Lil’ Kim® Red Hibiscus

Keeping your garden colorful during the summer months isn’t easy. Time was, we all planted out lots of annual flowers to do the job, but who has the time (and money) for that anymore? So many gardens look great in spring, but then languish in dusty green through the summer, just when we want it to look great, and just when the garden is getting the most use. Solve that problem by planting hardy hibiscus – a tough shrub that is also called Rose of Sharon. If you remember this old-time garden staple, which was often large, and only flowered for a short time, forget all that. Today’s varieties bloom endlessly, because they don’t make seeds, and they are compact and bushy, fitting easily into today’s smaller gardens, and even into pots and planter boxes. The Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus is an outstanding example of these new plants, smothered with bright red-pink flowers for weeks and weeks, staying fresh and bright through the hottest days, and growing just 3 to 4 feet tall. Bet you didn’t think a solution to that intractable problem could be so easy – but it is. Using the Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus in Your Garden The compact size of the Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus makes it ideal for smaller gardens, and perfect for tucking into existing blank spaces around your yard – just a few minutes planting and the job is done. Grow it in the spaces between your clipped evergreens, or among your spring-flowering shrubs, so those beds stay colorful all summer. Make a simple low hedge of blooms to hide an ugly foundation or fence, edge a big bed, or just to separate one space from another. Grow it in a planter box or large pot, and bring a splash of color to your terrace, porch or front door. Check out your garden – there is sure to be the perfect spot for this great little bush. Growing the Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus Size and Appearance The Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus quickly becomes a bushy, rounded shurb between 3 and 4 feet tall, filling out in a single season. If left unpruned, particularly in hot regions, it will probably become a little bigger in time. Each year many new stems develop, keeping it dense and bushy, and these are covered in healthy, deep-green leaves. About 3 inches long they are somewhat divided into 3 lobes, and have an irregular, serrated edge. They stay healthy and green all summer. By mid-summer the first blooms begin to appear, and flowering continues right through the hot weather and into fall, only stopping when the first hard frost arrives. The flowers last 2 or 3 days, and are replaced by more each morning, while the old flowers fall neatly to the ground, without producing seed pods (if produced, these slow flowering, and need removing in older varieties, or blooming is brief). Flowers are over 2 inches across, upward facing, with a flat, open, rounded face made up of 5 overlapping petals. They are a rich red-pink, with a darker pink central ‘eye’ that is actually a red blotch at the base of each petal, feathering up into the lighter color in an attractive fashion. In the center of the flower is a prominent column of white stamens, making a great accent. All in all the flowers are charming, colorful and bright. Hardiness Hardy in name, and hardy in the garden, the Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus will grow fine in zone 5, and grow right into zone 9 as well, enjoying the heat and humidity of the southeast. In zone 5 there could be some dead stems in spring, but don’t worry, trimming is needed anyway, and it very soon pushes up new, bloom-packed growth. If growing in a pot, it can be left all winter from zone 7, but in zones 5 and 6 we recommend planting it in the garden for winter, re-potting in spring. Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions Choose a spot in full sun for your Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus, if you want the most blooms possible. It will take some shade each day as well, without any serious decline in blooming, but not more than a couple of hours. Grow it in any well-drained soil, from sand to clay, and acidic or alkaline. It grows most vigorously in a moist, richer soil, but really isn’t demanding and will grow almost anywhere. In a pot use ordinary potting soil and feed regularly with liquid fertilizer for flowering shrubs. It won’t grow well in wet spots, but if you do have those, take a look at our varieties of the closely-related Hibiscus moscheutos, like Blackberry Merlot. During the first season water regularly, but after that it rarely needs any attention at all, and is quite drought tolerant. Maintenance and Pruning The Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus isn’t eaten by deer, and has no serious pests or diseases to worry about. It grows well in city conditions, and urban soils, and needs almost no attention. Some spring pruning is recommended. Wait until the new growth starts to show and then trim back the stems so you leave just an inch or two of the growth from the previous year. Older plants can be pruned harder, back into older wood, as needed. After a few years, start to take out one of two of the oldest branches close to the ground, to stimulate vigorous new replacements. If you are growing one in a pot you might like to pinch out the growing tips once they are a few inches long. This encourages more side-shoots and increases the flower display, but it isn’t essential. History and Origin of the Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus The hardy hibiscus, Hibiscus syriacus, has been grown in gardens for centuries. It is also called Rose of Sharon, which along with ‘syriacus’ suggests an origin in the Middle East. This is partly true, because that is where the first plants came from, but in fact they had arrived there centuries before, traveling along the ancient Silk Road from China and Korea. It is the national flower of Korea, and widely grown there, even as a street tree. There, Kyung-Ku Shim, a professor of horticulture and a plant breeder, has worked for years to develop a wider range of varieties for different purposes. Based in Suwon, south of Seoul, in 2001 he crossed together two Korean varieties, ‘Songam’ and Hwanhee (‘SKK 14-1-15’). Among the seedlings was one he selected in 2003, for its compact habit and bright flowers. Working with Spring Meadow Nursery in New Haven, Michigan, he was granted a US patent on this plant, using the official name of ‘SHIMRR38’. With them, Professor Shim already had a range of hardy hibiscus under the trademarked name of Lil’ Kim®, and this one was added to that, as Lil’ Kim® Red. Originally these plants were only available through the brand Proven Winners®, but today it is more widely available, for everyone. Buying the Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus at The Tree Center You are going to love the vibrant coloring, compact habit, and long season of the Lil’ Kim® Red Hardy Hibiscus. We have some sturdy young plants on the farm right now, all set to go in your garden. Bring an end to summer dullness in your garden, without adding effort or annual cost, by planting this great shrub, in your garden or in a pot. Get set for colorful summers, but act now, we only have a few plants, and they are going fast.