Hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King'
Hibiscus 'Kopper King' ·
Coppery-red, maple-shaped leaves all summer, then huge pale pink flowers veined in red around a red eye.
- Size
- 3½ ft tall, 3½ ft wide
- Zones
- 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Flowers
- Late July to mid September
- Pets
- Not checked
- Job in a bed
- Specimen
A bed built around hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King'
The planner designed this bed around hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' when this page was made: a 12 × 6 ft (3.7 × 1.8 m) English border in zone 6, full sun. It chose the other plants from the 966 that suit those conditions, and says below why hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' × 1, pink
- 2 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 22, yellow
- 3 Winter heath × 5, white
- 4 Coneflower 'Magnus' × 3, pink
- 5 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Double snowdrop × 12, white
- 8 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are medium and fine. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only open bowls. The others are daisies, bells and globes. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 3½ ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to Gray's sedge (2½ ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A feature plant is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for 9 weeks. From late July to mid September.
- Closes the season. For its last two weeks nothing else on the plan is in flower.
Planned as an English border: 4 of the 5 groups (80%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. Something is in flower for 35 weeks, from late January to mid September. Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' repeats along the bed to tie it together.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 3 Good. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' goes in a border
At 3½ ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is moderately tall (3 to 4 ft).
Its job: specimen. A feature plant with a shape of its own. It stands alone with room around it, and repeats only at a distance.
The first hardy hibiscus with coloured foliage, so it earns its space for three months before it flowers. The dark leaves need full sun to colour.
- Coloured foliage and giant flowers
- A late-summer focal point
- Moist, sunny borders
What to plant with hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Switchgrass 'Shenandoah': its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; fine leaves against its bold ones.
- Black-eyed Susan: in flower together for nine weeks, from late July; medium leaves against its bold ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Joe Pye weed 'Little Joe': in flower together for seven weeks, from late July; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King'
Does hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' need sun or shade?
Hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' grows in full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun a day).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water.
What zones does hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' grow in?
USDA zones 4 to 9. It is hardy to zone 4, which means it survives winter nights down to about −20 °F (−29 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers late July to mid September. As a summer flower it moves about half a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer.
| Zone 4 | Early August to mid September |
|---|---|
| Zone 5 | Late July to mid September |
| Zone 6 | Late July to mid September |
| Zone 7 | Mid July to mid September |
| Zone 8 | Mid July to mid September |
| Zone 9 | Mid July to mid September |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 3½ ft (100 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 3½ ft (110 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' plants do I need?
At 3 ft apart, set out in staggered rows:
- 1 to fill 10 square feet (about 1 m²)
- 4 for a single row 10 ft (3 m) long
- 4 to fill a 4 × 8 ft bed on its own
In a mixed border, plant it as one, with clear ground around it: a feature plant is seen as an object, and a group of them is a thicket.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is there a native plant like hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King'?
Hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' is not native to North America. These North American natives come closest to doing its job:
- Hardy hibiscus: the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 16 in taller.
- Joe Pye weed 'Gateway': the same job in a bed, the same flowering time and the same colour; 2½ ft taller.
- New York ironweed: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 3 ft taller, 6 in narrower.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
What flowers after hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King'?
Hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' is over by mid September. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Garden chrysanthemum: from mid September to late October, 24 in tall, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Montauk daisy: from mid September to late October, 3 ft tall.
- Aromatic aster 'Raydon's Favorite': from mid September to early November, 3 ft tall.
What does hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' look like in winter?
Hardy hibiscus 'Kopper King' dies down to the ground and there is nothing to see until spring. The old stems can be cut in autumn, or left until spring as shelter for overwintering insects.
More Hibiscus
- Hardy hibiscus Hibiscus moscheutos
- Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' Hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore'
- Rose of Sharon Hibiscus syriacus
- Rose of Sharon 'Blue Chiffon' Hibiscus syriacus 'Notwoodthree' (Blue Chiffon)
- Rose of Sharon 'Diana' Hibiscus syriacus 'Diana'
- Rose of Sharon 'Sugar Tip' Hibiscus syriacus 'America Irene Scott' (Sugar Tip)
- Scarlet rose mallow Hibiscus coccineus
In these guides
Zone guides: Zone 4 · Zone 5 · Zone 6 · Zone 7 · Zone 8 · Zone 9
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 3½ ft (110 cm) tall, 3½ ft (100 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Moderately tall (3 to 4 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late July to mid September; open bowls; pink, white, red
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; bronze, red
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 4 to 9
- Light
- Full sun
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- Moderate, in spring
Not yet checked against an outside reference: its figures rest on general horticultural knowledge. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.