Althea The Rose of Sharon

The Althea or Rose of Sharon is really Hibiscus syriacus which you can easily guess by looking at the frilly stigma. The stigma is connected to the ovary and carries the pollen down to the ovary to start the seed formation. It looks like an okra flower and announces its kindship by this similarity.  The rose of sharon referred to in the Song of Solomon probably refers to a crocus which of course is not remotely related to hibiscus. The hebrew word for crocus somehow morphed into Rose of Sharon.

My Altheas ( I can't keep myself from using the name my mother and grandmother used) usually are at the height of their beauty in august, but flowering for about 2 months. The bushes can form low trees here in SE Alabama and cardinals seem to find them attractive nest sites. I have had nests in mine several times.
They root easily and that's how I got the plant pictured above. They also reseed readily and  like a lot of other reseeding plants, care should be taken to leave only the ones you want, else you may be growing a thicket of Altheas in a few years. A mature althea is quite large, maybe 20 feet tall and 8-10 feet wide, so they require pruning to keep them in bounds.
I enjoy their old fashioned beauty and would not want to be without mine. There are a number of different colors and color combinations as well as single and double flowers. Just take your pick.

Althea, The Rose of Sharon

 

This is the common Althea, the one sometimes called Rose of Sharon, and is a plant that can take care of itself. This single lavender with a red eye is commonly found at old home sites. In fact, that is where I got mine-it was here when we decided to build in this location, which was an old home site. The proper name of Althea is Hybiscus syriacus and it is a member of the cotton family as you can tell by a glance at the flower. Some posts on the internet indicate that it is an invasive weed for them, but I have never known this to be a problem wherever I have lived in the southeast. An occasional seedling may appear, but I am talking about one in 25 years. That is not what I call invasive. This plant typically starts blooming about high summer and continues through August. It does require some pruning to keep it in a manageable size, or not if you want the world's biggest bush.I have never tried to make a tree out of it and have never seen a tree Althea, but it might be possible to develop one with diligent pruning.
Right now the one I have has become so large that it is shading my Ramona clematis to the point where it has greatly reduced blooming. I am going to whack-a-roo soon. But I have no fear for the life of the Althea. It will spring back.
There are numbers of different colors and forms. I have a double light pink that I rooted from my mother's bush, and to me it looks like a paper carnation. There are doubles, singles,semi doubles, lavenders, pinks, purples,whites and all kinds. It is hard to beat for a carefree summer blooming shrub.
Oh yes. Cardinals like to make nests in them. Look for a nest about 3 feet off the ground.the closeness of the branches make an ideal platform for a nest. Unfortunately for redbirds, their nesting sites invite cat attacks.
Althea blooms at Hugo's birthday in early August. The first cake I ever made for him I decorated with these flowers, and I suppose necessity, the Mother of Invention made a special place for this shrub in my heart.