My Flowering Rose of Sharon
Here in the Northeast, we’re expecting temperatures to reach the 90s today. My outdoor grounds crew is working very hard to keep all the gardens well watered and looking their best.
Many of you are familiar with my long and winding pergola garden. Over the weekend, I shared photos of one side - filled with hundreds of bright orange tiger lilies. On the other side, I grow Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus - upright deciduous shrubs that produce colorful, cup-shaped flowers in summer and fall. Rose of Sharon is valued for its tight form and large blossoms in shades of blue, lavender, pink, and white - providing a lovely show of color when few other plants are in bloom.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- Rose of Sharon, Hibiscus syriacus, is also known as althaea or althea. And contrary to its common name, the plant is not a rose at all, but a member of the Malvaceae or “mallow” family native to Asia and India.
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- My Rose of Sharon shrubs are planted on the back side of my clematis pergola facing what I call my Party Lawn, where I love to entertain during summer.
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- Rose of Sharon shrubs can grow to about eight to 10 feet tall with a spread of four to six feet. When planting, be sure to space shrubs several feet apart, taking into consideration the expected size at maturity.
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- Blooms on these shrubs can range from light blue, white, pink to red, or lavender.
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- Here is a closeup of the buds. Rose of Sharon blooms are short-lived, but the shrub produces a lot of buds on its new growth, which provides prolific flowering. The leaves are also deeply-lobed and light to medium green in color.
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- I originally planted Rose of Sharon for these bluer shades, but I also love how they attract lots of butterflies and hummingbirds. These plantings have grown so nicely here in this location – providing a nice hedge and backdrop for other flowers along the pergola.
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- Rose of Sharon bears large trumpet-shaped flowers that have prominent yellow-tipped stamens.
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- Flowers range in size from three to five inches, depending on the variety and growing conditions.
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- The single or doubled flowers are often wavy-looking, giving the impression they’re made of delicate crepe paper.
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- Rose of Sharon prefers full sun and well-drained soil.
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- It also tolerates salt, heavy clay and a pH level between 3.7 to 7.3.
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- Rose of Sharon grows best in plant hardiness zones 5 through 9.
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- Here is double flower bloom in bright pink. Rose of Sharon is South Korea’s national flower. It is also called Rose Mallow in the United Kingdom and St. Joseph’s Rod in Italy.
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- As a heat-lover, this shrub is also prized by growers in the Southeast. In fact, Rose of Sharon is reasonably drought-tolerant.
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- This plant not only blooms later in the season but leafs out late as well, so don’t worry if the foliage does not appear quickly.
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- Fertilization should be done each spring and summer with an all-purpose formula. And prune in early spring to shape and reduce its size. Pruning the shrub back to two to three buds per branch in spring encourages larger flowers. of course, always remove dead, diseased, and injured branches at any time.
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- Do you know… every part of the Rose of Sharon is edible? Its leaves, blossoms and bark – it contains vitamin-C and Anthocyanins which are antioxidants.
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- Rose of Sharon shrubs are vigorous growers and hardy plants with few pest or disease issues.
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- If you choose to include Rose of Sharon in your garden, it should start blooming within one to two years.
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- My gardens are continuously evolving with unique and beautiful specimen plants and trees. I hope my gardens can inspire you to continue developing your beds every season. Share your gardening stories with me in the comments section below.
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