As the color of spring and early summer begins to fade and the greenery looses its luster, Hibiscus syriacus, commonly known as Rose of Sharon, begins to bloom, adorning the suburban landscape through early autumn. Late to leaf out in the spring, this Asian shrub produces large, showy flowers after most cultivated plants have already gone to seed.
Favoring full sun or partial shade, this plant is drought tolerant and thrives in the dry, sunny climate of the Front Range; we have multiple cultivars on our Littleton farm, with flower colors ranging from white to pink to light blue. Beyond providing a colorful display, the flowers of Hibiscus syriacus attract hummingbirds, butterflies and other insects, and are thus especially appealing to the backyard naturalist.
Seed pods, which overwinter on this shrub, contain numerous, fuzzy seeds that, in moist, warm, climates, can be a nuisance, yielding a forest of seedlings each year; this is less of a problem in more northern or semiarid regions, where the seeds are more likely to be consumed by wildlife than to germinate. Of course, for those of us who prefer wild borders to manicured fencelines, natural proliferation is never a concern.
