This Hibiscus relative from Mexico is commonly called a Bush Mallow and has turned out to be a complete winner in my cool climate garden at Macedon. It has proven to be cold resistant and certainly drought and heat tolerant as one might expect and has grown to an upright shrub of 4metres in only a few years. If it has a problem it is a bit brittle so some shelter from wind is advisable although regrowth is usually fast.
Visually it has handsome slightly furry leaves and its clusters of cerise flowers seem to be there all year round so why isn’t it in more gardens? Probably because it is in few nurseries and this is the problem with so many worthy plants and why at the risk of seeming self interested (and who in business isn’t) people should be supporting nurseries like mine instead of buying the dross so often offered by the ordinary retailers.
I have nice young plants in 15cm. pots at $18.50 what a bargain!
