Rose of Sharon is Hibiscus syriacus

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The native, cold-hardy Hibiscus shrubs are blooming now and are one of the highlights of late-summer gardens. The large, colorful, cup-shaped flowers shine in pinks, purples and white against the rest of the garden.

Full-sun is usually recommended though ours bloom reasonably well with a bit of afternoon shade. The ones in full-sun produce more flowers.

Cultivated Hibiscus shrubs bloom earlier in the summer and are worth pursuing for their varied flower colors and forms. They also produce very few seedlings when compared to the native plants.

 Shrubs in the Chiffon series of Hibiscus have a ruffled center set of petals. The Blue Chiffon in our garden makes me stop and stare every time it blooms. Others in the series include: Lavender, Pink, and White Chiffon.

Satin Hibiscus cultivars have flowers with dark red centers.  They come in Blue, Orchid, Violet and Ruffled varieties.

Another Hibiscus we love in our perennial bed is Sugar Tip which is a completely seedless shrub. The diminutive flowers look like pink carnations; the leaves are variegated cream and green.

All of the hybrids listed above are available from Proven Winners brand. If you click over to this link, you'll see the ones we love plus several others they market.

If you have room for a reliable, flowering, shrub, it would be hard to go wrong with any of these outstanding choices.




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