Hibiscus: Hardy hibiscus in Georgia, 1 by JudyinGA

JudyinGA wrote:
I'm in the same boat as another poster here. Most have tropical hibiscus but I prefer hardy hibiscus that I can grow in my yard --- those that die back but will come back the next year. I had no idea there was such an animal until I went on another garden forum and someone in S.C. had one.

I had two tropicals last year and fell in love with them. But the ants were so bad I didn't want to bring them inside when summer was over. They were drop dead gorgeous all summer and required very little attention. The blooms were huge. I have no idea what their names were but one was red and one was pink. They both went on the compost pile when it got cold here.

I bought another tropical this year (yellow, "Sunny Wind") and it has bloomed beautifully for me ... still blooming, but it has slowed down considerably. It also has a bad ant problem and will go on the compost pile as soon as it dies.

Then I learned about the hardy ones and finally found two at my local Pike's Nursery last month --- both pink and beautiful. They were labeled "Rose Mallow 'The Clown.'" Both have about had it for this year but I'm looking forward to seeing those beautiful, huge, pink blooms next summer. They are supposed to grow to about 4-7 feet, both tall and wide, according to the label, and are fast growers. The blooms are very similar to my Rose of Sharon but are about 5 times as big.

My problem is, I have no idea how to properly take care of these beauties. I have discovered that they are real water hogs and the leaves start to droop at the first sign of dryness. But as far as what type of fertilizer to feed ... I haven't a clue. Would really appreciate any pointers. I am in Zone 7b, just south of Atlanta.

Here is "The Clown" ..