Immortality: The Rose of Sharon
One of my most challenging and
rewarding landscaping experiences was an attempt to grow Rose of Sharon plants.
I succeeded, much to my own amazement. I also recall
photographing an ant sipping rainwater from the heart of one beautiful flowers, on my Rose of Sharon shrub, shortly after a summer shower.
The Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus
syriacus) is a vase shaped plant, from the genus Hibiscus and the plant family
Malvaceae. (1)
The flowering shrub grows to
approximately two to four meters in height, with flowers that may be white,
pink, red, lavender or purple. They are edible and are excellent as cut
flowers, because they last for a long time.
Some of the more common
cultivars or cuttings that have been grown into shrubs are called Diana, Lady
Stanley, Ardens, Lucy and Blushing Bride. (2)
The Hibiscus syriacus is also
known as the Rose of Althea. (3)
In South Korea
It has been considered a heavenly flower. It was initially adopted as the national flower after
their liberation from Japan
Because of the many blossoms,
it represents the Koreans "wish for long lasting national development and
prosperity" (6)
It also depicts "the
glories of the county with its trials and tribulations". (7)
In my own personal experience,
I learned that the Rose of Sharon, more commonly called the hibiscus, will grow
where it is very hot in the summer. It was hot, where I was living in southern Ontario
I purchased my first Rose of
Sharon shrub called "Diana", from a local garden center. It had been
pruned to grow like a tree, with several small branches. It was about three feet
tall, at the time and had a single white flower. (Note that the shrubs can be
multi-stemmed, as they tend to grow small plants beside the main root.) The
leaves were a healthy, light green color. (When it is hot, they tend to burn
and may become brownish colored.)
I learned that the hibiscus
could be started from cuttings, so whenever I had a cut flower that finished
blossoming, I would leave it in the vase and let it root in the water. Once
rooted, I would plant it in its own clay flowerpot. Over time, I gave a number
of Rose of Sharon plants away, but could have planted them as a hedge.
I found out that the Rose of
Sharon grows well in full sunlight. My shrub was planted in a relatively
sheltered, landscaped area on a gentle slope, by the driveway, on the east side
of the house. Initially, I planted it deep and surrounded it with compost and
peat moss to retain its moisture. Then, I planted several small junipers around
the shrub and built a rock pathway, through the area.
The place it was planted
appeared to be difficult to landscape, as the soil seemed too dry and sandy to
grow anything. To my amazement, this proved to be an excellent location for it.
(The soil does need to be well drained to prevent fungal infections.)
It was not long before the
first blossom came out and it was gorgeous to behold. Before long, the shrub was
covered with blossoms that seemed to last forever.
I began to fertilize the Rose
of Sharon, approximately every four to six weeks and watered it regularly, but
not necessarily every day. It seemed to thrive. I soon found out that the
stamen of the flowers produces pollen that attracts bees.
The Rose of Sharon, being a
deciduous plant, normally sheds its leaves, at the end of the summer. I worried
about whether it would survive the southern Ontario
Much to my surprise, when
spring came, the leaves on the Rose of Sharon began to sprout and it was not
long before it had flowers, again. Year after year, I had a lot of enjoyment
from my Rose of Sharon shrub, as it blossomed profusely.
If asked how to grow Rose of
Sharon plants, I would highly recommend it to anyone as a flowering shrub and suggest that they follow these guidelines.
(1)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hibiscus_syriacus
(2) Ibid.
(3) Ibid.
(4) Ibid.
(5) http://www.opm.go.kr/warp/en/korea/symbols/flower.html
(6) Ibid.
(7) Ibid.
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