, illuminated by a cream-coloured heart of stamens. With a diameter of 20 cm, they open on foliage whose colour is equally distinctive, being dark purple, or even almost black. The leaves are three-lobed and have a bright green underside, to which the purplish-red stems and veins provide even more contrast. The flowering lasts from July to September, turning your garden or balcony into a warm tropical corner. The foliage dies back as the cold arrives in autumn, only to re-emerge the following year. This shrub-like perennial reaches a height of 1.2 metres with a spread of 1 metre.

It is a plant of warm marshes and it thrives in full sun in rich, cool and moist soil. Hardy to -15°C, it is easy to grow.
The Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Red Wine’ can be planted either in a garden or in a pot on a terrace. To create an attractive tropical scene, you can pair it with red Cannas, Gunneras and Colocasia esculenta (elephant ears) placed around a pond, for example.

Hibiscus coccineus - scarlet hibiscus - Texas Star

Hibiscus coccineus or Scarlet hibiscus is distinguished by its large, graphic flowers in scarlet red. With a diameter of 17 cm, they are flat and composed of five satiny, spatulate petals, well separated, surrounding a red central column. Ephemeral, they continually renew during the flowering period, from July to September. The flowers grow on branches reaching about 1.5 metres high. At maturity, Hibiscus coccineus reaches a height of 1.75 metres. The finely cut foliage with seven lobes turns yellow in autumn, then falls away to reappear in May of the following year. This perennial is easy to grow if planted in damp soil. It thrives in full sun or partial shade.

Hardy down to −10 to −12°C, Hibiscus coccineus can be grown in a garden or in a pot. It allows you to create pretty scenes around a pond in a garden beside cannas, giant Ethiopian arums, Rodgersia pinnata ‘Chocolate Wings’ and gunneras.

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Midnight Marvel' - common Rose mallow

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Midnight Marvel’ is a hardy perennial that thrives in moist soil. It blooms from July to September, as with marsh hibiscus, producing large open-cup flowers 20 cm in diameter, dark red, on purple, deeply cut foliage. The petals are rounded and appear slightly crumpled. They bear in the centre a bouquet of stamens that are very elegant. In autumn, its foliage turns golden before fading away. The plant reaches a height of 1.5 metres with a width of 1 metre. Grown in full sun at the edge of a pond or in a pot on a moist, rich substrate, it brings an amazing exotic touch to your garden. Another advantage is that it is hardy to -15°C.

To showcase its beauty, you can pair it with other giant plants, such as the Sikkim banana tree and palmate rhubarb, as well as arums.

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Planet Griotte' - common Rose mallow

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Planet Griotte’ benefits from a generous flowering period from July to September. This plant perennial with a woody stump produces flowers of a spectacular diameter of 25 cm in cherry red that stand out from afar. They open into broad, flat cups on luxuriant foliage divided into three pointed lobes, dark green and purplish. Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Planet Griotte’ forms a bushy tuft 1.70 m tall by 1.20 m wide. This variety has received several awards: the Bronze Medal at Plantarium 2013, as well as the 2014 AQUIFLOR Eco’Innovation First Prize.

Hardy to -15°C, this swamp Rose mallow thrives in waterlogged soil in full sun and is ideal for flowering along the edge of a pond. It pairs beautifully with Gunnera manicata or Brazilian giant rhubarb, with Colocasia esculenta, as well as cannas for a wonderfully tropical ambience.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Duke of Brabant' - red double-flowered Rose of Sharon

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Duc de Brabant’ is a mauve shrub variety that offers double flowers coloured in a vivid rosy-fuchsia with purple veining, from July to September. Measuring 9 to 11 cm, they may also be variegated with a blue-tinged pink, with a central dark red blotch. They feature at their centre a small heart-shaped cluster of crumpled petals. This shrub, with a well-branched habit, reaches 2 m in height and 1.25 m in spread at maturity. It can be grown both in a garden and in a pot on a balcony or terrace. Hardy to -23°C, it is easy to grow in ordinary soil, including calcareous or occasionally dry soils. It adapts to all climates and enjoys sunny, warm exposures, with light shade for the southern regions of France. Plant it in soil that remains cool until late summer and is sheltered from strong winds.

Hibiscus syriacus ‘Duc de Brabant’ can be inserted into a flowering hedge alongside other hibiscus in different colours, as well as buddleias and mock-orange. On a lawn, it can be planted with asters, phlox or shrub tree mallows, creating colour contrasts.

Further reading

• Other red-flowered hibiscus will beautifully decorate your garden, such as the Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Red’ or the Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Giant Red’.
• Discover our full range of Hibiscus to help you choose.
• You can also read our comprehensive Hibiscus fact sheet to learn more about planting, varieties and their association with other plants.