Rose of Sharon isn’t actually a rose – it’s a flowering shrub in the genus Hibiscus. Its relationship to both the tropical and hardy hibiscus is pretty clear when you see its brightly colored, cup-shaped flowers which appear in July and continue through until the first frost. The sometimes surprising thing about rose of Sharon is the variety of colors and patterns in the flowers. In our nursery, you’ll find these in pure white, lavender, almost-blue, and several shades of pink from blush to magenta. Many blooms have striking dark red centers, and some are double-blooms, with a second, frilly set of petals in the middle. Bees love them, so they’re a great choice for late-summer pollinator activity. Rose of Sharon shrubs can be big (six to twelve feet, depending on the variety), but they grow slowly, and they’re easily pruned to size and shape. They function well as either a single, amazing specimen plant or as part of a gorgeous, flowering hedge row.
