Rose Mallow

I showed you a glimpse of the rose mallow (Hibiscus lasiocarpos) in yesterday's "white" post, but I need to show you more.

This big plant is a main feature in the walkway garden, even when it's not blooming. But it is blooming right now, and there's no way to miss it!

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Big white blooms with no noticeable fragrance (to me), but they're loaded with pollen:

I really like heavy pollen producers, as they seem to attract lots of bees!

I think a pollen-covered bee is my favorite photo subject in the garden.

The blooms open for only a day I think, but there are plenty of buds left:

I'm going to deadhead these this year, as although the seed pods are quite beautiful, the seedlings are not wanted -- there are several of them in the area and with a plant this size one is really enough.

An unexpected patch of variegation on one leaf is a bonus:

One of the few Japanese beetles I've seen this year:

I assume this means that in a typical year I'll see lots of beetle damage on these blooms -- but not this year.

Any questions about this plant? It really is quite nice, and I'm glad I put it in front of the house where I (and the neighbors) can enjoy it all day long.

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