Thursday, July 28, 2011

Rose Mallow ‘Lord Baltimore’ Hibiscus


The fight against the Japanese Beetles is ongoing and they are winning I fear.
The Lord Baltimore Hibiscus has it leaves full of holes and the beetles love chewing their way into the buds and blooms.

Hibiscus_LordBaltimore2
Rose Mallow,  Hibiscus x Lord Baltimore

Other than the beetles it is almost maintenance free.
I love its bright red dinner plate or 10 inch blooms. The blooms are so large that the leaves look small in comparison.

Hibiscus_LordBaltimore3

A hardy perennial shrub in zones 5 to 9 it grows to about 4 to 5 feet in height at maturity. If it is allowed to grow that is. My poor hibiscus has been moved around several times over the years whenever I decided to redo some beds or think it might look better in some other spot. I know I am the only gardener that does this though. Right? LOL!

Hibiscus_LordBaltimore 

It is adaptable to all types of soil conditions and does stand up to drier conditions than some other hibiscus.  It will bloom from late July through August in our area of zone 5.

Hibiscus_LordBaltimore_Aug30 

I saw another hibiscus breed by the same brothers this summer at the Lilyfest, ‘Lady Baltimore’ .

LF_LadyBaltimore

Rose Mallow, Hibiscus Lady Baltimore

  Lady Baltimore is also good in zones 5 to 9, grows from 3 to 4 feet in height but likes rich soil and wet conditions and needs mulching  in winter. I loved her smaller pink blooms with deep rose eyes but it may not do as well in my location because of the soil and water requirements .

LF_LadyBaltimore2

As beautiful as it is it may just be worth an effort to test it in my garden or a large container.

 

Happy Gardening,
Lona

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24 comments:

Egretta Wells blog said...

Love those beautiful hibiscus blooms!

Darla said...

Please pass the tissue...my Lord Baltimore did not return this year...these are gorgeous photos....(not helping my feelings at all Lona)

Gatsbys Gardens said...

Lona,

The hibiscus are beautiful. I grew the perennial ones at my last house but they are too big for my present home. I will just enjoy yours!

Eileen

greggo said...

off with their heads!

Giga said...

Hibiskusy są śliczne , a czerwony szczególnie. A te wstrętne chrząszcze niech przestaną dziurawić liście. Pozdrawiam

Pat said...

I want those Rose Mallow, Hibiscus x Lord Baltimore.
We have some pink and white but no red. I will grow them next year.

Loving your cardinal flowers also.
Just got plants this year but no sign of blooms.

Masha said...

I am sorry about Japanese beetles, but your hibiscus flowers are gorgeous! Thank you for posting.

GRACE PETERSON said...

Hi Lona, Your 'Lady Baltimore' is the exact same color as your blog background. You must have gone to the nursery and bought it specifically for this purpose, right? LOL The 'Lord' is just outstanding. I love that color too. Sorry about those blankety-blank beetles!

The Sage Butterfly said...

Lona, these are spectacular photos. I particularly like the red hibiscus flower...breathtaking! I need to repot my hibiscus.

Patsy said...

Love the red !

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I like both Lord and Lady Baltimore. I planted some seeds of my Hibiscus coccineus, a cut leaf red bloomed native. Will have to look for either of the Baltimores next summer. Red really pops in the garden, doesn't it?

Sue Ellen said...

I have never grown hibiscus. I had always assumed they would not overwinter here. If I can find this one I would love to try it.
Sue Ellen

Stephanie said...

Hello Lona, they are beautiful! I think these two types of hibiscus will not do so well here (tropics). So glad to see how pretty they are from here. thanks ;-)

HolleyGarden said...

Very, very pretty. I don't know which one I like best. My plants get moved around at least 3 times before they either settle down permanently!

debsgarden said...

I was just admiring hibiscus at a local nursery, wondering if I could find a perenial one. Yours is gorgeous!

Margy said...

I love them! I've never tried them - you've given me the inspiration!

Priscilla @ Homegrown Delight said...

Incredibly beautiful hibiscus. It's so tropical, I love it! Thanks for sharing.

Jennifer said...

Jennifer@threedogsinagarden
Lona, That red hibiscus is stunning! Those horrible Japanese beetles have appeared in my garden in the last few weeks. Although they are new to my garden, I hate them already.

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

What gorgeous hibiscus!! I also move plants around, to different beds, withing the same bed, and I've even been known to dig up a plant in order to rotate it.

Karen said...

Lona, the hibiscus is amazing. I have two of them here and all they do is flop. I don't know what I'm doing wrong with them, lol, but they sure aren't as happy or beautiful as yours. I am so sick of chewing bugs in this garden, too, my roses look like they've been hit by buckshot at close range. Ah, gardening, always something!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Anonymous said...

I was just admiring the neighbor's big read hibiscus this morning, but then I remembered that the beetles would eat mine up. Actually, the battle was easy this year. Once I put out my trap, they disappeared! Yeah! This hot, muggy, sticky weather is really testing my love of summer. Still better than snow anytime.

Anonymous said...

Great blooms! This is the first year I have had to battle the beetles! Not fun!

pogonip said...

So beautiful! I love the tropical look of them in your garden.

Unknown said...

The hibiscus are stunning!