Rose of Sharon...

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
The first blooms have opened and Mary Knobbins went slightly insane...
100_8098.JPG
she loves ros...
Look at her smile when she saw them
100_8110.JPG
first one was 3 freakin bites...1
100_8099.JPG
2...
100_8108.JPG
3...
100_8109.JPG
done and yum...
100_8114.JPG
Grape leafs are in now also...free food that is good for them...
 

Warren

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 24, 2019
Messages
1,723
Location (City and/or State)
Balto. MD
Sammy is also enjoying the Rose of Sharon flowers, leaves, and Mulberry leaves. Also have a few perennial Hibiscus plants starting to flower. The red Hibiscus flowers get as large as dinner plates.
 

Attachments

  • 20210624_113535.jpg
    20210624_113535.jpg
    2 MB · Views: 30
  • 20210706_154049.jpg
    20210706_154049.jpg
    2.8 MB · Views: 28
  • 20210706_154038.jpg
    20210706_154038.jpg
    2 MB · Views: 28

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Sammy is also enjoying the Rose of Sharon flowers, leaves, and Mulberry leaves. Also have a few perennial Hibiscus plants starting to flower. The red Hibiscus flowers get as large as dinner plates.
You grow hibiscus in Maryland? Dosen't it snow there? I was told years ago when I first moved from California to Oregon that I would have to grow Rose of Sharon because Hibiscus won't live in the snow and freezing...? AND I also can't grow Mulberry trees for the same reason? Am I missing out on those? Heeeeelppppp me
 

turtlesteve

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Sep 23, 2012
Messages
711
Maggie, you can grow hardy (perennial) hibiscus and white mulberry where you live. So go for it.

There are a lot of different hibiscus species and they are categorized into "groups" based on genetic similarity. The tropical species (which generally hybridize with each other) comprise one group, based around Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. These are the ones sold as shrubs in California and houseplants elsewhere, and can actually grow into trees, but they don't survive freezing. Extensive hybridization has created a huge range of colors.

There are, however, several other genetic groups of hibiscus. There are several that are not widely cultivated but a couple of them are:

H. moscheutos (and relatives) - There is a decently large group of hibiscus species native to north america that are perennials and die back to the ground every year. These can be hybridized with each other, but not with other genetic groups. Recently these hybrids have gotten much better and the flowers are almost an exact match for the "tropical" hibiscus, appearance wise, except that nobody has gotten a stable yellow pigment (e.g. they're available in all colors except yellow and orange). The plants are a bit different though, instead of woody branches, the stems stay green and they die back to the ground every winter. But many can grow in cold climates, even up into the midwest and northeast.

Rose of sharon (H. syriacus) - This species (along with two? others) are somewhat genetically isolated and don't like to hybridize. Rose of sharon is non-tropical and is a deciduous small tree. The lack of hybrids means there are very few color selections available - white, pink, and purple - and the flowers are generally smaller.

Steve
 

Maggie3fan

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Messages
8,046
Location (City and/or State)
PacificNorthWest
Maggie, you can grow hardy (perennial) hibiscus and white mulberry where you live. So go for it.

There are a lot of different hibiscus species and they are categorized into "groups" based on genetic similarity. The tropical species (which generally hybridize with each other) comprise one group, based around Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. These are the ones sold as shrubs in California and houseplants elsewhere, and can actually grow into trees, but they don't survive freezing. Extensive hybridization has created a huge range of colors.

There are, however, several other genetic groups of hibiscus. There are several that are not widely cultivated but a couple of them are:

H. moscheutos (and relatives) - There is a decently large group of hibiscus species native to north america that are perennials and die back to the ground every year. These can be hybridized with each other, but not with other genetic groups. Recently these hybrids have gotten much better and the flowers are almost an exact match for the "tropical" hibiscus, appearance wise, except that nobody has gotten a stable yellow pigment (e.g. they're available in all colors except yellow and orange). The plants are a bit different though, instead of woody branches, the stems stay green and they die back to the ground every winter. But many can grow in cold climates, even up into the midwest and northeast.

Rose of sharon (H. syriacus) - This species (along with two? others) are somewhat genetically isolated and don't like to hybridize. Rose of sharon is non-tropical and is a deciduous small tree. The lack of hybrids means there are very few color selections available - white, pink, and purple - and the flowers are generally smaller.

Steve
Thanks...I really want to try Mulberry trees.
 

wellington

Well-Known Member
Moderator
10 Year Member!
Tortoise Club
Joined
Sep 6, 2011
Messages
49,660
Location (City and/or State)
Chicago, Illinois, USA
You grow hibiscus in Maryland? Dosen't it snow there? I was told years ago when I first moved from California to Oregon that I would have to grow Rose of Sharon because Hibiscus won't live in the snow and freezing...? AND I also can't grow Mulberry trees for the same reason? Am I missing out on those? Heeeeelppppp me
I have hibiscus and mulberry here in Chicago. My mulberry are fruitless kind and my hibiscus is cold hardy. My hibiscus takes longer then yours to get flowers because it dies down each winter, but comes back every summer. The flowers should be out towards end of July/August.
Fruited mulberry will also grow in Illinois zone 5 and 6 and Michigan zone 4
 

Moozillion

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Apr 26, 2012
Messages
10,744
Location (City and/or State)
Louisiana, USA

Warren

Well-Known Member
Tortoise Club
5 Year Member
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 24, 2019
Messages
1,723
Location (City and/or State)
Balto. MD
You grow hibiscus in Maryland? Dosen't it snow there? I was told years ago when I first moved from California to Oregon that I would have to grow Rose of Sharon because Hibiscus won't live in the snow and freezing...? AND I also can't grow Mulberry trees for the same reason? Am I missing out on those? Heeeeelppppp me
Hello Maggie, sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. I thought there were only Tropical Hibiscus plants that could only grow in warm weather, had one and always brought it in doing winter. Found some perennial Hibiscus plant at an Amish market in Southern Maryland, I cut then down to the ground in the fall and they come back in the spring. I have 3 different perennial Hibiscus plants. Here are a couple of pictures, first one was in April the second one I took this morning. I didn't know Rose of Sharon was an Hibiscus plant until I started reading this Forum. I also have 5 different Rose of Sharon plants.
 

Attachments

  • 20210424_135022.jpg
    20210424_135022.jpg
    2.3 MB · Views: 19
  • 20210707_122420.jpg
    20210707_122420.jpg
    3.3 MB · Views: 19

Dandelion_@_

Member
Joined
Nov 8, 2019
Messages
40
Location (City and/or State)
New Hampshire
You grow hibiscus in Maryland? Dosen't it snow there? I was told years ago when I first moved from California to Oregon that I would have to grow Rose of Sharon because Hibiscus won't live in the snow and freezing...? AND I also can't grow Mulberry trees for the same reason? Am I missing out on those? Heeeeelppppp me
Many varieties of hibiscus and at least one variety of mulberry do super well in snow cold New Hampshire. I'm grateful my neighbors grow 'em
 
Top