Rose-mallow

Year-round

Woolly rose mallow is a native wetland hibiscus that fits right into a Hot Springs yard. It dies back to the ground every winter, then comes back with big pink or white blooms with a deep red center from midsummer into fall.

• Give it full sun and soil that stays moist to wet. A low spot, ditch line, or rain garden edge is ideal.
• It's genuinely native to Arkansas wetlands and low woods, so this is a real native pick here, not just a look-alike swap.
• Plan for size. Stems commonly reach 3 to 6 feet tall in a single growing season.
• A specialist bee called the rose mallow bee depends on this group of hibiscus for pollen, so avoid spraying insecticide on open blooms.
• New growth is often the last thing to show up in a spring perennial bed. Don't dig it up thinking it died over winter.

Fall

As nights cool and the first frost gets closer, blooming winds down and the plant starts getting ready to die back for winter.

• Let it keep blooming right up until frost. No need to cut anything back early.
• After frost blackens the stems, you can leave them standing instead of cutting right away.
• Some gardeners leave the dead stems up over winter since hollow stems can shelter overwintering insects, then cut back in late winter.
• Skip fall fertilizer. A plant headed into dormancy doesn't need the push.
• If seed pods have formed, they're densely hairy and easy to spot if you want to collect seed to start more plants next year.

A bed of bare dead stems can look neglected from the street in fall. Keeping a clean edge or a small plant marker helps it read as intentional and avoids a violation letter.

Winter

Winter is fully dormant. All top growth dies back to the ground and there's nothing visible above the soil until spring. That's normal for this plant.

• Leave the dead stems standing through winter instead of cutting them to the ground now. It shelters overwintering insects and avoids disturbing the roots.
• No need to water through a normal Arkansas winter unless there's an extended dry spell.
• A light layer of mulch over the root zone is optional but can help in a harder winter.
• Mark the spot if you tend to forget where dormant perennials are, so you don't dig into the roots by accident.
• This plant's native range reaches as far north as Kentucky, southern Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, all colder than Hot Springs, so a typical winter here will not kill an established plant.

Bare dead stems can look neglected in winter. A clean bed edge or a small marker helps it read as intentional and avoids a violation letter.

Spring

Spring is a waiting game for this plant. New shoots usually don't show until well after most of the yard has leafed out, so clear last year's dead stalks and keep the soil moist while you wait.

• Cut old dead stems down to about 6 inches before new growth starts. This is the standard cutback for this group of hardy hibiscus.
• New stems can take until mid to late spring to emerge from the roots, especially after a cool spring. Hold off on replanting the spot.
• Keep the area consistently moist. This plant does not handle a dry spring well.
• Top-dress with about 2 inches of compost once new growth starts.
• Watch for aphids on tender new growth. A strong spray of water usually knocks them off.

Clearing the dead winter stalks before new growth comes up reads as an intentional spring cleanup and avoids a violation letter.

Summer

Summer is the payoff season. Flowers open through July, August, and into September, with each bloom lasting just one day before the next one opens.

• Keep soil consistently moist through the hot summer stretch. This plant is built for wet ground and will droop under a dry summer.
• Deadheading is optional. Each flower lasts only a day and drops on its own.
• Watch for Japanese beetles skeletonizing leaves in midsummer. Hand-pick them into soapy water in the early morning when they move slowly.
• A specialist native bee relies on these flowers for pollen, so skip insecticide sprays on or near open blooms.
• Tall stems in a windy spot may need a stake or a spot near a fence for support.