How To Care For Rose Of Sharon, The Althaea Shrub
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By Glory Lennon
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Rose of Sharon is botanically known as Hibiscus Syricacus. It has also been called the Althaea shrub. Rose of Sharon are deciduous, upright growing and columnar shaped bushes. They grow to a height of 6-12 feet tall, 4-6 feet wide and are relatively late to break dormancy but well worth the wait. The leaves are bright green, rather small, only 1- 2 1 /2 inches long and have rough edges or toothed lobes. They burst into bloom in mid to late summer until frost.
Rose of Sharon comes in either single, semi-double or double flower forms. The flowers are 3-4 inched wide in the single and semi-double form varieties and 2 1 /2 -3 inches across for the double blossoms. To encourage bigger blooms late winter pruning is recommended cutting back to two buds on each branch tip. The colors range from pure white, clear pink, rose, purple, mauve, bright red, lavender and soft violet many with contrasting throats and eyes for intriguing combinations.
Rose of Sharon is a relation of the tropical Hibiscus and the Hardy Hibiscus Moscheutos, the Rose Mallow as it is more commonly known. It should come as no surprise, therefore, that the flowers resemble these tropical cousins if not in size then in shape and form. They both have long protruding stamen and unfortunately, little if any scent. The blossoms of the Rose of Sharon are considerably smaller and less showy as compared to its cousins but the flowers are produced rather abundantly which makes up for size. While this is strictly opinion, the single flower form is what most people consider the prettiest and most desirable of these plants. The flowers open wider, and the contrasting colors either in the eyes or throats is rather striking. If that’s nothing to you then consider that Hummingbirds love them.
Rose of Sharon are super easy to grow with little required to keep them looking their best. They like heat though they are rather hardy doing quite well in zones 4-9 and they are tolerant of drought. They can and do grow in many different soil types but prefer sandy, well draining and rich loam. They don’t take well to clay but are even tolerant of that if enough organic mulch is used around their roots on a continual basis to improve the soil. In the coldest regions a thick mulch is always beneficial to protect the roots from ground thawing and heaving.
Rose of Sharon like to be placed away from prevailing winds and may require a bit of protection when plants are very young. They grow compact and upright when young. As they age, however, the branches tend to relax giving the plant a wider more open air. If a more columnar shape is desired pruning away the heaviest branches will keep it more compact and upright growing.
Rose of Sharon can be used as a back drop to a perennial planting, to form garden rooms, as single specimens in the landscape, as a great addition to a mixed shrub border or, as they are most often used, as a tall, thick virtually impenetrable hedge. If planted as a hedge space them 6-12 feet apart. As a hedge it can’t be beat.
Rose of Sharon, unfortunately, has a few drawbacks. The older cultivars with single flower forms have unattractive seed capsules which have a tendency to self-sow abundantly making it a bit of a nuisance for some gardeners. In a bit of a contradiction, they dislike swampy regions though they like regular water. They are one of the last to break dormancy so you’ll be waiting a bit in the spring ( almost into the summer for the northern most gardeners) for the leaves to unfurl. In autumn they give nothing in the way of an autumn show. They don’t change at all before the leaves drop to reveal massive amounts of grayish, bare stems.
Some of the newer cultivars recently developed for fewer seed capsule are: “Aphrodite” (Rose-pink color with red eyes), “Diana” (pure white), “Helene” (white with deep red eyes) and “Minerva” (lavender with mauve-red eyes).
Aside from these few negatives, the Rose of Sharon is indeed a wonderful plant when in flower with hundreds of lasting blossoms and bright green leaves. No garden is quite complete without one. Do give it a try.
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Author Bio Box: Glory Lennon
 For more fun in the garden and other amusing tales please come visit Http://www.helium.com/user/32782.
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