GIANT HIBISCUS - ONLY A DAY'S BLOOM, BUT WHAT A BLOOM!

HIBISCUS are giant, 6-10-inch wide, disc-shaped flowers that bloom in summer in white, pink, red, or variations, on shrubby-like 4-8' plants.  Their flowers only last a day, similar to the daylily, but they have so many on the plant that they will bloom for weeks.  It's  important to deadhead these flowers immediately, because their spent blooms are pretty unattractive, looking kind of like limp tissue paper.  They are easy to grow in full sun or partial shade.  They do best in rich, moist soil.  They are the latest perennial I have to break dormancy, so mark the location of your clump so you won't accidentally dig into it or disturb it.  One thing that's neat about them is that seedlings may start to bloom the very first year.  If your clump gets too big for your area, you can divide them, but they are hard to divide, because their clumps are VERY woody.  When I divided mine, it was about 3 years old and I spent a long time doing it.  It was difficult, but it survived and bloomed the next spring (I divided in fall, after the plant was done blooming).  When we went to Kauai last year, one thing I loved was the vast variety of Hibiscus.  Because of this, I added two more to my flower beds.   (I already had three).  They will bloom in July.  I loved Kauai--they call it "The Flower State."  I was amazed at the unusual, breath-taking, and distinct varieties of flowers of every kind, they had! They have so many--sadly, ones that wouldn't make it in our zone.  There were even some yellow hibiscus (rare here)  that were especially beautiful!  I want to go again just to see the flowers--especially the Hibiscus!   When mine bloom, it will remind me of Kauai!