I love hardy hibiscus! You probably won't find them in any great quantity (if at all) at the nurseries until mid-summer. They are very late risers in the spring, but once up and growing they grow fast. Pinching a few times yields a bushier plant = more flowers and sturdier plant.

I have Luna varieties; they're okay, but if you see Disco Belle for sale, I would get those instead, I think that series is better IME (more floriferous). I also have Brandy Punch and Anne Arundel. I wouldn't be without hibiscus, they are truly fantastic when grown well!

Ditto what mxk3 says! I have some old Disco Belles that are fabulous - but don't emerge until late May. This is an old picture (2008) but this is a show we look forward to every summer:
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They bloom for most of August. These ones come pretty true from their seed, although some of the seed-grown offspring have been missing the dark eye and one turned out to be entirely dark, with bigger flowers and different shaped leaves - obviously a throwback to a parent. They take the usual three years to bulk up from a small plant.

I love the deep red types like Lune Red, Fireball, and Lord Baltimore but they are less floriferous for me and don't bulk up as nicely.

Veronicastrum makes a nice companion for either the pink or red and Russian Sage goes nicely with the pale pink Disco Belle ones. 'Pink Beauty' potentilla shrubs go nicely with the pink Disco Belle - that's what the low plants with small pink flowers are in the picture above.

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This post was edited by sara82lee on Fri, May 3, 13 at 22:07

Most of the hardy hibiscus I find around here gets 8-10 feet tall and has a woody stem. And the poor people at Lowes who are buying them just think they look pretty and will probably plant them six inches off the foundation of their houses. At least that's the impression I get from watching them :)

I finally found some Lunas at a farmer's market, and even the woman there who I inquired to they had no idea what I was talking about - that any hardy hibiscus could only be 2.5 ft. tall. I'm with you - I don't understand why nobody seems to know about them. I got two - a swirl and a red. They were only a dollar each, and about six inches tall but growing fast. I'm sure they will be lovely. They did get a bit chewed up when I first put them in the ground, and I had to break out a little bit of sevin, but all is well now. I haven't tried the disco belles, but so far I think the Lunas are great!

I do wish they'd figure out a Luna (or any smaller, hardy variety, in a bright yellow, though!