Hibiscus syriacus 'SPECIOSUS' Rose-of-Sharon
size/type
medium-sized shrub,taller shrub
usual height
1,5-3m
usual width
1-1,5m
leaves
deciduous broadleaf
colour of leaves
flowers
showy
colour of flowers
blooming time
July-September
location
full sun
soil type
neutral
soil moisture requirements
tolerates (but does not demand) wet ground
USDA zone (lowest)
5 (down to -29°C)
winter protection
for zone 5+6
for zone 7
categorized
Rose-of-Sharon deserves more attention for its abundant flowering in summer. These maintenance-free shrubs come from eastern Asia and are the inevitable ingredient of every summer garden which they highlight with a wide range of coloured flowers. There has been a number of cultivars available since its discovery. They have various bloom colours, shapes and sizes, as well as variegated leaves.
Description of the plant:
Speciosus is an elegant, semi-double flowering variety of Rose-of-Sharon. Its flowers are medium-sized, snow white with burgundy red eye, and are composed of two rows of large petals and a set of dwarf, odd-shaped petals in the centre which surprisingly do not spoil the flower’s purity and elegance. They bloom reliably every year in July and don’t stop blooming until all buds have gone - sometimes by end September. The plant grows into a densely branched, upright shrub. It has very decorative leaves that are unique. They are shallowly lobed, palmate, mid to dark green and coarsely toothed. If they turn yellow in summer the plant manifests too much water at the roots. They are either over-watered or planted in too heavy soil where it has not established yet.
Pruning is an issue that always gets me started here. Hard pruning leads to larger flowers, that's true, but also production of long, immature, flexible twigs. The only cut I recommend is to rejuvenate old plans - prune it hard in early spring by 50-75% and let it grow for another 10 years or so.
Rose-of-Sharon is quite adaptable of soil type. It likes sufficient moisture and but you cannot transplant it into standing water. When fully established it will love occasional flooding in summer. Older plants dislike peat. Selective fertilizers for better flowering are convenient but not crucial. Place it in full sun only. Fully hardy to min. -27°C (USDA zone 5). Not suitable for pots.
Last update 01-04-2020
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GLOSSARY
- STANDARD QUALITY - Plants of this group are 1st class quality with number of branches and overall density adequate to their size and age, considering they were container grown.
- DE LUXE QUALITY - This label guarantees a luxurious quality of manually selected plants that, compared to their height and age, are exceptionally dense and beautiful.
- EXTRA - These plants are usually mature and bigger specimens with exceptional overall appearance.
- STANDARD (as described in the plant form) means a tree with a trunk of 190-210 cm and a crown at the top, unless specified differently. The commercial size for trees is their girth measured in the height of 1m from ground.
- HOBBY - These plants are of the same quality as our standard-quality plants but younger and therefore cheaper.
- SHRUB - a woody plant with branches growing bushy from the ground level.
- HALF-STANDARD or MINI-STANDARD - a small tree with shorter trunk, its size is usually specified.
- FEATHERED - These are trees with branches growing already from the base of the trunk and up along the stem.
- GRASSES and PERENNIALS - Sizes given usually read the diameter of the pot or the clump, as specified.
