Thanks to innovative growers who are always looking to create Types of hibiscus Plants, there is now a huge number of hibiscus plants available today. Types of hibiscus
Whether you’re looking for a super hardy perennial shrub or a delicate evergreen that loves warm environments, there is a hibiscus that will suit your needs!
If you want to learn more about the different types of hibiscus plants, take a look at the list below.
To make things easier, we’ve used two categories: hardy hibiscus varieties and tropical hibiscus varieties. There should be something to suit every garden, regardless of size, climate, and color!
Hardy Hibiscus Varieties
Hardy hibiscus varieties are a kind of perennial shrub that can tolerate cold environments well. Hardy hibiscus plants are hybrid plants that can be traced back to the Hibiscus Moscheutos.
This is a species that grows naturally throughout the Midwest and East Coast of the USA.
Hardy hibiscus varieties are perfect for growing in most areas. In fact, they are capable of surviving temperatures as low as -30 degrees Fahrenheit.
This, in conjunction with their beautiful blooms, makes them a favorite amongst keen gardeners in the US. Check out our favorite hardy varieties below.
1. Anne Arundel
This type of hibiscus has beautiful bright pink blooms. It is a compact, sturdy, and shrubby Hibiscus cultivar. It grows to be around 4 to 5 inches tall.
2. Ardens
Hibiscus Syriacus, or Adrens, is a compact and erect shrub that spreads as it ages. It has gorgeous double, pale pink-purple flowers, and grows to a maximum height of 2 meters.
3. Berry Awesome
Thanks to its huge 8-inch flowers, this variety is also known as ‘dinner plate hibiscus’. Its blooms are a deep reddish-pink color, and it grows to be around 4 feet tall.
4. Blue Bird
Also called the Rose of Sharon, this cultivar has eye-catching purple flowers that are trumpet-like in shape. This variety grows between 6 and 8 feet tall.
5. Blush
This variety has delicate pink petals that have a contrastingly large, deep red center. It is a compact variety, growing to a maximum of three feet tall.
6. Cranberry Crush
This is an indeterminate variety, meaning that flowers will protrude from the whole stem rather than just from the top. The blooms are a bright red color and have a cupped shape.
7. Duc de Brabant
This variety forms a vase-shaped shrub that grows to be around 3m tall. It has upright stems which boast large, double flowers. These tend to be reddish-pink in color.
8. Honeymoon Red F1
Unlike many other varieties, this one doesn’t spread very much at all, making it popular amongst gardeners with small gardens. It has particularly large deep red blooms.
9. Lord Baltimore
Named after Benedict Leonard Calvert, this variety boasts crimson-red flowers with ruffled petals. This variety grows to be around 5 feet tall.
10. Luna Pink Swirl
The name of this variety refers to the pink and creamy white colors of the blooms. This variety makes a bold and eye-catching statement in the garden. They grow to around 3 feet.
11. Luna Red
This variety produces blooms that range from deep red to pinky-red in color. They boast large flowers and love sunny environments.
12. Luna Rose
This variety, like the two above, also has a compact and bushy form. It has gorgeous hot-pink blooms that last all the way to the first frost.
13. Marina
Marina is a bushy, upright shrub that produces purple-blue blooms with dark red centers. The flowers are smaller and more delicate than other hibiscus plants.
14. Mars Madness
This is a large variety of hibiscus plants. It has incredibly large bright pink blooms that are eight inches wide. The leaves are dark green and olive-colored.
15. Midnight Marvel
This is a cross between cranberry crush (above) and summer storm (below). It is fairly compact and produces pink flowers with corrugated overlapping petals.
16. Monstrosus
Don’t let the name fool you, this variety is not monstrous. In fact, it is a very beautiful variety. It has unique white blooms with deep red centers.
17. Passion
This variety produces flowers of around 6 to 8-inches in size. They have a vivacious pink color, which looks wonderful as they protrude from the bright green buds.
18. Pink Giant
This is one of the less hardy varieties in this list. It produces very large pink-colored blooms, but it is very sensitive to frost.
19. Pinky Spot
The name of this variety comes from its pink-spotted white blooms. This is a deciduous, upright, and bushy shrub that flowers from late summer into autumn.
20. Russian Violet
The Hibiscus syriacus, or Russian violet, is a vigorous, upright shrub that boasts deep purple blooms. They produce flowers from mid-summer to autumn.
21. Southern Bell
If you’re looking for an extremely hardy hibiscus plant, Southern Bell is your guy. It is known for its huge pink, red, white, and rose-colored flowers.
22. Starry Starry Night
This variety has a very unique appearance. The foliage is a deep purple color and the white flowers are 8-inches wide and decorated with light purple veins.
23. Summer Storm
This plant produces large, 10-inch pink flowers that have rose-colored veins. It flowers from mid-July to October, and tends to bloom for longer than other varieties.
24. White Chiffon
White Chiffon is a very captivating plant. It has pure white, semi-double flowers with a diameter of 60 inches. It can also grow up to 1.5 meters tall!
25. Vintage Wine
This variety is considered a better version of Lord Baltimore. It has a dense, upright structure that can reach a height of around 4 feet. It has beautiful deep-pink blooms.
Tropical Hibiscus Varieties
Unfortunately, not all hibiscus varieties are hardy and can withstand the cold conditions in some areas of the USA. Specifically, tropical hibiscus varieties grow permanently in the landscape of only the warmer parts of the US (zones 9 through to 11).
In fact, if they are kept outdoors when the temperature stoops below 25 degrees Fahrenheit, tropical hibiscus plants will die. As such, they need more care and attention than their hardy counterparts.
However, tropical varieties tend to be incredibly beautiful, and thus, are favored by many. Tropical varieties are evergreen, meaning that they keep their leaves all year-round (unlike hardy varieties). Take a look at our favorite tropical hibiscus varieties below.
26. Black Dragon
This variety is dark and brooding. It has deep burgundy tones with shades of black. It is a hybrid with a very unusual but striking appearance. It is considered quite tricky to grow.
27. Chinese
This variety has showy pink and white flowers that bloom all year round. It attracts a lot of wildlife, such as bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds.
28. Chinese Lantern
This variety has deep red flowers that hang like Chinese lanterns. They are produced in large clusters at the end of weeping branches. This is a rare and unusual variety.
29. Dainty Pink
This is an elegant variety of tropical hibiscus. They produce pale pink and white blooms that contrast the dark green foliage.
30. El Capitolio
The heritage of this variety is a mystery. It is a hybrid that developed as a consequence of nature, rather than a breeder. It has bright red flowers with ruffled petals.
31. Eye of Kali
This variety is very bold. It has bright, golden petals that extend from a bright pink center. This variety really looks as tropical as it gets!
32. Fiji Island Tropical
This variety has a very tropical appearance. It has a deep eggplant center and bold pink leaves. This is a sought-after variety of hibiscus, due to its beauty.
33. Hawaiian Sunset
This is a dazzling variety of hibiscus. It has a bright red eye that gives way to pink, then orange, then yellow. It also boasts white veins that add a wonderful texture.
34. Hawaiian White
Unlike its sunset counterpart above, the Hawaiian white variety has simple, painful white blooms. Long red stamens emerge from the center of the flowers.
35. Magic Moment
Also known as alyogyne, magic moments are compact, bushy, evergreen shrubs with bright green leaves and large, funnel-shaped, lilac blooms.
36. Painted Lady
The painted lady is a very popular variety of tropical hibiscus plants. They have bright pink flowers with white veining. They are quite sensitive to colder temperatures.
37. Red Dragon
As the name suggests, this variety boasts bold red, double blooms. The flowers contrast the luscious, dark green, glossy foliage.
38. Seminole Pink
This variety is very lovely. It produces large, single, light-pink flowers with a red center and bright yellow anthers. It is a staple variety in tropical environments.
Final Thoughts
There are so many different types of hibiscus plants, and each one comes with its own beauty and quirks! We hope that this list has inspired you to fill your garden with as many varieties of hibiscus plants as possible.
