I went to the nursery to ask the owner about hardy hibiscus and I came home with the Hibiscus moscheutos, Luna: Red. I have not purchased any cultivars since getting into native plants, so for some reason I feel guilty. I know I shouldn't as it is still a native, just not to our area. The nursery owner told me this was one of his "benign neglect" plants, so no chemicals were used on it. What is my problem? :P

The flower is beautiful from the pictures I've seen here. I have very little red anywhere on my property except the darkening leaves on the Bee Blossoms out back. This one actually needs less water than my Halberd-leaf variety, so it should do well where I put it.

This will be replacing a Japanese honeysuckle that I have been butchering to keep it from going to flower, until it can be dug up. I am sure I will enjoy this; there are already some buds. I've always wanted a large flowered hibiscus. I remember seeing them long ago, but at that time I knew nothing about gardening, so likely would have killed it. My interest in natives and my desire for them to survive has actually helped me learn some things about gardening in general.

I am a native plant enthusiast. Most of my plants are wild collected, but I still occasionally acquire a non native or two, especially when it come to hibiscus. Although Hibiscus moscheutos is a US native, I would not consider Luna Red or any cultivar a native. Any plant that was created by man can not be considered a native, even though the parent plant may have been. At least that's my opinion. Either way I don't get so wrapped up in natives that it takes the joy out of gardening.

Thank you for your insight. I am not sure how to classify cultivars from native plants. Because it came from a native source at some point, I was more interested in planting it than a cultivar from something else.

"Either way I don't get so wrapped up in natives that it takes the joy out of gardening." That is good food for thought. I tend to feel overwhelmed by trying to create habitat because of the row crops and grazing pastures all around us, that I forget the joy in this.