I purchased mine in a 2 gallon pot from nursery a couple of weeks ago. I am excited to see it bloom this spring.

We will have to compare notes later :) Mine are just dead looking dormant stubs atm.

I did notice there is a hibiscus forum after I posted this.

They are very late to emerge in the spring, around here they are the last ones to come up.

I have a spot in mind for a "Midnight Marvel".

For those of you with it already in your garden how is it doing?

Any pictures you could share with us?

Has it been your experience that it needs "full sun" to do its best?

Okay, this is hilarious. I planted mine three weeks ago, fronted by a Wegeila 'French Lace'. The Wegeila leaves are fantastic - in bloom should be a Wow!. Alongside is a row of Heliopsis 'Summer Nights'.

I can provide a before picture.

The poor thing arrived mostly green leaved, the only indicator was the tag. I'm not sure that it actually is 'Midnight Marvel'. I'm keeping the faith by reminding myself - "It'll be great".

If nothing else, I give myself points for visionary thinking.

Can we come back in three years?

Here is a link that might be useful: Budd gardens

3 years!? Way too long for me.

Is your MM planted in full sun boday?

And now that I think of it might you be pushing the zone envelope with this hibiscus given your location?

I bought mine after seeing one in an open garden in Aurora CO, also zone 5. It was HUGE and gorgeous! The garden was primarily daylily with a few other perennials thrown in to add interest. Didn't take any pics, wish I had now, mine probably won't bloom this year.

So 'Liz', it was blooming when you saw it at the garden in CO? Was it in full sun?

I take it you planted yours in 2013? It may well give a bloom or two this late summer or fall.

I planted one last summer and it flowered like mad in the Fall. I would say dozens of huge red flowers. This year it is absolutely enormous (about 4.5 feet tall), which kind of surprised me but works very well in the spot. I get asked a lot about it even before it flowers. Conditions are full sun in clay.

It is true that they are late to emerge.

Yep, I've got the M/M within a couple of feet of the wall and over six hours of sunlight - So now it's "grow healthy and prosper." They're rated as zone 4 and we get a lot of snow cover. I've got a patch of hakone grass growing for the last four years. I'm more concerned about the Wegeila but that's such a stunning combo that it would be worth the extra effort. Once they're more established I'll sneak a picture.

This post was edited by boday on Tue, Jul 2, 13 at 15:43

As an update on Hibiscus 'Midnight Marvel'. Yep, it's as advertised. First year - it's got four stems and each stem sports nine to ten buds. If I ever get some lighting to cooperate, I'll post a picture.

This post was edited by boday on Sat, Sep 7, 13 at 17:56

Okay, I'll give it a shot. The Weigela 'French Lace' lost it's mind and is blooming in the fall. On the left Heliopsis 'Summer Nights' and on the right, Rudbeckia 'Little Goldstar'

I do like the leaf combo of the Hibiscus and the Weigela.

I bought one of these this summer after someone posted a picture on my hibiscus thread. It was in a large pot and conditions have been very dry here. I'm sure I would have killed it if I tried to plant it in the ground so I just 'planted' it pot and all in a bigger pot on the driveway. It's been doing fine and putting on quite a show! I'll plant it in the ground in the fall after it has started to go dormant. Not the best picture - bright sun washed out the color - but this is what mine looks like (it sure looks like it could be a really big one!)
{{gwi:219760}}

I'm still in awe of the above Hibiscus. The flower color and the foliage are just a "Blow out". Still trying to deal with the hole in the foliage/bare wall. If one is good, two is better - I think. See what spring brings as far as surviving.

I try to casually lead visitors past the combo, pointing out the fallen 'Splendide' or other attraction - doesn't work. They all stop to admire the attention getting device.

The Wegeila 'French Lace' leaf color works well against the purplish hibiscus foliage. And the 'Little Goldstar' twinkle back. The Kalimeris is in a rest phase.

This post was edited by boday on Fri, Sep 20, 13 at 18:46

That is for sure a gorgeous hibiscus flower boday. Is this its first year in your garden? And with it being against the foundation it has a step up on making it through the winter.

I take it that it is in "full sun"?

Udpate: I planted in full sun this spring. It bloomed all summer big red flowers. Mine is still only about 2-3 feet tall but I purchased a different hisbicus last year that was that same height and this year is about 5 feet so I am thinking this one will be also. I saw that they like moist soil, so when I planted both of them I also planted next to it a cut off soda bottle so that I can water 3 inches deep. This is what I have done for all my hostas in sun and it actually works.

I love the dark leaves but my main question is, does it re-seed all over the place? The other perennial hibiscus do and it is starting to get annoying.

I can't really tell about the reseeding as I planted mine this spring. But the bloom color is so rich and the plant as a whole is so striking, that it becomes the focal point and effectively the rest of the flower bed becomes support for the plant. Between that and the palm leaves of the castor bean next door, it's tropical.

I almost hear the tinkle of "Pearly Shells"

Now someone on here mentioned pinching the plant back, to produce more stems, which I'll do next year. Should increase the number of blooms.