Great Red Hibiscus
Hibiscus coccineus
Also known as “Star of Texas,” this showy perennial is suitable for border plantings, used as an accent plant, or grown in containers.
This southeastern U.S. native was first named in the late 18th century and became popular among avid American gardeners of the day—notably William Bartram, George Washington, and Jean Skipwith, Lady Skipwith of Rappahannock in Virginia. Peter Collinson of London saw a painting of the flower done by Bartram, and asked for seeds to be sent from Charleston, South Carolina.1 In spite of its early popularity, and its use in hybridizing modern hibiscus cultivars, there is little evidence that this species was commonly grown in early American gardens.
Further Sources
- Coats, Alice M. Flowers and Their Histories. London: Black, 1968. See page 118.
- Cornett, Peggy. "In the Company of Gardeners: The Flower Diaries of Jefferson, Skipwith, and Faris." Twinleaf (January 2000).
- Dutton, Joan Parry. Plants of Colonial Williamsburg. Williamsburg: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 1979.
- Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
In Bloom at Monticello is made possible by support from The Richard D. and Carolyn W. Jacques Foundation.
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Heirloom Seeds and Plants from the Monticello collection
Plant history in your gardens with seeds and plants from Monticello and the Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants.
Footnotes
- Ann Leighton, American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century (Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press, 1986), 429.