Plant Taxonomy of Hibiscus Flowers:

Plant taxonomy classifies the hibiscus flowers

with which I deal in this article as Hibiscus
moscheutos. They also go by such common
names as "rose mallows" and "swamp mallows."
But I prefer the more descriptive nicknames
"hardy hibiscus" and "dinner-plate hibiscus," for
these names tell you that Hibiscus moscheutos is
quite cold hardy despite bearing large blooms
that remind one of the tropics. The information
below pertains to cultivars such as 'Disco Belle
Rosy Red.' The colors of the most common
cultivars are white, bi-colored, or various shades
of red or pink, but other colors are now available.

Plant Type for Hibiscus Flowers:

Although hardy hibiscus plants are woody in

summer and function as sub-shrubs in the
landscape, their stems do die back to the ground
in winter, making them herbaceous perennials,
technically.

Characteristics of Hibiscus Flowers:

'Disco Belle Rosy Red' hibiscus plants reach about

2 1/2 feet in height with a spread slightly less
than that, but the measurement more folks
concentrate on is the bloom size -- up to 10
inches for cultivars such as 'Galaxy'! As you can
see from the picture above, even cultivars with
smaller blooms still produce impressive, saucer-
size flowers. While each bloom lives only a day or
two, they are quickly replaced by newcomers.