Althea Rose of Sharon Live Plant – Quart Pot – 10-18 inches Tall – Outdoor Shrub

Overview

Introduce breathtaking beauty to your garden with the Althea Rose of Sharon live plant. This exquisite sub-shrub, also known as Hardy Hibiscus or Hibiscus syriacus, is celebrated for its large, trumpet-shaped flowers and lush, glossy green leaves. Often grown for its tropical appeal and significant ornamental value, the Althea Rose of Sharon live plant provides captivating charm and vibrant allure to any outdoor space. It is a robust and versatile plant, making it an excellent choice for gardeners looking to add a touch of elegance and consistent blooms throughout the summer. These beautiful flowering plants are shipped in a quart pot, typically standing 10-18 inches tall, ready to be planted and admired in your landscape.

The Althea, or Rose of Sharon, is a member of the hibiscus family, known for its resilience and ability to thrive in a wide range of climates. Its stunning flowers, which come in various colors (though specific color may vary), provide a long-lasting display from summer into fall. This makes it an invaluable asset for extending the blooming season in your garden. Whether you’re a seasoned gardener or just starting, the ease of care and spectacular blooms of this Rose of Sharon shrub make it a fantastic addition.

Key Benefits

The Althea Rose of Sharon live plant offers numerous advantages for your garden and landscape, providing both aesthetic beauty and practical benefits. Its captivating presence and easy-care nature make it a highly desirable choice for many outdoor settings.

• Stunning Floral Display: Enjoy an abundance of large, trumpet-shaped flowers that bloom profusely from summer through fall, adding continuous color and visual interest to your garden when many other plants have finished flowering.
• Versatile Landscaping: This plant is incredibly versatile, perfect for creating a beautiful privacy hedge, serving as a striking specimen plant, or adding a touch of tropical elegance to mixed borders. Its upright growth habit makes it suitable for various garden designs.
• Hardy and Resilient: As a hardy hibiscus plant, it is known for its robust nature and ability to withstand a wide range of conditions, thriving in USDA Zones 5-10. This resilience ensures it will be a long-lasting and reliable feature in your garden.
• Attracts Pollinators: The vibrant flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds, butterflies, and other beneficial pollinators, enhancing the biodiversity and ecological health of your garden.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, the Althea Rose of Sharon live plant requires minimal care, making it an excellent choice for gardeners seeking high impact with less effort. It tolerates various soil conditions and is relatively drought-tolerant.
• Fast Growing: This shrub has a relatively fast growth rate, allowing you to quickly establish a hedge or fill a space in your garden, providing privacy and beauty sooner.
• Adaptable to Urban Environments: Its tolerance for different conditions, including urban pollution, makes it a great choice for city gardens and landscapes, where many other plants might struggle.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your Althea Rose of Sharon live plant is relatively straightforward, ensuring you can enjoy its beautiful blooms for many years. These plants are known for their resilience, but providing optimal conditions will encourage the most vigorous growth and abundant flowering. It’s important to understand their specific needs regarding sunlight, soil, and watering to help your ornamental garden shrub thrive.

For best results, plant your Rose of Sharon in a location that receives full sun to partial shade. Full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily) will encourage the most prolific flowering. While it can tolerate some shade, too much shade may reduce the number of blooms. This tall flowering hedge plant is adaptable to a variety of soil types but prefers well-draining soil. Avoid heavy, waterlogged soils, as this can lead to root rot. If you have clay soil, amend it with organic matter like compost to improve drainage. Once established, the Althea Rose of Sharon is fairly drought-tolerant, but regular watering is crucial during its first growing season to help it establish a strong root system. Water deeply once or twice a week, or more frequently during hot, dry periods, ensuring the soil remains consistently moist but not soggy.

The Rose of Sharon is hardy in USDA Zones 5-10, meaning it can withstand winter temperatures in most of the United States. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs. Pruning is best done in late winter or early spring before new growth appears. This helps maintain its shape, promotes bushier growth, and encourages more flowers, as it blooms on new wood. Remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches. While generally pest and disease resistant, keep an eye out for common issues like aphids or Japanese beetles, and treat with appropriate organic or chemical solutions if necessary. Proper care will ensure your hardy hibiscus plant remains a vibrant and healthy addition to your garden.

Size & Details

This offering is for one Althea Rose of Sharon live plant, shipped in a quart (QT) pot, ensuring it arrives with a healthy root system ready for planting. The height of the plant at the time of shipping will typically range from 10 to 18 inches tall. This size makes it an excellent starter plant for establishing a new garden feature or adding to an existing landscape. The plant is expected to grow into a substantial shrub, reaching mature heights of 8-12 feet and a spread of 6-10 feet, depending on the variety and growing conditions. Its relatively fast growth rate means you won’t have to wait long to see significant development.

The Althea Rose of Sharon live plant is a deciduous shrub, meaning its leaves will naturally change color and fall off in autumn, preparing for dormancy during winter. It blooms on new wood, producing its beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers from mid-summer through fall. Expect to see its first captivating blooms in the first or second year after planting, with increasingly abundant displays as the plant matures. Ensure you provide adequate space for its mature size, especially if planting multiple shrubs for a hedge effect, allowing each Rose of Sharon shrub to reach its full potential.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this Althea Rose of Sharon live plant get? A: This plant typically grows to a mature height of 8-12 feet and a spread of 6-10 feet. It is shipped in a quart pot, usually 10-18 inches tall, ready for planting and continued growth.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: Your Althea Rose of Sharon live plant will arrive in a quart-sized nursery pot, which is suitable for immediate planting in the ground or a larger container.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Althea Rose of Sharon is primarily an outdoor plant, highly valued as an ornamental garden shrub and hardy in USDA Zones 5-10. It thrives in outdoor garden settings where it can receive ample sunlight.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: This plant performs best in full sun, requiring at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day to produce the most abundant blooms. It can tolerate partial shade, but flowering may be reduced.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the Althea Rose of Sharon live plant is considered low-maintenance once established. It is a resilient and adaptable shrub, making it a good choice for both experienced and novice gardeners.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a healthy, live specimen in a quart pot, with its root system intact. As the leaves may be beginning to change color or fall depending on the season, this is a natural process for a deciduous plant.
• Q: Is it shipped in soil? A: Yes, the hardy hibiscus plant is shipped actively growing in its nursery pot with soil, ensuring its roots are protected during transit and ready for successful transplanting.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: You can typically expect your Althea Rose of Sharon live plant to start producing its beautiful trumpet-shaped flowers in its first or second year after planting, with more prolific blooming as it matures.
• Q: When is the best time to plant this tall flowering hedge? A: The best time to plant your Rose of Sharon is in spring or early fall, allowing the plant sufficient time to establish its root system before extreme summer heat or winter cold.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The Althea Rose of Sharon live plant is hardy in USDA Zones 5-10, meaning it is well-suited to survive winters in these regions. In colder zones, it may require some winter protection.
• Q: What’s the minimum temperature it can tolerate? A: This plant can generally tolerate winter temperatures down to -20°F (-28°C) in USDA Zone 5, making it a very cold-hardy option for many landscapes.