13 Hibiscus Varieties You Can Plant in October
Hibiscuses are among the many wonderful shrubs you can plant in October. The warm soil and cool air are ideal for establishing these beauties quickly. Join Florida gardener Melissa Strauss to look at some of our favorite varieties for your garden.
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Planting hibiscus in October can be a great choice, but timing and type are significant factors. In the Southeast, where autumn still offers warm days and mild nights, October is the time for getting hibiscus into the ground. Hardy perennial hibiscus adapts well and thrives when you plant it in the fall.
These hardy species are native or adapted to Southeastern climates, and are best planted in areas with milder winters. They tolerate winter dormancy and benefit from the warm soil of fall. It will encourage them to establish roots before the temperature drops. This, paired with cooling air, creates a low-stress environment where the plant will focus on root development.
If you plant a hibiscus now, it will die back after the first frost. However, as long as it establishes roots, it will return in spring with vigor. Make sure you plant in a spot with good drainage and soil that is fertile and slightly acidic. If you need to, amend the soil to lower the pH to around 6.5.
After planting, water your hibiscus deeply. These moisture-loving perennials need plenty of water to get those roots deeply established before winter. A two to three-inch layer of mulch will help hold in moisture, as well as insulate the roots from temperature shifts. Here are some stunning hibiscus varieties you can plant in October.
‘Midnight Marvel’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 3’-4’ |
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hardiness zones 5-9 |
‘Midnight Marvel’ is one of the most dramatic, compact hibiscus varieties you can plant in October. It’s not a large plant, but it has some incredibly unique and interesting characteristics. For one thing, the flowers are spectacular.
Hibiscuses are famous for their extra-large blooms. ‘Midnight Marvel’ has eight to nine-inch-wide, bold red blooms. They are ultra showy with overlapping petals and a prominent yellow column.
This plant is medium-sized and rounded. It forms a lovely shrub of about four feet tall and wide. The foliage is the most stunning shade of deep purple. It almost looks black.
‘Luna Rose’
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botanical name Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Luna Rose’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 2’-3’ |
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hardiness zones 5-9 |
‘Luna Rose’ is another compact variety of hibiscus that you can add to your garden in October. Small and rounded, this cultivar has bright green foliage that is dense and bushy. It remains attractive with little to no pruning.
When it comes to spectacular blooms, this ranks among the top of the list of varieties. The flowers are large, at eight inches in diameter. They are particularly prominent given how small the shrub is. Each huge flower is deep rose pink with a ruby red eye and pink column. A sprinkle of yellow pollen brightens up the center.
‘Pink Chiffon®’
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botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘JWNWOOD4’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 8’-12’ |
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hardiness zones 5-9 |
‘Pink Chiffon®’ is part of the Chiffon® series of rose of Sharon hibiscus varieties that you can plant this October. It’s a long bloomer, prized for its delicate, ruffled blooms. The flowers are bubblegum pink with semi-double form. In the center of each bloom is a dark red eye and veining.
This plant is imposing, so you have to have a good space for it. The shrub can grow up to 12 feet tall. It doesn’t spread nearly as wide. Instead, it creates a columnar shape in the landscape. The flowers are significant, though not as large as some others, and they bloom with great profusion.
‘Marshmallow Moon’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Marshmallow Moon’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 3’-4’ |
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hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Marshmallow Moon’ is one of those names I just love for how well it fits this plant. This is a great hibiscus variety to plant in October. It’s a compact shrub that grows to about four feet tall and wide. The foliage is large and dense, and a lovely shade of medium, olive green.
As white varieties of hibiscus go, this is one of my favorites. The blooms are as pristine and magical as can be. They are large, full, round, and pure white. Even the column is white, and the pollen is a very pale shade of cream. This is a great, long-blooming hibiscus that flowers from mid-summer into the fall.
‘Candy Crush’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Candy Crush’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 4’-5’ |
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hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Candy Crush’ is among the medium-sized varieties of hibiscus that you can plant in October. It reaches about five feet tall and wide. It’s manageable, but substantial enough to stand alone as a specimen. It’s really quite a stunning specimen, at that!
Part of the Summerific® series, this hardy hibiscus has the look of a tropical. It’s a strong, vigorous grower with attractive, medium green foliage. The bright pink flowers stand out beautifully against the green. They’re large at eight inches across and have a deep crimson center. The pale yellow column and stamens pop against the dark eye.
‘Starry Starry Night’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Starry Starry Night’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 3’-4’ |
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hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Starry Starry Night’ is one of the hardy hibiscus varieties introduced by Walters Gardens. It’s ideal for an October planting time, and casts a dramatic figure in the garden. This compact shrub makes up for its slight stature with some incredible colors.
The foliage is incredibly dark purple, almost black. This creates a stunning backdrop for bright and colorful flowers. The blooms are large and resemble a pinwheel of pink stripes on a white flower. In the center is a deep crimson heart, a prominent yellow column, and stamens.
‘White Pillar®’
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botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘Gandini van Aart’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 10’-15’ |
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hardiness zones 5-9 |
‘White Pillar®’ is one of the more columnar varieties of hardy hibiscus to plant this October. It grows significantly taller than its more modest spread. It will grow up to 15 feet tall, but usually no more than five feet wide. It’s not as lush and dense as some of the shorter, rounded shrub varieties. It’s towering with a delicate beauty.
The flowers are medium-sized and semi-double petaled with a ruffled appearance. They bloom abundantly from mid-summer into fall. It requires little shaping and grows into an attractive, upright form with little interference.
‘Watermelon Ruffles’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Watermelon Ruffles’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 4’-5’ |
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hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Watermelon Ruffles’ is one of those varieties that you’ll fall in love with at first sight. Part of the Summerific® collection, to call this cultivar eye-catching would be an understatement. It’s a gorgeous, mid-sized specimen that is perfect for planting in October.
The finely cut foliage is delicate, but lush. It’s a dense, rounded shrub, and the green leaves have a slight purple tint. The delicate foliage only serves to accentuate the flamboyance of the flowers. The large (7″) blooms are a mass of watermelon colored ruffles, just like the name states. The buds form up and down the stems and bloom in succession.
‘Sweet Caroline’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Sweet Caroline’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 4’-5’ |
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hardiness zones 5-9 |
Well-branched and well-rounded, if you’re looking for pink hibiscus varieties to plant this October, ‘Sweet Caroline’ is a charmer. The rounded, well-branched shrub is great for adding structure to the landscape or as a standalone specimen.
‘Sweet Caroline’ boasts attractive, medium green foliage. It opens its impressive blooms from mid-summer through early fall. They’re large and bright, bubblegum pink. They have a bright red center and veining that radiates through the petals. A cream colored column softens the sweet blooms on this stunner.
‘Lord Baltimore’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Lord Baltimore’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 4’-5’ |
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hardiness zones 5-9 |
I’m a sucker for big, red flowers, and ‘Lord Baltimore’ is at the top of my list of red hibiscus varieties. Plant one of these this October for a dazzling floral display next summer. The shrub is medium-sized, at about five feet tall and wide. It has long stems with more delicate foliage that has a lacy appearance.
The fine foliage accentuates the spectacular appearance of the flowers. These blooms are huge. At up to ten inches across, these are some of the largest flowers among the hardy varieties. They are bright scarlet inside and out, with a red-tipped, cream-colored column. Stunning!
‘Angel Eyes’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Angel Eyes’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 4’-5’ |
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hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Angel Eyes’ is a lovely specimen for October planting. It’s also one of the earliest blooming varieties of hibiscus. It’s a well-rounded shrub of about five feet tall and wide. For a plant with such large blooms, this one has excellent cold tolerance. It’s also flexible about weather conditions. It’s one of the more drought-tolerant varieties.
The blooms are the main attraction with ‘Angel Eyes’ as with most hibiscus varieties. The large blooms are pale pink with a magenta center. The deeper shade bleeds out into the pale petals in ombre veining. The foliage is medium green and attractive.
It’s not as large as some, but not finely cut like others, either. It’s a happy medium.
‘Evening Rose’
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botanical name Hibiscus ‘Evening Rose’ |
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sun requirements Full sun to partial shade |
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height 3’-4’ |
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hardiness zones 4-9 |
‘Evening Rose’ is a striking hibiscus that is small to medium-sized in stature. It’s one of a few varieties with ultra-dark foliage. The leaves are deep purple, darkening as they mature. Plant this gorgeous hibiscus variety in October for an abundant, long-blooming period next summer.
The well-rounded shrub has foliage on the finer side, so it’s not exceptionally dense and lush. It does give it a more textural, delicate appearance. The flowers are large, and this hibiscus is a great producer. The rose-colored blooms open for only one day, but are so bountiful that this variety blooms for longer than most.
‘Orchid Satin®’
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botanical name Hibiscus syriacus ‘ILVO37’ |
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sun requirements Full sun |
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height 8’-12’ |
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hardiness zones 5-9 |
Finally, ‘Orchid Satin®’ is a stunning cultivar. It’s one of the rose of Sharon hibiscus varieties that is ideal for October planting. It has a columnar growth habit, reaching about 12 feet tall, with a spread of only four to six feet. The branches and foliage are delicate and willowy. It’s a lovely and graceful variety.
‘Orchid Satin®’ has large, single-form flowers. The blooms are lavender-pink and have a dramatic and bold red splash in the center. It’s far more prominent than most varieties, branching out onto the petals. They have a cream-colored column that gives them a glowing quality.
