Hibiscus-High Performance
Tim Kane
Our region’s shrub form of hibiscus has a long and storied
history in the garden, a history that starts in ancient Asia,
where Hibiscus syriacus, the species we know commonly as Rose
of Sharon, is native. While not native in Europe, Rose of
Sharon was cultivated there for centuries and is referred to
throughout ancient writings, including passages of the Bible.
Settlers brought it to the New World, and it soon became a
landscape mainstay in colonial America.
It’s easy to understand why Rose of Sharon has remained so
popular. There are few plants as easy to get established in the
landscape or as floriferous and rewarding with so little
expenditure of effort. While Rose of Sharon is considered a
shrub, it’s good to note that it’s a rather large, bulky one.
At 10 to 12 feet tall and six to 10 feet wide, it will rapidly
eat up space in a small yard. But its seductive bloom can
easily override gardening logic, especially when the plant is
small and loaded with color.
H. syriacus and its three-to-four-inch-wide flowers bloom on
new wood. It buds in midsummer and begins to bloom in late
July, continuing into September. Rose of Sharon loves full sun
but tolerates light shade, and, like its tropical brethren,
this Zone 5 plant craves heat. Its leaves tend to be the last
of any shrub to emerge, grudgingly peeking out in mid-May in
southern New England but not until Memorial Day or beyond in
the northern reaches of its range.
H. syriacus is divided into double-flowered and single-flowered
varieties, with doubles tending to start their bloom slightly
later than singles. Many doubles have been garden mainstays for
decades, with flower colors that range from white and pink to
red and violet. Some of the best double varieties are ‘Ardens,’
with its rose-purple flowers; ‘Blushing Bride,’ with rich pink
flowers that fade to white; ‘Jeanne D’Arc,’ with profuse, pure
white flowers; and ‘Lucy,’ with red flowers on a plant that may
be the most vigorous of any double variety.
While the doubles are tried and true, it seems the
single-flowering varieties have captured the imagination of
today’s gar-deners. The singles’ earlier bloom time gives them
the benefit of the first “oohs and aahs” of the season. Older
varieties include ‘Aphrodite,’ with its dark pink blooms with
dark red eye zones; ‘Diana,’ a pure white, long-blooming
selection; ‘Bluebird,’ a big sky-blue selection with red eyes;
‘Minerva,’ a dense grower with lavender-violet flowers sporting
dark red eyes; and ‘Red Heart,’ with its big white flowers with
bright red centers.
Today, a new generation of singles is moving into the territory
of the established singles, with waves of flowers on plants that
are denser, more vigorous and slightly longer blooming than the
old-timers. Two unique singles, ‘Lavender Chiffon’ and ‘White
Chiffon,’ break new ground with lavender or pure white flowers
with lacy, anemone-like centers. ‘Blue Satin’ shows off
royal-blue flowers with darker eyes on a plant that is far
superior to ‘Bluebird’ for strength. ‘Blush Satin’ has huge
pinkish-white flowers with prominent red centers, while ‘Violet
Satin’ is a flowering maniac with huge, deeply colorful
violet-red blooms.
If the shrub form of hibiscus makes you wait for its foliage to
show up, the perennial form will have you on the edge of your
seat, even into early June, wondering if it has made it through
the winter. You can relax, though, since many varieties of
perennial hibiscus are tougher than their shrubby relatives,
with Zone 4 hardiness that can bring the tropics to even the
northernmost garden. Just like in the tropics, they will bring
flower size and color that, at times, is so astonishing that
you can’t help but stare.
Most selections of perennial hibiscus belong to the species H.
moscheutos or H. coccineus, both North American natives, or are
crosses between these and other less prominent species. Most
form dense, wide, rapidly growing bushes in the garden. They
love hot sun, heat and moist soil, although they adapt well to
drier ground. When they begin to bloom in mid-July, they
instantly dominate the garden with their flower size and color
and continue to do so into mid-September. Be sure to place
perennial hibiscus at the back of the garden and give them some
room, because their size will tend to overwhelm any plant in the
vicinity.
There are so many great selections of perennial hibiscus that
it’s hard to list them all. The Disco Belle series has seen
long, distinguished service in the garden. These H. moscheutos
selections come in shades of white, red and pink, with
five-inch diameter flowers covering a dense, Zone 4 bush that
is two to three feet tall and three to four feet wide. ‘Lord
Baltimore’ and ‘Lady Baltimore’ tower over the garden — they’re
six to seven feet tall and four to five feet wide — with
seven-to-10-inch flowers in lush red and ruffled pink,
respectively, that are dizzying! These H. coccineus selections
are also Zone 4 hardy.
The Luna series is newer to the market and is more like the
Disco Belle series, but with wider flowers than Disco on denser
plants. ‘Luna Blush’ (six-to-seven-inch white flowers with red
eyes), ‘Luna Red’ (seven-to-eight-inch dark red flowers) and
‘Luna Pink Swirl’ (six-to-seven-inch pink flowers with white
swirls) put on a display of flower power that is unrivaled
among Zone 5 plants.
‘Fireball’ and ‘Kopper King’ bring a different show to the
garden, with distinct red-tinged foliage that is as outstanding
as their blooms. ‘Fireball’ sports six-to-eight-inch
burgundy-red flowers, while ‘Kopper King’ draws gasps with
12-inch blooms that are pink with deep red eyes. ‘Fantasia’ may
offer the most unique flower color of any perennial hibiscus; it
shows off a myriad of nine-to-10-inch lavender flowers with
purple-red eyes. All three of these varieties are three to four
feet tall and wide, and they’re hardy to Zone 4.
About The Author: http://www.ppplants.com
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