We braved the heat and humidity yesterday morning for a brief visit to JC Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh. Most plants are labeled but I could not find a tag for this hibiscus. Hibiscus seem to be everywhere this summer, except in my garden.
Hibiscus at Ralston Arboretum
Hibiscus at Ralston Arboretum
pbmGarden 
Missing in your garden and my garden so thank you for the photo. 🙂
We’ll have to put this on our shopping list for next year Judy. I’ve never grown one.
Can’t keep these alive, but what a dish!
It is gorgeous. I haven’t grown hibiscus but might need to look for one.
Susie, I have had two just like that one. It was a cultivar named ‘Midnight Marvel.’ It certainly looks the same.
Might be John, Thanks! I saw a couple of other possibilities on the arboretum website that mentioned hibiscus in the vicinity where this one was photographed. H. moscheutos ‘Whit XX’ (Cranberry Punch®) and also looks like ‘Sultry Kiss’ hibiscus. I should have asked.
Wow, that is some Hibiscus. I have one in the garden, plum color. Not that many choices for my zone.
I think a plum colored one would be great.
I have the hardy Hibiscus syriacus in several colours, the flowers are not as large as the tropical varieties but they are drought tolerant and withstand winter temperatures here and in the UK so I think it would grow well for you; they aren’t as beautiful as the one you saw.
Thanks, I’ll look that up. I never knew there were so many hibiscus. Drought-tolerance is an issue for me this year too. A nice thing about that arboretum is it is part of a University with strong horticulture and landscape design programs and they feature plants that grow well in this part of NC. (Was on the list of places to go if we’d have more time together.)
That is a beautiful looking hibiscus…such a lovely colour!
Beautiful. There are Hibiscus that are hardy in this area, though I don’t grow them. If I could, I’d certainly be tempted by that one.
I never paid much attention to them before. I always thought Hibiscus were annuals. Might be fun to try one.
Very pretty. Who can resist the beautiful form and amazing colors of Hibiscus flowers?!
The red color and huge size of this Hibiscus flower grabbed my attention. I’m going to look for one.
When I caught sight of your photos, all I could think of was the Hibiscus shrubs (they were pretty big) I grew up with in Los Angeles, CA But on closer inspection, the leaf looks different. Mine were broader. Could you contact the Arboretum and ask? Places like that usually have a pretty detailed plant list on hand. I don’t think I can grow that sort up here in the Northwest, but I get a fairly close approximation from Hibiscus syriacus ‘Rose of Sharon’ species.
From the comment above John suggested it could be ‘Midnight Marvel.’ If I get a firm ID I’ll try to let you know. From their website I think it could be H. moscheutos ‘Whit XX’ (Cranberry Punch®) and also looks like ‘Sultry Kiss’ hibiscus.