The following was received via email: Will the rose of sharon-Hibiscus grow in West central Saskatchewan?
Rose of Sharon hibiscus is hardy to zone 5, so I think not, but would be curious to here from gardeners who may be growing it north of zone 5.
Hello there. I assume we are talking hardy hibiscus. I tried a small plant one year, planted on the south side of the house foundation, mulched for winter, etc. Unfortunately though, it did not survive. I believe that was the year I also tried butterfly bush, but same story. Didn't survive even when mulched heavily. Of course it could have been "beginners bad luck" since sometimes newly planted seedlings aren't as hardy as established plants.
Hardy hibiscus might be taken to mean either Hibiscus syriacus or H. moscheutos, but Rose-of-Sharon (hibiscus) would be H. syriacus. Buddleja davidii isn't usually good too far below USDA 6, if you can relate to that.
Hi. Try growing it in a big pot, and then in winter protect plant/pot with bubble wrap and put under cover if possible, i.e., under eaves of house or under the overhang of a deck, but ensuring the pot is up against the house wall. Rose of Sharon will grow quite nicely in a pot. Trim the plant by half. Ensure that the pot doesn't dry out in winter. However, I know how cold the winters can be in Winnipeg, but do give it a try - Rose of Sharon is such a beautiful bush.
Hi there I've been growing rose of sharon successfully for the last 10 yrs i am just south of ottawa (zone4b) and can only grow them on the south and southwest sides of the house close to the foundation, a good watering prior to the winter freeze is essential also i have found that mulching works-- i also save the seed pods and start them in the house for the following year -- good luck!
Hi all! I just moved into a home with some well established plants in the yard. It took me a while to figure out the 'rose of sharon,' but low and behold, here I am in zone 2 or 3 with one in my yard. It's blooming beautifully, I might add, in Northern Minnesota. Now if I can just figure out how to move it since we will be building a deck in the location it is currently growing. Looks like this plant has been here for quite a while, it's been cut back several times over the years as it had some good size trunks in place. I love the fragrance and would hate to lose this gorgeous flowering shrub, but need some good transplanting advice. Thanks,
You know what, I may have stuck my foot in my mouth on this flower. Like I said, it took a long time to figure out what this shrub is with double white flowers. There is a strong fragrance that I recognize from either candles or perfumes or something, but can't quite figure out what it is. Since you have never noticed a fragrance, maybe you could even tell me what it is. I have some close up pics of the flowers. When I saw a pic of the double white rose of sharon....I thought this must be it. Back to the drawing boards, I guess.
Do you have a picture that shows the leaves too? That was taken on the 29th of June? That seems a bit early for Hibiscus.
See? Yet another reason that I'm not figuring out what this plant is. After a couple of very windy rainstorms, the flowers aren't as hardy as they were before and the petals are dropping to the ground. I noticed that the lady who lived here previously has plantings that bloom throughout the summer. I have 5 very large lilac bushes and some tulips that bloomed early, a wild rose, this plant that is now unidentified, another rose bush starting to bud, and two very ugly (in my eyes) overgrown bushes that are going to be removed. Once I can figure out this plant, I will post accordingly. I really appreciate anyone's input. Thanks,
Very, very likely a double flowered Mock Orange. Rose of Sharon won't start flowering until mid to late July and the flowers drop whole (there are no distinct petals). Had us excited though, ROS is often a struggle in zone 5 with even established plants expiring after a tougher than normal winter. Simon
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. This does look like my plant! Even the leaves look the same! Got to research on a few sites and learned how to care for it as well as transplant it since I love the fragrance so much. Still doesn't make any sense how my mom and I have smelled this scent before. Go figure. I knew I came to the right place...and to think I was only going to ask about transplanting this shrub....here I wasn't even on the right topic.j Thanks so much! Happy gardening!
