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A tender South American subshrub related to Lythrum (the closely related Heimia salicifolia ranges north to Texas) with spikes of showy yellow flowers, it is a dieback shrub at Kew.

A cool new plant introduced from China in 1980, although Wilson found it back in 1907. Ornamental peeling Crepe Myrtle-like bark, fragrant white flowers in late summer in six flowered whorls terminated by a single flower (hence Heptocodium) followed by showy cherry red calyces surrounding the fruits, giving the impression of still being in flower in autumn when the leaves turn purple. We observed several large specimens trained as tree forms in Dale Deppe’s garden this fall and were blown away by the bark. Despite what Dirr says it seems to thrive in full sun, and struggles in the shade at least in the north.

Walters evaluated thousands of Hibiscus seedlings (we donated a few plants to this effort), and from these many seedlings they selected this large pinkish magenta plant with a red eye and 9” heavily ruffled round flowers and overlapping petals. A stunning landscape specimen this grows 4-5’ in a single season. If you live in areas that have Hibiscus Sawfly a single spray will usually control them. If you don’t want to spray, plants will look a bit moth-eaten until they grow new leaves but will survive unharmed. My impression is this and some of the other new cultivars are less bothered by pests than some of the older varieties, I never spray ours in the landscape and they still manage an impressive floral display.

Outstanding 7” bicolored pinwheel flowers shading from pale pink to near red atop sturdy 6’ plants this behaves as a perennial here dying back to the ground in winter, be warned it is very late to emerge in spring so do not declare it dead prematurely.