Hibiscus syriacus
Rose of Sharon
MALVACEAE
An upright, summer-flowering hardy shrub, evergreen in the far south, the Rose of Sharon used to be also called the Rose of China and the Chinese rose. It originated in China and India and was introduced into English gardens as early as the late 1500s and the American colonies about 1790.
The shrub likes slightly alkiline soil and full sun and needs long, hot summers to flower well. In the South it may need to be in shade for part of the day. It is usually planted alone in the middle of a lawn but looks very well in conjunction with other shrubs.
The flowers range in color from white, pin, red, mauve, and violet.
No pruning is usually necessary, but if you want to keep some sort of control, then cut back the stems in Februrary. It could easily grow to 15 feet.
We have seen the Rose of Sharon mostly in suburban gardens (having one in the yard as a child) but one reference says it does well in a seaside garden and another old gardening encyclopedia recommends the shrub for city gardens.
Zones 5 - 10.
