The Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus, otherwise known as the Hibiscus Moscheutos or Hardy Hibiscus, Swamp Rose Mallow, Rose Mallow, Crimson-Eyed Rose-Mallow, Marshmallow Hibiscus, Marsh Mallow, Sea Hollyhock, Hibiscus moscheutos subsp. palustris, Hibiscus palustris, is a somewhat well known shrub plant native to the Rocky Mountains, Northeast, Southeast, and the Southwest of the United States.
Best known for its low maintenance and fast growth, this shrub will likely liven up your house (or garden) with its green colored leaves. But, only if you learn how to take proper care of it for it to thrive.
Fortunately, this is exactly what we’ll cover in this Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus Care Guide. So let’s dive in.
The fundamental caring guidelines for every Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus can be summed up into the following:
- Water: The Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus grows best with regular watering to keep the soil moist during the dry season. Reduce watering once the plant is established.
- Light: Keep your Hibiscus Moscheutos in an environment where it can receive partial to full sun on a daily basis.
- Soil: Make sure to keep the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus in soil with moist but well-draining to poorly draining properties, so ideally, one that is made of loam and clay.
And that’s practically it! If you keep these three factors in check, your Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus will likely have all it needs for it to survive and even thrive.
Scientific / Botanical Aspects
In botanical terms, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus belongs to the Malvaceae family, the genus Hibiscus and the species Moscheutos, hence its scientific (or botanical) name Hibiscus Moscheutos (hi-BIS-kus mos-KEW-tos).
As with other Hibiscus’s, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus is a herbaceous plant, which means it will die back to the ground every year.
Growing Region
The Hibiscus Moscheutos is used to growing in specific regions such as the states in Rocky Mountains, Northeast, Southeast, and the Southwest of the United States.
You might be wondering why your Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus’s native region is important. Well, if you know where your plant originally came from, you’ll know which environment conditions it prefers, and with it, knowledge on how to replicate it at home.
With this in mind, the Hibiscus Moscheutos will be most used to the heat zones in the 1 – 12 region, as the plant hardiness level falls between 5a, 5b, 6b, 6a, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9b, 9a and the ideal climate zone is between 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, H1.
Growth and Size
Growth
In terms of size and growth, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus is a relatively fast grower, which makes things tricky for any plant enthusiast.
Size
But, what size of Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus are we talking about? What can you expect in terms of height, spread and spacing? Let’s dig in…
The Hibiscus Moscheutos can grow up to 3′ – 7′ (90cm – 210cm) in 3′ – 7′ (90cm – 210cm) and 2′ – 4′ (60cm – 120cm) in 2′ – 4′ (60cm – 120cm).
These dimensions make the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus a relatively large shrub compared to others, so it’s best to keep this fact in mind since it will affect where you want to keep yours at home.
Also, expect it to grow in a wonderful mounding shape, which is something worthwhile to remember when making your garden landscape plans.
This is why experts recommend keeping an area of approximately 48″ (120cm) free so the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus can spread to its best extent.
Water
In terms of watering, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus is a fairly complicated plant to take care of.
This is mostly because it has a not so straightforward watering schedule and somewhat regular watering needs.
Specifically, most experts agree that the Hibiscus Moscheutos grows best with regular watering to keep the soil moist during the dry season. Reduce watering once the plant is established.
Which is why it is considered a plant with relatively average to high needs in terms of water.
Watering
As a rule of thumb, you should remember to keep your Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus in soil with moist but well-draining to poorly draining characteristics, as these will guarantee the right conditions for your plant to grow and thrive.
When you consider this, this is why you should aim to choose soil that has moist, and occasionally wet properties to keep the right moisture levels at all times.
In our experience, the famous ‘thumb’ or ‘finger’ test is what works best for the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus since with it, you will be able to give it the right amount of water, every time – regardless of the environment or placement where you do decide to keep it.
Soil Mix
As mentioned earlier, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus prefers to have soil with moist, and occasionally wet properties at all times, reason why you need to make the soil mix out of loam and clay.
This is why most experts agree that the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus requires soil with high organic matter, loam (silt), and sand, which will give you the right conditions it needs.
In addition to this, expert gardeners recommend having preferably alkaline, acid or neutral soil.
Light and Exposure
In terms of light & exposure, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus requires partial to full sun in order for it to thrive under the right conditions.
Most experts agree that this shrub will do well as long as you keep it in full sun, and it will be able to grow properly.
Specifically, we recommend that you place your Hibiscus Moscheutos in little to partial shade (only 2-6 hours of direct sunlight a day), to full and direct sun (more 6 hours of direct sunlight per day).
Season
Being a herbaceous plant, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus will die back to the ground every year.
But, you can expect it to have its ‘prime-time’ during the summer (mid, late), and during the fall.
Flowers
You can expect your Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus to flower around the summer months from July to September (summer).
In particular, this shrub is well known for its flowers for cutting and showy flowers around the plant enthusiast community.
The Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus produces some beautiful pink, or red/burgundy, pink and white flowers around this time of year.
Foliage
The leaves from the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus have a beautiful green color during most of the year.
In particular, they have a simple arrangement with a alternate organization in its leaves.
You can expect the leaves from your Hibiscus Moscheutos to be around (3-6 inches) in size.
Attracts, Tolerance and Resistance
The Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus is well known for being able to attract hummingbirds and butterflies, so keep that in mind when choosing your plant, as you’ll likely end up finding one or another in your garden.
Additionally, it has a special tolerance for wet soil and drought conditions, so don’t worry if any of these come along, your Hibiscus Moscheutos will be fine.
Garden
Now, let’s talk garden and how your Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus will look best in it.
Most Hibiscus Moscheutos owners agree that this shrub will look great in most cottage and tropical gardens of all types.
Other owners consider that they complement well most gardens of city and courtyard, and in informal and cottage styles.
In particular, the Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus’s best location within your garden is in ponds and streams, beds and borders, and in wall-side borders, others use it for landscaping in a cutting garden, border, very wet areas, container, houseplant, or a wildlife garden.
Companion Plants
Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus’s do well with some other plants beside it. One good companion plant is the Salvia, which will pair up nicely with your leafy friend.
Others consider that a nice Echinacea will work well too, so choose whichever you find works best for you!
Conclusion
Even though we covered a lot of care information for your Honeymoon™ Rose Hibiscus, remember the basics: sunlight, soil and water, as these should be enough to grow a healthy plant at home.
