Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore'
Hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' ·
Flat, satiny flowers of pure crimson red, as wide as a dinner plate, on a tall, shrub-like plant with deeply lobed leaves.
- Size
- 5 ft tall, 3 ft wide
- Zones
- 5 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 'Lord Baltimore'
The planner designed this bed around hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' 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 'Lord Baltimore' stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' × 1, red
- 2 Winter heath × 7, pink
- 3 Mouse-ear coreopsis 'Nana' × 11, yellow
- 4 False sunflower 'Summer Sun' × 3, yellow
- 5 Gray's sedge × 3, green
- 6 Palm sedge × 3, green leaves
- 7 Spring starflower × 12, blue
Why this plant
- The only bold leaves here. The rest are fine and medium. A change of leaf keeps plants distinct when nothing is in flower.
- The only open bowls. The others are bells, daisies and globes. Shape reads at a distance, where colours blur.
- The only red.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 5 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: 7 of the 7 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. It is planted in layers: about 8 in at the front, 16 in in the middle and 3 ft at the back. Neither end outweighs the other: the visual weight is split 49 to 51, left to right.
The planner's own design check: 14 Excellent, 2 Good, 1 Satisfactory. 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 'Lord Baltimore' goes in a border
At 5 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is tall (4 to 5 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.
Raised in the 1950s and still the standard red. It comes up very late in spring, so mark its place, then grows shoulder high by August. It needs sun and water.
- A tropical effect in a cold climate
- Late-summer focal point
- Rain gardens and pond sides
What to plant with hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore'
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Joe Pye weed 'Gateway': in flower together for eight weeks, from late July; happy in the same moist soil.
- Switchgrass 'Northwind': in flower together for seven weeks, from early August; fine leaves against its bold ones.
- Canna: in flower together for nine weeks, from late July; happy in the same moist soil.
Questions about hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore'
Does hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' need sun or shade?
Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' 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 'Lord Baltimore' grow in?
USDA zones 5 to 9. It is hardy to zone 5, which means it survives winter nights down to about −10 °F (−23 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' 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 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 'Lord Baltimore' be planted?
3 ft (90 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is about its full width, so each plant keeps its own outline.
It grows 5 ft (150 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' 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 'Lord Baltimore'?
Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' 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 size, the same flowering time and the same colour.
- Joe Pye weed 'Gateway': the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 12 in taller, pink, not red.
- New York ironweed: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 20 in 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 'Lord Baltimore'?
Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' 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, to stand in front of it and cover its fading stems.
- Tatarian aster 'Jindai': from early October to early November, 4 ft tall.
What does hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' look like in winter?
Hardy hibiscus 'Lord Baltimore' 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 'Kopper King' Hibiscus 'Kopper King'
- 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
Every fact on record
- Type
- Perennial
- Size
- 5 ft (150 cm) tall, 3 ft (90 cm) wide
- Plant
- 3 ft (90 cm) apart
- Height class
- Tall (4 to 5 ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Late July to mid September; open bowls; red
- Leaves
- Bold texture, herbaceous; green
- Shape
- Upright, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 5 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.