Question
Hello,

We live in coastal Georgia and would like to have a large Hibiscus as the "focal point" in one of the beds in our front yard. Do you have any suggestions for what we could plant around it? We'd like the Hibiscus to be the main thing, but want to put some attractive, yet hardy plants around it, to dress the area up a bit.

This will be at the start of a wide border that follows our sidewalk from the driveway to the front porch. This part will be larger, swinging out into a circle almost, then it tapers down to follow the rest of the sidewalk. We have blue agapanthus to line the sidewalk the rest of the way, and reddish mulch. The area gets a lot of sun, and it gets HOT here in the summer!

If you don't think the Hibiscus is a good idea, do you have any suggestions for what might be better there? I have been racking my brain trying to think of something nice for this area, that will look good and not die in the heat.

I would really appreciate your help!! Thank you so much.

Warmly,
Heather Allem

Answer
Heather,

Here in Portland, Hibiscus is flowering for about 4-6 weeks a year.  During that time it's I real eye-catcher, but during the rest of the year it's maybe not so interesting.  I'd probably put something around it that will provide some color or interest in the time when it's not being showy.

Roses come to mind, especially shrub roses.  There are some remarkable varieties available now that are ever-bearing and don't require the fussy pruning of the hybrid tea type roses.

Or, I'd take a look a putting in two or three varieties of Nandina.  These are terrific, low maintenance plants that have colorful leaves year round.  Some varieties hold on to red berries through the winter.  They can be 4-5 feet tall thin & delicate,  or 2-3 feet tall, squat & roundish, or even 1 ft groundcover like.  These plants provide color and texture and aren't fussy.  They'd look good in contrast to the green of the hibiscus.

Go to a good nursery, not just the local home improvement center, to see what particular varieties are available.  I'd mention what I use in Oregon, but I don't want to tease you if they aren't available in your area.

Hope this helps.
Mark in Portland