Hibiscus 'Fireball' photo by North Creek Nurseries

Hibiscus 'Fireball' photo by North Creek Nurseries

‘Fireball’ hibiscus (Hibiscus x moscheutos ‘Fireball’) is a vigorous hardy perennial with burgundy tinted cutleaf foliage and huge 10-12 inch clear red flowers from mid-summer to late summer.

Plant height is 4 – 5 feet and 2 – 3 feet in width. A strikingly beautiful plant, ‘Fireball’ thrives on heat and humidity. It wants full sun and a moist well drained soil to reach its full flowering potential. Expect hundreds of blooms on 3-4 years old established plants grown in a richly amended composted soil and kept irrigated.

Flowers are both huge and showy. Blooms are the size of dinner plates. A prominent pistil and stamen is in the center of each flower.  Each bloom lasts but one day, but ‘Fireball’ blooms almost nonstop from July to early September.

Hardy hibiscus demands heat, moisture and long days. They are late to emerge from the soil, many years after May 15th in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA zones 6 and 7). Feed them regularly with a water soluble 20-10-20 fertilizer (or equivalent). Hibiscus sawfly, mites, and aphids may be serious nemeses.

This late flowering habit makes hardy hibiscus ideal companion plants to interplant with spring blooming bulbs like daffodils and tulips.

Fireball™ is one of several hardy hibiscus bred by the Fleming Brothers in Lincoln, Nebraska. It was their favorite perennial.