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Alyogyne 'Ruth Bancroft' (Ruth's Blue Hibiscus) - A fine texture upright shrub that can grow 6 to 8 feet (or possibly more) in height with an open growth habit when young and leaves that are palmately lobed with bright green deeply lobed very narrow segments. From late spring well into fall appear the 2-inch-long pale lavender-blue flowers with a strong central red eye that are held upright near the branch tips.
Plant in full sun in a well-drained soil and given occasional to infrequent irrigation - this plant grows well in our summer dry landscapes! Hardy to around 25 F and useful in USDA zones 9 - 10. Occasional pruning when young it will make the plant much fuller and will also increase the flower production. The soft lavender-blue color of this plant's flowers stands out well against the interesting texture of its foliage.
Alyogyne 'Ruth Bancroft' is a presumed hybrid between the Blue Hibiscus, Alyogyne huegelii and the Red Centered Hibiscus, Alyogyne hakeifolia, as it was a spontaneous seedling hybrid that was found growing in the Ruth Bancroft Garden in a spot near where both parents were growing alongside each other. These parents are both from southern and southwestern Australia, which like California has a mediterranean climate and both have palmately divided leaves, radiating out like the fingers of an open hand, but while the lobes of Alyogyne huegelii are slightly fuzzy and have frilly margins, those of A. hakeifolia are so narrow as to be almost needle-like. The leaves of the hybrid are between the two as they are quite narrow but softer and not as needle-thin as typical Alyogyne hakeifolia and lack the hairs of Alyogyne huegelii. We grew this plant from 2019 until closing the nursery in 2025 and also grew another plant presumed to have the same parentage called Alyogyne 'Lady Barbara Rose' that has broader dissected leaves and slightly darker flowers.
The information displayed on this page about Alyogyne 'Ruth Bancroft' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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