Dombeya Seminole
Location
Butterfly Garden
- Common Name: Dombeya (other common names: Dombeya Hybrid, Tropical Rose Hydrangea ‘Seminole’)
- Scientific Name: Burgessiae seminole, Dombeya seminole or Dombeya burgessiae
- Family Name: Malvaceae
- Origin: Tropical Africa
- Height: 6’ – 8’ (With pruning it can be kept to about 5’.)
- Width: 8’ – 10’
- Growth: fast growing
- Zone: 10A – 11
- Light Needs: Full sun – Partial shade (the more sun – the fuller the shrub and the more it blooms.)
- Salt Tolerance: Low
- Soil/PH/Texture: Prefers moist, well-drained soil; can live in many soil types, such as sand, loam, and clay. Needs slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH 6.1-7.8)
- Soil Moisture: Average water needs – do not overwater
- Drought Tolerance: is moderately tolerant once established. (supplemental irrigation during droughts)
- Pests/Diseases: no serious pests or diseases are known.
- Growing Conditions: Best grown outdoors in sunny, open areas. This plant can get rather large, so it needs plenty of room away from other plants. Due to its fast growth rate and large size, it is recommended to grow it in the ground rather than in a container. It should be improved periodically to avoid overgrowth.
- Characteristics: Leaves are simple, broad, and heart-shaped, and can be up to 8 inches long. Leaves grow in an alternate pattern. Flowers are showy, grow in clusters, and have five petals. The petals are pink, and the stamens and style are whitish-yellow.
- Propagation: by woody, semi-hardwood and hardwood stem cuttings, also by seed extracted from the flowerheads.
- Wildlife: attracts bees, birds and butterflies.
- Facts: It is sometimes referred as a tropical hydrangea because its flowers are likened to the hydrangeas, we see up North. In 1973 the USDA Plant Introduction Station in Miami released this cultivar for commercial use, and it has become a favorite for many Florida landscapes. Black rhinos are known to eat both bark and leaves.
- Designer Considerations: Its large size and showy flowers can make it a centerpiece for a yard or garden, or it can be used for hedges. Its also a good choice for butterfly gardens due to its attractive flowers.