Blushing Bride Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Blushing Bride’)

So many flowering shrubs finished their flowering show too early in the growing season. But the Blushing Bride Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Blushing Bride’) is just getting started in mid-summer! It’s smothered in fluffy, large double flowers in a rich pink hue from summer through fall. These unabashedly romantic blossoms are four inches wide and fully double.

Enjoy an outstanding flowering display of darling pom-poms for summer color. They draw people closer to study the deep-magenta center, a tiny gem hidden among the frilly petals. Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 5 to 9 and grows to a tidy rounded ball 8-10 feet in height and 5-6 feet in width. Blushing Brides relaxing and romantic effect is only heightened by the healthy, dark green foliage. It makes a perfect foil for the lush, large blooms with their wide petals and sophisticated color.

Blushing Bride shrub is so easy to grow and does well in heat, drought, and even urban conditions. You can cut armloads for cut flowers, or simply float a bloom or two in a shallow dish of water for an elegant tablescape! Hummingbirds will zip over to your yard and swarms of bees and butterflies will flock to these pollen and nectar-rich flowers! Also known as Althea, Rose of Sharon are lovely modern varieties of the native Rose Mallow and are in the Hardy Hibiscus family.

Planting and Application:

With an upright form, neat and rounded Blushing Bride shrubs are a prime candidate for hedge or border plantings. It would also make a striking accent or showy specimen in your front yard to delight friends and neighbors. Partner these useful shrubs with other pastel perennials and shrubs to amplify the impact. Althea shrubs are serene backdrops to both Roses, Cottage borders, and a mixed shrub hedge full of other cool-toned blooms!

A single one becomes a magnificent specimen plant. Several planted together look amazing at the back of the border or along your fence line. Add Blushing Bride on the sunny side of evergreens to soften their look. Or, count on their densely held branches to give you privacy, even during the winter months. This variety could be the perfect choice for screening all along the outside of your pool deck.

Lavish flowering hedges will pump up your privacy, and create “living walls” of a garden room. A single one becomes a magnificent accent plant. Blushing Bride Rose of Sharon is an outstanding flowering shrub for your yard. It’s not only hardy, easy to care for, and flowers profusely, but it becomes a nectar-rich boon to local pollinators.

• Excellent Frilly & Double Pink Summertime Blooms
• Plenty of Flower Power All Summer to Fall
• Attractive Notched Green Leaves
• Butterflies, Bees & Hummingbirds Love Them
• Plenty of Upright Slender Branches
• “Friendly Fence” Gives Privacy, Screening, Specimens & Focal Points

Tips for Care:

Blushing Bride Althea is easy to grow and has no serious insect or disease problems. It is adaptable to a wide range of soil conditions and tolerant of full sun all day but also handles partial shade! Rose of Sharon does need well-drained soil but is not particular on the type and even doing well in poor soils. Give them a regular schedule of medium water, especially when they are young plants. Apply a slow-release fertilizer designed for flowering plants at the same time. Follow application rates on the label.

Add a thick layer of arborist mulch in containers and in-ground plants alike. You’ll cut down on surface evaporation with this useful garden must-have, plus provide much-needed insulation from heat and cold.

Rose of Sharon have no significant insect or disease issues, is heat and humidity tolerant, and is relatively hardy overall. Deadhead your shrub after flowers fade to remove seedheads before they mature to prevent self-seeding. These blossoms are large, but you can make them even larger by hard pruning in spring. Renewal prune every 3-5 years to maintain vigor.

• Full Sun
• Moderate Moisture & Enriched Well-Drained Soil
• Rugged, Cold Hardy & Heat Tolerant
• Tolerates Salt Spray & Deer Don’t Prefer The Taste
• Vigorous & Very Low Maintenance
• Easy Care & Urban Pollution Tolerant