Rose of Sharon Althea
Rose of Sharon Althea
(Hibiscus syriacus)
A large woody shrub with big, showy blossoms of white, pink, and red from mid summer into fall, the Rose of Sharon may be an old-lady or trailer-park plant, but we like it anyway. Hummingbirds do too. Blooms equally well in sun or shade, making it a nice change from the ubiquitous crape myrtle. It loves hot weather but loses its leaves in winter and is late to leaf out in the spring, so be prepared to look at sticks for some part of every year. Naturally vase-shaped but may be trimmed into a small tree or formed into a hedge; blooms better with some annual pruning.