It says to propagate seeds indoors, but here in the Atlanta GA area, the gentleman who gave me the seeds from his plant told me to just take them home and plant them where I wanted the plant to grow. I have this plant in several places around my yard, and other than transplanting the original plant here, all the others are from simply popping open a seed pod in the fall and letting the seeds fall where I wanted the plant to grow. I don't even cover the seeds - I just pop and drop.

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Scarlet Rose Mallow is a perennial native here in Florida; a slender shrubby plant that attains heights to 8 feet, with a 3 to 4 foot spread. Established plants can have several slender, robust stems to 7 feet long. Flowers are very large, 6 to 8 inches wide, and last only one day, but this plant has a long season and will continue blooming from spring through fall. The leaves are 5-6 inches long and palmate, with three to five narrow, pointed lance-shaped leaflets. Scarlet Rose Mallow is found in habitats of moist wetlands, swamps, ditches, and marshes and along pond margins. Also called Swamp Hibiscus due to its preference for moist conditions, this tough perennial is also well suited for home gardens. Established plants will survive in normal soils, but will require additional watering during dry periods.

When in bloom, the very large 6- to 8-inch scarlet flowers are an attention grabber for sure!

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I'm in south LA., zone 9, and my 7-foot-tall plants have their 1st flowers this week. I planted them by my back wood fence so my backdoor neighbor could also enjoy the blooms from their pool just over the fence.

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This plant grows naturally in the swamps so it likes lots of water, but surprisingly it will also do well in average garden situations with a little additional water, the beauty and simplicity of the blooms make it worth the extra effort.

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