Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Drummond Wax Mallow, Texas Mallow, Sleepy Hibiscus

Description:

An interesting sub-shrub variety producing clusters of red flowers in late summer through fall; evergreen in warm, frost free climates

Ornamental Features

Turk's Cap features showy clusters of scarlet tubular flowers at the ends of the branches from mid summer to early fall. The fruits are showy red drupes carried in abundance in late fall. Its round palmate leaves remain green in colour with curious grayish green undersides throughout the year.

Landscape Attributes

Turk's Cap is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen perennial with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and should be cut back in late fall in preparation for winter. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Turk's Cap is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Turk's Cap will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. Although it is technically a woody plant, this fast-growing plant can be expected to behave as a perennial in our climate if planted outdoors over the winter, usually regrowing from its base (crown) the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.

This plant should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This species is native to parts of North America. It can be propagated by division.

Turk's Cap is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.