Hibiscus Plants: A Diverse Lot

Most everyone has heard of "hibiscus," a very popular genus of flowering plants. But if you tell someone that you grow hibiscus flowers and they respond with a "So do I," the two of you may, in fact, be growing distinctly different plants.

If you picked up your plant at a florist shop and grow it as a houseplant, chances are you're growing Hibiscus rosa-sinensis, a tropical plant with showy flowers. But Hibiscus moscheutos, or "rose mallow," while also bearing showy flowers, is hardy to zone 4! Meanwhile, there's another hardy hibiscus whose flowers aren't as showy but which is much more widely grown in northern climes: Hibiscus syriacus, better known as "rose of sharon."

Read article: "Rose Mallow" Hibiscus Plants

Related resource: Rose of Sharon