Between its over-sized tropical looking flowers and unique purple hued foliage there isn't an inch on this compact hibiscus that isn't thrilling! 'Perfect Storm' takes the dark foliage of ?Summer Storm? and shrinks it down to a much for manageable size that is more suitable for garden life. Its truly gargantuan flowers reach up to 8 inches across and feature a delightful pinwheel pattern reminiscent of a giant lollipop from a county fair. Its petals are mostly white which splashes of pink of the edges and a deep crimson throat for added drama. Hummingbirds are common visitors to these flowers, but they are thankfully ignored by deer. This charming rose mallow is a breeze to maintain and needs very little upkeep. This sun-loving native perennial needs heavy mulching before its first winter to help it get through that trying season. Watch out for Japanese Beetles who love this plant almost as much as you will.
The dry, sparse appearance of bareroot perennials can be alarming to the novice gardener, but in reality ordering bare root is often the smarter choice. Foliage and blooms can be seductive, but the health and long-term potential of a plant truly lies in its roots. Bareroot plants have several advantages over plants in containers—bare roots are less likely to be harmed in the shipping process, their timing is easier to control, and they are field-grown for larger, healthier root systems. This why Wayside Gardens has had great success with bare root plants, and you can too!
It is safer to ship plants in bareroot form because there is no risk in harming new growth, and therefore the plant actually has a better chance of making it safely into the customer’s garden.
And thanks to refrigerated storage, the timing of bareroot perennials can be precisely controlled. "(Bareroot perennials) are dormant," explains JPPA Lead Horticulturist Benjamin Chester, "But as soon as they leave the refrigerated storage they'll begin breaking dormancy." And once the plant 'wakes up', it is ready to begin the growing season in earnest, which means it will quickly catch up to the level of container plants.
The most important benefit of bareroot perennials is that they can be field grown rather than confined to containers. The bareroot Cherry Cheesecake Hibiscus pictured hereperfectly illustrates the difference between a field-grown perennial and a containerized one. Wayside Gardens used to offer this variety in a quart container, like the Monarda next to it. But the Hibiscus was simply too cramped in that space, so Wayside switched to growing it in the earth and selling it bare root. The result is a thick, fibrous mass of roots that used to fill up several cubic feet of soil and which, even in its bare, pruned form would be too large to fit back into the 1 Quart container. What a difference a little space makes! While small and slow-growing cultivars can start well in containers, large and vigorous cultivars need more room to stretch out and develop a solid root system.
