Swamp Rose Mallow seeds, (Hibiscus Moechetos) 25+ seeds

Description: Swamp Rose Mallow, Hibiscus Moechetos This is a wonderful plant for a wetland pollinator garden. It's native to the eastern USA; this is a coastal SC ecotype from Georgetown County. This is the native form, not a cultivar. Cultivars may or many not be of value to pollinators. Once established, it will slowly spread to make a dense group, blooming with large, showy flowers, in late summer and fall. Our seeds contain two variants in color. One is a cream colored blossom with a crimson center. The other, less common form is pink, also with a crimson center. In the fall, the plants die back to the roots, regrowing in spring. The full grown plant will be 2-6 feet tall at bloom time. It likes full sun but will tolerate some shade. The soil should be wet, at least periodically, and preferably somewhat acid. This species was named in 1997 as the Wildflower of the Year by North Carolina, and has been promoted by the North Carolina Botanical Garden, and the Garden Club of North Carolina. This mallow is also a larval host for the common checkered skipper, the gray hairstreak, the Io moth, and the pearly wood nymph. The plant has been a food and medicinal crop for Native Americans. Deer also find it attractive. To save money, shipping is only to US locations, by first class letter with no tracking. ************* NATIVES: This offering is part of our "natives" seeds and cuttings. We encourage the propagation of native plants, as these generally require less care and are of more benefit to the local environment. Our pollinators and songbirds are declining, and one reason for the loss is the planting of non-native plants that give them no support. Non-native plants often require watering and high pesticide use. The pesticides are another reason for the decline of our pollinators and songbirds. Some non-native plants, like Bradford pear, and Privit have become highly invasive and destructive. ECOTYPES: Our seeds and cuttings come from the Pee Dee region of South Carolina - Horry, Georgetown, Williamsburg and Florence Counties in the northeastern corner of the state. So these are of a coastal Carolina ecotype. Why are ecotypes important? Many of our native plants have a wide range. For example, red maples are native throughout the entire eastern US, but there are variations within the species due to adaptation to local conditions. You can expect that those from your area will do better than one from far away, even though they are the same species. NATIVITY RESOURCES ONLINE: You can find online info on native status for your area with the North American Plant Atlas, which is presented by The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). You must know the Genus and species, but then you can find county-by-county information. Another resource, which is a bit more clunky (to me) is the government Plants National Database, which does allow common names (but take care, as these have regional variations). Both online sites are easy to find online. SEEDS: Our seeds are hand collected in season, and are in limited supply. While we try to clean these, we don't have the fancy machinery that large seed companies have, so there may be some chaff or other plant material included. We are generous in our measurements, though. And residues should not interfere with sowing the seeds. Our berries may be offered two ways - as dried berries, or as separated seeds, at a higher cost, to compensate for the increased labor. Most seeds are shipped dry with a pac of silica gel for insurance. But a few, like Magnolia, Live Oak, and Longleaf pine should never be allowed to dry out. These are shipped damp and should be dealt with immediately. Many of the native perennial seeds require a period of cold (fall planting or cold storage in a damp medium - (called "stratification"), in order to germinate well. Some also require "scarification." You can search online for info on how to do both of these practices. YouTube is especially helpful with many videos to show processes. Of course, as with any online resource, you have to use some judgement. There are many techniques, some contradictory, and some online info is just plain wrong. CUTTINGS: Likewise there is much online ino on plant cuttings. Keep in mind that this kind of propagation is a bit of a gamble. If you win, you get cheap plants that are exactly what you want (have you priced nursery stock lately?). If you lose, you aren't out much. Most of our cuttings are made fresh upon your order, as we try to do our best for your success. Only a few are not made per your order, and these are dated in the listing, and refrigerated until sale. While we emphasize native plants, we are not obsessive, and do have a few non-native food, herbs, and some woody plants that have shown to be well-behaved in our own homestead. NO GUARANTEES: As with any plant material, our offerings are subject to many factors and we cannot give any guarantees. We do want our customers to succeed, so we take care to give fresh and viable materials. And we no longer offer some things that we've shown in our own tests to be unlikely to do well.

Price: 4 USD

Location: Hemingway, South Carolina

End Time: 2024-04-21T15:28:42.000Z

Shipping Cost: N/A USD