Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus, or Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Painted Lady', is a glossy-leaved evergreen shrub that carries large single rose pink flowers with white veining and a dark red eye. Each bloom lasts one day, but new ones keep opening from early summer into fall, and they pull in hummingbirds and butterflies. Give it full sun to part shade and rich, well-drained soil kept evenly moist but never standing wet. It is hardy in USDA zones 9 through 11, reaching 4 to 10 feet tall and 5 to 8 feet wide, and it flowers nearly year round in south Florida. In north Florida a cold snap yellows the lower leaves and a hard freeze cuts plants down, though they usually return from the roots. Farther north, grow it in a container and winter it indoors. Where the species spans many colors, this cultivar holds to rose pink.