Hardy hibiscus is the dinner-plate perennial: flowers the size of a salad plate or bigger, in pinks and whites, opening daily from midsummer into fall on a plant that can push four to seven feet in a single season. It dies to the ground in winter and returns strong each year.

Plant it in full sun with steady moisture; this is one perennial that loves a wet spot, pond edges included. It leafs out late in spring, often May here, so mark its place before you plant over it. Hummingbirds and bees find every bloom.