Tom, a couple species that would be hardy for you and that aren't purple or red are Hibiscus aculeatus and Hibiscus moscheutos. They are yellow and pink. Also H. laevis and H. grandiflorus, both are pink.

Jay

Thanks, Jay. Any idea who would sell them online?

Prairie Moon sells seeds for H. laevis and H. moscheutos. Amazon sells seeds for H. aculeatus and H. grandiflorus. There were other places too.

The H. laevis and moscheutos are hardy all the way up here by me. The other 2 aren't.

http://bonap.net/Napa/TaxonMaps/Genus/County/Hibiscus

Tom, I have seeds for Hibiscus laevis. If you want some let me know.

Jay

I have success with hardy hibiscus here. The trick for me is to keep them very dry in the winter when they are dormant. If they are in pots, I keep them far away from other potted plants so they get no watering. Rain is okay but nothing extra. They appreciate a lot of water when they are actively growing, plus full sun.

Jay, thanks for the offer of seeds. I found your map extremely useful in looking for hibiscus on the Internet. I ended up purchasing three plants from Almost Eden that were winter-hardy in my growing zone. I'm debating whether I should put them in the ground when I get them next week or put them in larger pots and wait until the spring.

One thing that I have learned is that hibiscus can be hurt by using normal fertilizers. I have purchased a fertilizer that is specific for hibiscus. I'm hoping that they will do well here.

Are any hibiscus "butterfly attractors"? I've had peach color hibiscus in my yard for about 15 years. Gorgeous double with very deep throat. Bought it at a USF plant sale. Grown many from clippings very easily. Yesterday one bush with one bloom left, planted next to my blooming yellow tropical milkweed plants, hosted a monarch on the bloom... but it appeared to be just resting. I noticed it because it was perhaps the first time I had seen a butterfly on my hibiscus.

I think the flowers are more attractive to hummingbirds than to butterflies, but the mallow family plants host the caterpillars of some butterfly and moth species. I'd grow them just for their host plant value, but the flowers and pollinators are a great extra bonus.

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/wetland/plants/halberd_mallow.htm

There are a number of Hibiscuses that attract both hummers and butterflies. The one that I know attracts them is the Hibiscus syriacus or The Rose of Sharon. I believe it comes in different colors. The first hummingbird I saw in Florida was visiting my Rose of Sharon just after dawn some twenty years ago. It started me on the quest for more hummingbird plants.

Almost Eden has a bunch of hibiscuses and they mention if they tend to attract or be larval hosts for butterflies or/if they attract hummingbirds.