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The New Rose of Sharon is Now Accepted by Previous Naysayers

    My first recognition of the Rose of Sharon was in Columbus, Ohio. I saw them, both wild and groomed, sprinkling landscapes. This tall shrub can be raised to provide the appearance of a beautiful tree containing multicolored roses. The canes can be tied and the top greenery and flowers pruned shaping the branching flowering portion of your tree. The resulting shapes are reminiscent of roughly shaping a very large bonsai plant. Rose of Sharon is a hearty summer shrub that tolerates whatever the weather offers.

    She originated in Asia and India was brought to the United States in 1790. A lover of full sun and most soils providing that they are not soggy or dry. An un-pruned shrub grows 8 to 12 feet high and to 6 to 10 feet wide. The Rose of Sharon is used as a shrub border and also as a standalone tree. The standalone plants like the space that border plants do not enjoy.

    If you plant it in the fall, it may look dead in spring when its neighboring plants are thriving. However this plant comes to life quite late. Its beauty makes the wait worthwhile.

    Many gardeners dislike the old rose of Sharon due to their seed pods producing weedy offspring. Newer varieties, such as the triploid and tetraploid are virtually seedless.

    Japanese beetles are highly attracted to The Rose of Sharon. You can try to prevent an infestation of Japanese beetles with the use of a product called Milky Spore. A 10 oz. box will cover 2,500 square feet. Scatter it on your lawn as instructed. The grubs are infected and thus do not mature into Japanese beetles. If you already have an infestation, you can drape a sheet under your plant and brush the beetles onto it. Remove the sheet and transfer the bugs to a pail with approximately 1 to 2 inches of soapy water. This will kill them.

    Many colors have been developed providing the perfect background colors for varied garden choices. A white, red, pink, violet and lavender-blue are available in single or double forms. The double-flowered types resemble large rose trees, with wonderful flowers. The pinks, purples and pastels work well in English gardens and the white-flowered plants are the perfect backdrop for a summer "moon garden."

    Triploids have recently been introduced and are characterized by large flowers that do not seed encouraging reproducing blooms. 'Minerva's lavender-pink flowers sport a red center. The 'Aphrodite' is rose-pink and 'Helene' has white flowers with red centers. The 'Diana' has all white flowers that stay open in the evening.

    If you choose to, prune down to 3 or 4 buds per shoot for larger blossoms. If you decide not to prune, you will have a wild plant with smaller flowers. To maintain the rose of Sharon, prune in late winter or at the beginning of spring. Mulching, pruning and de-bugging are usually all that is required to keep your plants healthy and attractive. .