Hibiscus 'Summer Storm' PP20443 CPBR4258
Common Name: Rose Mallow
From the hybridizing efforts of Walters Gardens, Inc. comes this brilliant Hibiscus that has everything you've ever wanted in a dark foliage variety. An improvement over 'Kopper King', this hybrid has the darkest wine purple, maple-like foliage we've ever seen on a hardy Hibiscus. As the foliage matures, the number of lobes on each leaf increases. The foliage alone makes this plant a fantastic specimen even before it comes into bloom!
(Please note: Like many other purple foliage plants, this one requires direct exposure to UV light to develop the deep purple coloring. Plants coming from a greenhouse may be green until they are brought outside into the sun.)
This plant produces large 8-10 inch, pink flowers with rose veining and a deep magenta eye that radiates out onto the petals. 'Summer Storm' PP20443 is free-flowering from mid-July to October in zone 5 Michigan, which is a much longer bloom time than many other varieties. This is partially due to the fact that this Hibiscus has "indeterminate" buds v. "determinate" buds. Flower buds are produced at the nodes along much of the stem as well as at the tips. That means more flowers for a longer time period--what could be better?
