Native to south-central and southeast parts of China, rose of Sharon is a deciduous shrub, displaying large, showy flowers is widely cultivated throughout Asia. It is the national flower of South Korea. Though it is named as ‘rose’, it belongs to the hibiscus genus. This easy to grow, low maintenance plant is suitable for all sorts of garden, as foundation plantings, hedges, borders, or screens.
Growing Rose of Sharon
They have very basic growth requirements. For optimal growth, plant them in a rich, well-drained, acidic to slightly alkaline soil and keep under full sun. Though classified as shrubs, they can be trained to a tree form by pruning to one main trunk. As most of them can reach an average height of 8 to 12 feet, with a spread of 6 to 10 feet, they make a lovely blooming hedge. However, being deciduous, they drop their leaves in the fall. So, they cannot provide any screening during the winter months. These amazing beauties adorn your garden with spectacular, colorful blooms from midsummer to spring, within the hardiness zone 5-8.
There are many cultivars of rose of Sharon, out of which most popular ones are listed below:
1. ‘Blue Chiffon’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Blue Chiffon’)
Belonging to the Chiffon series, bred by Roderick Ian Woods in the UK, this beautiful cultivar is a cross between several open-pollinated rose of Sharon cultivars. Also known as ‘Notwoodthree’, its pale violet-blue, four-inch blooms have five outer petals and a lacy center, giving it a mesmerizing appearance. Its inner petals with a reddish-purple eye, covers the stamen.
Flower Type: Semi-double
Flower Colors: Pale violet-blue
Height/Width: 8-12 feet/4-6 feet
2. ‘White Chiffon’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘White Chiffon’)
This showy member of the Chiffon series, also known as ‘Notwoodtwo’, features delicate snowy-white, semi-double flowers with ruffled petals, providing a soothing appearance against the bright green foliage. Its four-inch outer petals frame the small, fluffy petaloids in the center. ‘White Chiffon’ is ideal for a gentle backdrop to colorful perennial borders, or as a hedge or privacy screen.
Flower Type: Semi-double
Flower Colors: White
Height/Width: 8-12 feet/4-6 feet
3. ‘Pink Chiffon’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Pink Chiffon’)
Another cultivar from the Chiffon series, this full-double variety showcases bright pink outer petals with crimson streaks from the deep red eye that frame the central, fluffy petaloids. With graceful stems, this cultivar enjoys a full sun location and will even tolerate salty soil. If planted in borders, it will adorn the garden or can even be enjoyed as a specimen plant.
Flower Type: Semi-double
Flower Colors: Pink
Height/Width: 8-12 feet/4-6 feet
4. ‘Lavender Chiffon’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Lavender Chiffon’)
It is another member of the Chiffon series. This semi-double variety displays light purple three to four-inch blooms and a fluffy center of petaloids, with a red eye gently seeping scarlet veins into the outer petals. This cultivar was patented in 2002 with the name ‘Notwoodone’. This fast grower and prolific bloomer make a dramatic addition to shrub borders, or in large containers for patio too.
Flower Type: Semi-double
Flower Colors: Lavender
Height/Width: 8-10 feet/4-6 feet
5. ‘Azurri Blue Satin’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Azurri Blue Satin’)
This rose of Sharon variant displays striking blue blooms, having lightly ruffled petals. The petals have a deep blue hue on their extremities, which fades to a lighter blue as it approaches the center. Its light yellow stamen creates a beautiful contrast with its striking magenta eye. The flowers can open up to three to four inches when in full bloom. This variety is sterile, as it does not produce seeds, thus it is not invasive. Though it can tolerate salty soil and drought, ideally, it prefers organically rich, well-drained soil. It can be planted both as borders, or hedges.
Flower Type: Single
Flower Colors: Blue
Height/Width: 8-10 feet/4-6 feet
6. ‘Orchid Satin’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Orchid Satin’)
Noted for its exceptionally large, lavender pink, single flowers, with a prominent red eye, this spectacular shrub adorn the garden border. Its green foliage of broadly ovate leaves provide a perfect backdrop for these magnificent blooms. This cultivar does not produce seeds. Along with borders, it can also be planted as foundation plantings, or hedges.
Flower Type: Single
Flower Colors: Pale lavender-pink
Height/Width: 8-12 feet/4-6 feet
7. ‘Sugar Tip’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Sugar Tip’)
This semi-dwarf, bushy, deciduous, shrub is noted for its soft pink flowers, packed with more than forty petals, which sometimes have a tint of raspberry. The slightly blue-green foliage, having creamy-white patterns around the edges, creates a beautiful background for the amazing blooms. This is a sterile cultivar, being a great addition to borders, as well as foundation plantings, or hedges.
Flower Type: Double
Flower Colors: Pink
Height/Width: 5-6 feet/4-6 feet
8. ‘Red Heart’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Red Heart’)
As the name says, these snowy-white, four-inch blooms exhibit a large scarlet eye at its heart, the center. The eye frames the white stamen cone making a beautiful contrast. It makes an imposing statement in the landscape with bright green, toothed leaves, and an upright growth habit. Enjoy as a specimen plant, grow two or more like an imposing hedge, or add to perennial borders for some lighthearted, tropical appeal.
Flower Type: Single
Flower Colors: Snowy-white
Height/Width: 10-12 feet/6-10 feet
9. ‘Lil’ Kim‘ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Lil’ Kim’)
A dwarf cultivar that produces three-inch-wide white flowers having magenta in the center. Due to its small size, it becomes an excellent container specimen. Unlike others, the flowers of this variety last as long as three days before wilting.
Flower Type: Single
Flower Colors: White
Height/Width: 3-4 feet/3-4 feet
10. ‘Purple Pillar’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Purple Pillar’)
As the name suggests, this rose of Sharon variety grows quite tall. Its magnificent purple blooms have a large red throat, adding to its beauty. It does best with just average water and soil when planted in full sun. Due to its long and tall appearance, it is great for a screening wall.
Flower Type: Semi-double
Flower Colors: Purple
Height/Width: 10-15 feet/2-3 feet
11. ‘Lucy’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Lucy’)
This double-petaled cultivar showcases large, four-inch-long pink blossoms. Although it is a bit on the taller side, it can be easily pruned into a smaller one by removing the lower branches. If not pruned, it can be a good screening hedge. This variety blooms best when given full sun, but it can also tolerate some shade.
Flower Type: Double
Flower Colors: Pink
Height/Width: 8-12 feet/4-6 feet
12. ‘Minerva’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Minerva’)
This large bushy cultivar sports pinkish-lavender blooms with a reddish throat, having an ivory stamen, and contrasting glossy green foliage. The full growth habit of this variety is ideal for hedges. Pruning back to two or three buds in late winter will produce larger blooms the following summer and fall.
Flower Type: Single
Flower Colors: Pinkish-lavender
Height/Width: 6-9 feet/5-7 feet
13. ‘Aphrodite’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Aphrodite’)
This hibiscus gets its name from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite. It produces vase-shaped, fuchsia-colored seven to nine-inch ruffled blooms with a dark red eye and white stamens. The edges of the petals feature a soft orange rim, making it a rare yet beautiful specimen. This one is great for use as a hedge on a property, at the back of flower beds, or as a foundation planting, attracting all types of butterflies.
Flower Type: Single
Flower Colors: Fuchsia
Height/Width: 8-12 feet/8-10 feet
14. ‘Blueberry Smoothie’ (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Blueberry Smoothie’)
This cultivar boasts four inches across double flowers, having an astonishing blue hue. It has an upright, spreading growth habit with multiple stems. It graces the garden with the most spectacular flowers of all rose of Sharon varieties. Its showy, bold, blue, trumpet-shaped flowers with purple overtones pop against the lobed green foliage. This prefers full to partial sun, and organically rich, well-drained soil.
Flower Type: Double
Flower Colors: Blue
Height/Width: 6-9 feet/4-5 feet
15. Pollypetite Rose Of Sharon (Hibiscus sp. ‘Rosina’)
It displays lovely, large, lavender-pink blooms that flourish against lush, dark blue-green foliage. This dwarf hybrid plant has a rounded shape and is nearly seedless. Thus it becomes an ideal low maintenance plant for landscapes. This deciduous variety can be grown in small gardens, as well as a container specimen.
Flower Type: Single
Flower Colors: Lavender-pink
Height/Width: 3-4 feet/3-4 feet
Rose of Sharon was brought to the United States before the 1600s. Though most of the U.S. states do not consider it as invasive, there are some areas that categorize it as an invasive plant. Check here to know the status of your area and follow the rules accordingly.
As we know, most invasive plants grow profusely due to their creeping root systems and stems. But, for rose of Sharon that’s not the case. They have a deep taproot that keeps the shrub firmly in place and in fact, makes it quite difficult to remove. However, in viable conditions, if the flowers aren’t deadheaded, they may self-seed, that is, they produce seeds themselves, giving rise to new shrubs. In this way, new plants keep on growing, and the area soon becomes crowded.
Here is a list of some species that have been bred in a way, that they will produce very low or no seeds at all:
Best Dwarf Roses of Sharon: ‘Lil’ Kim’, ‘Pollypetite’
Best Double Roses of Sharon: ‘Sugar Tip’, ‘Lucy’, ‘Blueberry Smoothie’
Best Pink Roses of Sharon: ‘Pink Chiffon’, ‘Sugar Tip’, ‘Lucy’
Best Blue and Purple Roses of Sharon: ‘Azurri Blue Satin’, ‘Blue Chiffon’, ‘Purple Pillar’
Best White Roses of Sharon: ‘White Chiffon’, ‘Red Heart’, ‘Lil’ Kim’
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