Overview

Introduce a touch of elegance and vibrant color to your garden with the stunning purple althea rose of sharon tree. This hardy, deciduous shrub, scientifically known as Hibiscus syriacus, is renowned for its beautiful, trumpet-shaped purple flowers that bloom profusely from summer through fall, providing continuous visual interest when many other plants are fading. Our offering is a 1-year-old dormant seedling, carefully nurtured and ready for planting in your outdoor space. Known for its resilience and ease of care, the hibiscus syriacus plant is an excellent choice for both novice and experienced gardeners looking to create a captivating landscape. Its upright, vase-like growth habit makes it versatile for various garden designs, from specimen planting to hedges or mixed borders.

The Rose of Sharon is a classic garden favorite, celebrated for its robust nature and ability to thrive in a wide range of climates. This particular variety, with its rich purple blooms, offers a striking contrast against its green foliage, attracting pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard. As a cold hardy flowering shrub, it can withstand cooler temperatures, making it a reliable performer in many USDA zones. Cultivating this plant allows you to enjoy its magnificent floral display year after year with minimal effort, transforming your garden into a vibrant sanctuary.

Key Benefits

The purple althea rose of sharon tree offers numerous advantages for any gardener, combining aesthetic appeal with practical resilience. Its abundant blooms and easy-care nature make it a highly desirable addition to diverse garden settings.

• Spectacular Summer Blooms: Enjoy a long season of beautiful, large purple flowers from summer into fall, providing continuous color and visual appeal when many other plants have finished blooming. This extended flowering period ensures your garden remains lively and attractive for months.
• Attracts Pollinators: The vibrant flowers are a magnet for butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees, contributing to the biodiversity and health of your garden ecosystem. Enhance your garden’s natural beauty while supporting crucial pollinator populations.
• Cold Hardy & Resilient: As a cold hardy flowering shrub, the Rose of Sharon can withstand colder temperatures, making it suitable for a wide range of climates and less susceptible to winter damage. This resilience ensures a reliable performance year after year.
• Easy to Grow & Maintain: This shrub is known for its low-maintenance requirements, thriving in various soil conditions and tolerating some neglect. It’s an ideal choice for gardeners seeking a beautiful plant without extensive upkeep, making it an easy care althea.
• Versatile Landscaping Plant: The upright growth habit and moderate size make it perfect for use as a specimen plant, in mixed borders, as an informal hedge, or even in large containers. Its adaptability allows for creative garden design options.
• Fast Growing: The purple althea rose of sharon tree grows relatively quickly, establishing itself well and providing a substantial presence in your garden within a few seasons. This rapid growth helps achieve desired landscaping effects sooner.
• Drought Tolerant Once Established: While it appreciates consistent moisture, mature Rose of Sharon plants exhibit good drought tolerance, reducing the need for frequent watering during dry spells. This makes it a water-wise choice for sustainable gardening.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your purple althea rose of sharon tree is straightforward, ensuring a bountiful display of flowers with minimal effort. This resilient shrub thrives in conditions that mimic its natural habitat, requiring attention to light, water, and soil. For optimal growth and flowering, plant your rose of sharon in a location that receives full sun to partial shade. Full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day) will promote the most abundant blooms, while partial shade is tolerable, especially in hotter climates where it can protect the plant from intense afternoon sun. Ensure the location has good air circulation to prevent fungal issues.

When it comes to watering, consistent moisture is key, especially during the first growing season as the plant establishes its root system. Water deeply and regularly, allowing the top inch or two of soil to dry out between waterings. Once established, the hibiscus syriacus plant becomes more drought-tolerant, though it will perform best with regular irrigation during dry periods. The ideal soil type is well-draining, fertile loam, but it can adapt to a variety of soil conditions, including clay and sandy soils, as long as drainage is adequate. Amend heavy clay soils with organic matter to improve drainage and sandy soils to enhance water retention. A neutral to slightly acidic pH is preferred, but the plant is quite tolerant.

The cold hardy flowering shrub is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9, tolerating winter temperatures down to -20°F (-29°C) once mature. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs. Avoid excessive nitrogen, which can promote foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Pruning is best done in late winter or early spring while the plant is dormant. Rose of Sharon blooms on new wood, so pruning encourages more flowering. You can shape the plant, remove dead or crossing branches, and reduce its size if desired. Common problems are few, but watch for aphids or Japanese beetles, which can be managed with appropriate organic or chemical controls. With proper care, your outdoor purple hibiscus will flourish and provide stunning blooms for years to come.

Size & Details

This offering includes one purple althea rose of sharon tree, provided as a 1-year-old dormant seedling. It is shipped in a quart-sized pot, ensuring a healthy root system ready for transplanting into your garden. At this stage, the plant is typically 6-12 inches tall, depending on the growing conditions and prior pruning. It will establish quickly once planted and can grow to an impressive size, typically reaching 8-12 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide at maturity, forming an upright, vase-shaped shrub. The growth rate is considered moderate to fast, allowing it to become a significant feature in your landscape within a few seasons.

Upon arrival, the seedling will be dormant, which is ideal for planting and minimizes transplant shock. This means it may not have leaves or flowers immediately, but the robust root system is ready to awaken with the warmth of spring. Expect the first blooms to appear in its second or third year, with increasing abundance as the plant matures. The quart pot provides enough soil and nutrients for the initial establishment phase, and we recommend transplanting it into its permanent outdoor location as soon as conditions allow. This easy care althea is a fantastic investment for long-term garden beauty.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this purple althea rose of sharon tree get? A: At maturity, the purple althea rose of sharon tree typically grows to be 8-12 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide, forming an upright, vase-shaped shrub. Its size can be managed through pruning.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: This hibiscus syriacus plant is a 1-year-old dormant seedling and comes in a quart-sized nursery pot, ready for transplanting into your garden.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The purple althea rose of sharon tree is an outdoor plant, known for its cold hardiness and ability to thrive in garden settings across USDA Zones 5-9. It is not generally suitable for indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For abundant blooms, the cold hardy flowering shrub requires full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily). It can tolerate partial shade, especially in hotter climates, but flowering may be reduced.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Rose of Sharon is considered an easy care althea. It is tolerant of various soil conditions and is relatively low maintenance once established, making it great for beginners.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your outdoor purple hibiscus will arrive as a 1-year-old dormant seedling in a quart pot. This means it might not have leaves or flowers, as it’s in its resting phase, but its roots are healthy and ready to grow.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this rose of sharon? A: The best time to plant your dormant Rose of Sharon seedling is in early spring after the last frost, or in early fall before the ground freezes, allowing it time to establish before extreme temperatures.