Looking out my kitchen window at the garden made me start to think about Rose of Sharon. I often find myself cussing this plant for a bunch of reasons. But today, as I looked out over the garden, I saw a bush loaded with flowers and providing a much needed boost to the summer landscape.
This plant is even more appealing under our more normal hot, dry conditions. It still shines, even when the grass is brown and other perennials have started to dry and shrivel.
Our Extension Master Gardeners’ demonstration gardens have long had Rose of Sharon in the beds. In fact, one of my best stories has to be pruning the variety ‘Diana’ at the Deanna Rose Children’s Farmstead. One of the reasons I have cussed this plant is because it gets big and floppy, and lacks panache. I have found that if you prune heavily, the plant will remain smaller and hold a nicer shape.
Anyway, back to the story. All the EMGs were standing around watching me tackle the overgrown ‘Diana’. They watched and nodded as I removed a branch here and there. But when I did not stop, they started to walk away. I am positive that, as I made the last cut, which pretty much reduced the plant to about a foot or two, there was gasp of horror! A couple even came up and said, “Do you think you might have removed too much?” What they really meant was, “You butchered that plant!” They must have been immediately on the phone with each other, because I later heard comments from a number of people who were not even there that day.
Well, let me tell you, I got the last laugh, as next summer the plant sent up new shoots, and by summer’s end it was over 4 feet tall, nicely shaped and loaded with the biggest pure white flowers.
Another undesirable habit of this plant, besides an unruly appearance if not pruned, is seeds. Some varieties of this plant can reseed in the garden, popping up everywhere, especially in chain link fences where it is next to impossible to remove.
Enough of the negative, let’s focus on the positive — the summer color. Many new varieties have come on the market that are more mild-mannered than the old ones our parents or grandparents planted. Breeding has reduced the height and increased the bloom size. Some of the colors are stellar, from pale pastels to vivid hues of pink, purple and yes, blue. The other nice thing about this plant is the fact it blooms on the current season’s growth. So pruning each spring will not hinder flowers. In fact, stimulating new growth will increase the floral display.
There are too many varieties to name them all, but here are a few that are commonly found on the market and cover a range of colors:
‘Aphrodite’ – single pink
‘Minerva’ – single lavender
‘Blue Satin’ – single blue
‘White Chiffon’ – single white
The cooler temperatures and rainfall have made it a great time to add a Rose of Sharon to the landscape. At this time of year, you can see which flower color draws you in the most and make your selection. And, who knows, maybe you can even take advantage of a fall sale.
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I’ll be writing more in depth about Rose of Sharon in the upcoming special GROW sections published Thursdays, starting September 17, in The Kansas City Star.