Overview

Introduce a touch of elegance and vibrant color to your garden with the stunning red Rose of Sharon live plant. This beautiful and resilient shrub, scientifically known as Hibiscus syriacus, is a true garden favorite, celebrated for its prolific blooming during the summer months when many other plants are winding down. Our red Rose of Sharon live plant arrives healthy and ready to thrive in your landscape, typically measuring 6 to 13 inches tall, and securely planted in a pot. Known by its common names like Althea or Althea Hibiscus, this deciduous shrub adds significant ornamental value with its showy, trumpet-shaped flowers. It’s an excellent choice for creating hedges, focal points, or adding late-season interest to borders, making it a versatile addition to almost any garden setting.

The red Rose of Sharon live plant is renowned for its hardiness and adaptability, making it suitable for a wide range of climates and gardening expertise levels. Its lush green foliage provides a beautiful backdrop for the striking red blooms, which can attract pollinators like hummingbirds and butterflies to your yard. This particular variety offers a rich, captivating red hue that stands out beautifully against its green leaves. Whether you’re an experienced gardener or just starting, this fragrant Rose of Sharon is a rewarding plant to cultivate, promising years of beauty and enjoyment with relatively low maintenance.

Key Benefits

The red Rose of Sharon live plant offers a multitude of benefits, enhancing both the aesthetic appeal and ecological value of your outdoor space. Its robust nature and vibrant blooms make it a standout choice for any landscape:

• Spectacular Summer Blooms: Enjoy an abundance of large, showy red flowers throughout the summer and into early fall, providing continuous color when many other plants have finished blooming. These vibrant blossoms create a captivating display.
• Attracts Pollinators: The trumpet-shaped flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators, bringing lively activity and biodiversity to your garden. This contributes to a healthier ecosystem.
• Low Maintenance & Hardy: This resilient shrub is known for its ability to withstand various conditions and requires minimal care once established, making it perfect for busy gardeners. It’s a tough plant that thrives with basic attention.
• Versatile Landscaping Plant: Ideal for use as a specimen plant, in mixed borders, as an informal hedge, or even in large containers. Its upright, vase-shaped growth habit makes it suitable for many garden designs.
• Adaptable to Various Soils: The Althea Hibiscus bush can tolerate a range of soil types, though it prefers well-drained conditions, making it forgiving even for less-than-perfect garden spots.
• Drought Tolerant: Once established, the Rose of Sharon exhibits good drought tolerance, reducing the need for frequent watering during dry spells. This makes it an eco-friendly choice.
• Long-Lived Beauty: With proper care, a red Rose of Sharon live plant can grace your garden for many years, becoming a cherished and enduring feature of your landscape.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your red Rose of Sharon live plant is relatively straightforward, ensuring a magnificent display of blooms year after year. This resilient shrub thrives in full sun, meaning it requires at least six hours of direct sunlight daily to produce the most abundant flowers. While it can tolerate partial sun, flowering may be less vigorous. Ensure your planting location offers good air circulation to minimize fungal issues. The ideal planting zone for this variety is USDA Hardiness Zone 5 through 9, indicating its ability to withstand a wide range of winter temperatures.

When it comes to soil, the Althea Hibiscus bush prefers well-drained soil. It’s adaptable to various soil types, including clay, loam, and sand, but it will perform best in a moderately moist, fertile soil. Avoid heavy, waterlogged conditions, as this can lead to root rot. Regular watering is crucial during its establishment period, typically the first year after planting. Once established, it becomes more drought-tolerant, though consistent moisture during prolonged dry spells will encourage better flowering. Mulching around the base of the plant can help retain soil moisture and regulate soil temperature.

Pruning is an important aspect of Hibiscus syriacus care to maintain its shape, promote vigorous growth, and encourage more blooms. The best time to prune is in late winter or early spring before new growth appears, as the Rose of Sharon blooms on new wood. You can remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches, and thin out overcrowded areas to improve air circulation. For a more compact or tree-like form, selective pruning can be done. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs to support healthy growth and abundant flowering. Keep an eye out for common pests like aphids, which can typically be managed with insecticidal soap or by introducing beneficial insects. Understanding growing Rose of Sharon effectively will lead to a thriving and beautiful shrub.

Size & Details

This offering is for one robust red Rose of Sharon live plant, which arrives healthy and securely packaged in a pot, ready for immediate planting. At the time of shipment, the plant typically measures between 6 to 13 inches tall from the base of the pot. This size is ideal for establishing quickly in your garden, allowing it to acclimate and begin its growth journey. The plant is shipped in its nursery pot, ensuring its root system remains intact and protected during transit, minimizing transplant shock. The mature size of a red Rose of Sharon live plant can vary based on growing conditions and pruning habits, but generally, it can reach heights of 8 to 12 feet with a spread of 6 to 10 feet, forming an attractive, upright, vase-shaped bush. Its moderate growth rate means you will see noticeable development each season.

The beautiful red blooms are a highlight of this plant, appearing consistently from mid-summer through early fall, providing a vibrant splash of color when many other garden plants are past their prime. The foliage is a rich green, offering a pleasing contrast to the brilliant flowers. This particular variety of fragrant Rose of Sharon is known for its striking red color, making it a focal point in any landscape. It’s a long-lived shrub, promising many years of beauty and enjoyment in your outdoor space, whether planted individually or as part of a hedge or mixed border. Expect its first significant bloom in its second or third year, with increasing abundance as it matures.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: This red Rose of Sharon live plant typically arrives 6 to 13 inches tall. When mature, it can reach heights of 8 to 12 feet with a spread of 6 to 10 feet, depending on growing conditions and pruning.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The plant is shipped in a nursery pot, ensuring its roots are protected and it’s ready for transplanting into your garden or a larger container upon arrival.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Althea Hibiscus bush is an outdoor plant, best suited for garden beds, hedges, or large outdoor containers where it can receive ample sunlight.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal flowering, a red Rose of Sharon live plant requires full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. It can tolerate partial sun, but flowering may be reduced.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Rose of Sharon is known for being a low-maintenance and hardy shrub, making it a great choice for both experienced and novice gardeners. Basic Hibiscus syriacus care involves proper watering, sunlight, and occasional pruning.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your red Rose of Sharon live plant will arrive healthy and actively growing, carefully packaged to protect it during transit. It will be in its nursery pot with soil.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: While some young plants may produce a few blooms in their first year, significant flowering typically begins in the second or third year after planting, with blooms becoming more abundant as the plant matures.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This Rose of Sharon is hardy in USDA Zones 5-9. If you are within these zones, it should successfully overwinter and return each spring.
• Q: What is the best time to plant? A: Spring or early fall are generally the best times to plant your red Rose of Sharon live plant, allowing it to establish its root system before extreme summer heat or winter cold.
• Q: Is this a fragrant Rose of Sharon? A: While some Rose of Sharon varieties have a subtle fragrance, this plant is primarily valued for its visual impact and abundant blooms rather than a strong scent.