Hibiscus Summerific® 'Cookies and Cream' #3

Common Name: Rose Mallow

A night and day combination of matte black foliage and pure white flowers. 'Cookies and Cream' emerges in late spring already showing its dark foliage; the perfect backdrop to early season perennials. Like other dark-leaved Hardy Hibiscus, full sun is necessary to bring out the deepest foliage color. Beginning in midsummer slightly cupped 6-7" bright white flowers will appear. Each bloom is absent the typical red eye of Hardy Hibiscus, appearing solid white. The back of each petal has a slight pink blush near the tip. Green calyxes follow bloom and contrast nicely with the dark foliage.

Compared with older varieties of herbaceous Hibiscus, 'Cookies and Cream' is exceptionally compact and sturdy. Despite the smaller habit size, this selection does not lack for flowers. Blooms will appear the length of the stem, for top to bottom flower coverage, causing 'Cookies and Cream' to bloom both earlier and longer than traditional varieties. Grows up to 3' tall and 4' wide.

These North American native plants bring massive, tropical-looking flowers all the way to zone 4. Although later to emerge than most perennials in spring, these are fast growing plants capable of adding an inch of new growth a day. Excellent at brightening up end of season gardens.