Hardy hibiscus Summerific Series

* Common name: Hardy hibiscus Summerific series

* Botanical name: Hibiscus hybrid Summerific series

* What it is: Also known as rose mallow, hardy hibiscus is a tropical-looking, summer-blooming perennial with huge (eight-inch) trumpet-shaped flowers and big leaves.

Summerific is a particularly high-performing series from Proven Winners that comes in eight colors, including ‘Cranberry Crush’ and ‘Holy Grail’ (red), ‘Cherry Choco Latte,’ ‘Perfect Storm,’ and ‘Ballet Slippers’ (pink-white), ‘Evening Rose’ and ‘Candy Crush’ (pink), ‘Berry Awesome’ (lavender pink).

* Size: Grows 4 feet tall and almost as wide each year.

* Where to use: Hibiscus thrives in full sun and is the star of the show in bloom, so south- and west-facing front yards and foundations are ideal. Also looks good around mailboxes, swimming pools, and flanking doors. Toward the back of a sunny perennial border is another good spot.

* Care: Don’t worry if new shoots don’t appear until May; hardy hibiscus are slow to get started in spring. They survive drought but don’t perform well in them, usually wilting and dropping flower buds when the soil goes dry. Water before that happens during a summer dry spell.

Scatter a balanced organic or slow-acting fertilizer around the base of plants each spring and early summer. Spent flowers can be snipped off as they fade. Cut all foliage to a few inches either in fall when plants die back or at the end of winter.

Japanese beetles may eat leaves in July but won’t kill plants. Spray neem oil or other insecticide labeled for beetle control if beetles are doing unacceptable cosmetic damage.

* Great partner: Black-eyed susans and sunflowers bloom at the same time and pair well with the red varieties. Allium, betony, and garden phlox are perennials that pair well with the pink, lavender, and pink-white versions. Most any ornamental grass makes a good textural contrast.