Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a true beauty. The name is a little confusing as it isn't a rose at all, it is really a Hibiscus. It is a medium sized ornamental bush with showy blooms throughout the summer. There are several bloom colours to choose from and the blooms can be either single or double petal. The blooms attract hummingbirds, butterflies and small insects. Rose of Sharon is a popular hedging here and it is easy to see why. The plant blooms on new growth. Pruning is best done in early spring in our area. Other than that the plant is low maintenance and will even tolerate neglect.

Rose of Sharon Bushes

When we bought this house we discovered an overgrown stand of Rose of Sharon along with purple lilacs. All of the gardens were overgrown and very neglected. The former vegetable garden was downright horrid! Our intentions were to rip out everything in that area and start fresh using raised beds. Only by careful observation were the Rose of Sharron was discovered. The rose of sharron were sadly neglected and overgrown with brush that needed to be cut out so we trimmed them right down. In the same area there naked lady lilies, lilacs, a ton of unidentified weeds, wild grapes, and poison ivy. We have slowly worked to irradicate the harmful while keeping what we want. The Rose of Sharron have responded by giving us blooms and healthy growth but it will be a year or two before they are as we want them. I think they are a beautiful part of our gardens. They provide a wonderful backdrop for the vegetable garden!

Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite'

Aprodite was the first to bloom for us so will always be just a little special. The bloom is a single petal pink mauve with a deep magenta eye. Within these bushes there are two box elder stumps that set up shoots. They cannot be removed without damaging the Rose of Sharon and we are leary to use any type of herbicide for fear it will damage the surrounding bushes. So we keep trimming any shoots that appear. Box elder trees are really problematic here, best described as a junk tree by many.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Diana'

Diana surprised us the second year we were here. There are two bushes mixed in with the Aprodite bushes. The bloom is single petal pure white with no eye. It is a sharp contrast to the deep green foliage of the bush. There is no possibility of separating the two cultivars or either from the lilacs so we prune and let them be. I'm planning on cross pollinating the two to see what the results are.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Blush Satin'

Blush Satin is very pretty! I love the colours on this plant. The blooms have a candy striped appearance with alternating bands of pale pink and deeper rose pink with a deep magenta eye. This bush is not in the same area as the others. We planted it in another area closer to the house after we discovered the other Rose of Sharon. It was only twig size and we had doubts it would survive. It proved us wrong! The bush is now about six feet tall and blooming well.

Happy Gardening

Garden Gnome