Hibiscus moscheutos Sweet Caroline - Swamp Rose Mallow

Hibiscus moscheutos Sweet Caroline is a type of marshmallow plant with rose-like buds. This plant blooms until late summer, producing big cup-shaped flowers in a bright pink colour. The flowers have a small reddish-purple centre and are complemented by decorative green foliage. This plant prefers waterlogged soil and is excellent for the edge of a pond or large pots kept moist on a terrace.

Hibiscus moscheutos belongs to the family Malvaceae, related to mallow and rose mallows. It is native to the marshes of the southern United States and can grow up to 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches) tall. Horticulturists have created many cultivars, producing larger flowers with various colours and increased floribundity.

The 'Sweet Caroline' variety forms a bushy clump that can grow to 1.50m (4 ft 11 in) in a single season. Its floral buds are particularly graceful and arranged in a whirl. They open into simple pink flowers with slightly wrinkled petals. The flowers are short-lived but renew constantly from July to September. The stems are green and hairy, and the large leaves are bright green and ornamental throughout the growing season.

Marshmallow plants are spectacular and challenging to integrate into a natural setting. However, they are perfect for contemporary gardens or exotic scenes carefully organised around a water feature or on a terrace. This plant may suffer in cooler and mountainous areas, although it can tolerate temperatures as low as -12°C (10.4 °F). All varieties of marshmallow plants add another dimension to waterlogged flowerbeds or the edge of a pond, and they can be paired with other plants like Gunnera, cannas, Ethiopian arum, Rodgersia Chocolate Wings, or Colocasia esculenta.