Hibiscus

Hibiscus plants bring large, open flowers into the garden at a point when many earlier shrubs have already passed their peak. Hardy forms such as Hibiscus syriacus, commonly known as Rose of Sharon, develop into upright deciduous shrubs with lobed green foliage and a succession of trumpet-shaped flowers from midsummer into autumn. Depending on the variety, blooms can be white, pink, red, mauve or blue-toned, often marked by a darker eye at the centre.

A warm, sheltered position in full sun gives hardy hibiscus the best conditions to ripen its wood and flower freely in the UK. Hibiscus syriacus adapts to many soil types, including clay, loam, chalk and sand, provided the ground is well drained and does not remain waterlogged. Once established, these shrubs need relatively little intervention beyond sensible pruning and watering during prolonged dry spells. Their naturally upright habit makes Hibiscus useful in mixed borders, against a warm wall or where a later-flowering shrub is needed without taking over the planting around it.

The display develops gradually rather than arriving all at once. Fresh hibiscus flowers continue to open along the stems as summer moves towards autumn, extending colour into a later part of the season. Some cultivars stay relatively compact, while columnar and larger-growing forms can provide more height and structure, so it is worth choosing by eventual habit as well as flower colour. In suitable UK conditions, Rose of Sharon plants are hardy enough to remain outdoors year after year, becoming more established as the shrub matures.