PlantFiles: Rose of Sharon
Hibiscus syriacus 'Minerva'

I have had such success propagating these! When I prune, I can literally stick the pieces in the ground, in a pot, anywhere and they take root and thrive. I began my love of these from branches I brought back from SC on business and stuck them in pots - neglected them for a year or so and still had some to plant in the ground. They are now large specimens that bloom and attract my butterflies and hummingbirds.

I love the flowers of the rose of sharon, this plant is super hardy in zone 6 and requires little attention once established. its easily grown from clippings and roots quickly- grows quickly to! I have found it common to get blooms on second year plants that have grown to over 3' in just 2 yrs (from clipping).

Rose of Sharon do wonderfully here in Utah valley's high mountain dessert...tolerate the cold winters and love the intense sun in summer (even full southern exposures). They enjoy deep, occassional watering, but can withstand quite a bit of drought. I noted in an article that they can be affected by some type of root rot disease that is more common in alkaline soils. We tend to have alkaline clay soil, but I personally haven't noticed a problem with that. Old bushes are still thriving heartily at old houses here. If you're into trimmed hedges, they can make neat flowering hedges (try to do most pruning earlier in the season so not to ruin the late summer/fall bloom. It looks particularly atractive if you mix different types with various colors and bloom times. I personally prefer my bushes unsheared; I prune by cutting out old stems all the way down. Rose of Sharon can be trained to be very short "trees". They are a plant that is beautiful even when neglected.

The first post mentioned she is getting seedlings from her 'Minerva' bush. 'Minerva' is supposed to be one of the new USDA introductions that is a sterile triploid, meaning that it is not supposed to produce seedlings like the older varieties are well known to volunteer (as well as have a longer/earlier blooming period...I've also heard it is more compact, less leggy than the older varieties). Has anyone else had experience with their Minerva bush producing seedlings?

Does anyone know a good place to find 'Minerva' to buy? I can't find it on the site listed here. And does anyone know of any other good bluish lavendar, single flower Rose of Sharon varieties (I particularly like the ones where the flower color changes as the flower matures, so you get a mix of pinkish and bluish lavendar on the same bush)?

three yrs ago this shrub looked puny. not much foliage. so, i started pruning. this year there are so many buds and it is so dense. it sure is pretty in full bloom. not much maintenence to this shrub. its gorgeous right now. i was surprised to learn this was in the hibiscus family. i had no idea. I have hibiscus in my barrels, these are the prettiest ones I have had. they are perfect looking.
now lets go get our hands dirty.

I guess we could safely call our Minerva(s) an Heirloom Hibiscus:-) Each bush in the garden has descended from a long-gone original that was gifted to my grand parents in the early 1950s. This is among the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings. We've had the pleasure of sharing a number of them with friends...who in turn make their own cuttings...

ROSE OF SHARON HARDY HIBISCUS - MINERVA..... A very beautiful, hardy flowering shrub that begins to bloom by mid-July & goes right until the cold weather arrives in the fall. Prefers full sun, but will tolerate some shade, however the bloom may not be as profuse. No special requirements although I always amend my heavy clay soil with composted cattle manure in fall & spring. By doing this over many years, I have to dig deep to find the clay...just the way I want it & so do all the plants! Pruning of Rose of Sharon should take place in early spring (March/April) so that the flower buds aren't compromised & bloom will not be affected. Rose of Sharon flowers better if there is some air ciculation between branches, so if you have a plant that's dense, prune out a few older branches at ground level. Rose of Sharon is disease & pest free. Collect seeds from the dried up seed pods in spring, plant in garden where more Rose of Sharon is desired. These seeds sprout very easily & you may find seeds have sprouted around your shrub. These can be transplanted to other locations in your garden or potted up & given to friends after they mature a bit.