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 Payne's Plant of the Week:
Hibiscus syriacus — Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is a hardy deciduous member of the tropical hibiscus family native to India and East Asia. Also called shrub althaea and Chinese hibiscus, it is the national flower of Korea. Its late bloom, striking flower-shape, range of colors, ease of maintenance, and good drought tolerance once established makes rose of Sharon a prize for northern New Mexico gardens.
As one of the few summer-blooming shrubs, Rose of Sharon is are hardy to Zone 5 and perfect for urban gardens. Most varieties grow up to 8 to 12 feet tall by 6 to 10 feet wide. They bear 4-inch, lobed or toothed leaves that emerge so late in the spring that sometimes gardeners who are new Rose of Sharon worry that their plants have died. Flowers are large, flat, single, semidouble, or double, 2.5 to 3-inches wide, with a single striking stamen; they appear mid- to late summer and bloom until early fall. They come in a range of colors from white through pink and red to blue, lavender, and purple. Individual
blossoms open in early morning and close at night, lasting around three days each. Each flower bears an intensely maroon central spot, a target zone where nectar pools, attracting the attention of hungry hummingbirds. This spot may also serve as a "bee guide" for insect pollinators.
This beautiful shrub is long-lived, heat-loving and easy to grow in compost-enriched, moist, well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. Plant your bushes in spring or fall, spacing them 6 to 10 feet apart (depending on the expected mature size of your cultivar). Dig a hole as deep as the rootball and 2 to 3 times wider. Carefully remove the plant from its container and set it in the hole. Fill the hole half full of soil, water it well to settle the soil and eliminate air pockets, let the water drain, then fill with the rest of the soil and water again thoroughly.
Rose of Sharon become drought resistant once they are established. For the first few seasons, water deeply several times a week to allow the roots to establish themselves thoroughly. Apply a layer of compost under the tree each spring, spreading it out to the dripline (the area under the outermost branches). Add a 2-inch layer of mulch to retain moisture and control weeds. If rainfall is less than 1 inch per week, be sure to water these shrubs. Flowers are produced on new wood, so prune in early spring to shape and reduce size. Pruning the shrub back to 2 to 3 buds per branch in spring encourages larger flowers. Remove dead, diseased, and injured branches any time.
Although naturally multi-stemmed, Roses of Sharon can be trained through pruning (in late winter) to a single main trunk. Roses of Sharon may also be trained as espaliers. Since the shrubs are deciduous, losing their leaves in winter, roses of Sharon are best used as specimen shrubs, but they make attractive summer privacy hedges as well.
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Payne's Plant of the Week: Rose of Sharon
