Hibiscus coccineus

As beautiful as this native is, the flower color really doesn't match anything in my garden. I used to have a stand of H. coccineus in the ditch near the old house site, where its roots were in heavy clay that was under water for much of the year. It performed beautifully, blooming from July until October or November. However, the flowers clashed so much with the nearby Joe Pye Weed and black-eyed susans that I took it out and divided it. Some of it got literally plunked into the pond in one of the floodway fields, and the rest were transferred to another ditch, next to where the house sits now as a matter of fact.

Although this plant is perfectly happy with its roots under water, its roots are very large and fleshy and can store a lot of food, so it's very adapatable. It even blooms very well with afternoon shade. I love how exotically tropical the flowers look.