Overview

Introduce a touch of elegance and vibrant color to your garden with the Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant. This exquisite flowering shrub, scientifically known as Hibiscus syriacus ‘Minerva’, is a highly sought-after variety of Althea, celebrated for its large, showy, lavender-pink flowers with a striking red eye. Originating from south-central and southeast China, the Rose of Sharon has become a beloved ornamental plant worldwide, known for its resilience and stunning late-season blooms. This particular offering provides a healthy 1-2 ft tall plant in a convenient quart container, making it easy to establish in your landscape. Perfect for creating hedges, adding a focal point, or enhancing mixed borders, the Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant promises a spectacular display of color when many other plants have finished blooming.

Also commonly referred to as Syrian Ketmia, Shrub Althea, or simply Althea, the Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant is a deciduous shrub that offers beauty throughout the growing season. Its upright, vase-shaped growth habit makes it an excellent choice for various garden designs. The plant is robust and adaptable, thriving across a wide range of conditions, making Rose of Sharon care relatively straightforward for both novice and experienced gardeners. Enjoy the continuous flush of blooms from summer into fall, attracting pollinators and adding a cheerful ambiance to your outdoor living spaces.

Key Benefits

The Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant offers numerous advantages for any garden, combining aesthetic appeal with environmental benefits. Its hardiness and long blooming season make it a valuable addition to diverse landscapes.

• Spectacular Late-Season Blooms: Enjoy a profusion of large, lavender-pink flowers with a deep red center from mid-summer through fall. These blooms provide essential color when many other plants are fading, extending your garden’s visual interest.
• Attracts Pollinators: The vibrant flowers are a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, contributing to the biodiversity and health of your garden ecosystem. This makes the Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant a great choice for pollinator gardens.
• Low Maintenance & Drought Tolerant: Once established, this flowering shrub outdoor plant requires minimal care. It is quite tolerant of drought conditions, making it suitable for water-wise gardening and busy homeowners.
• Versatile Landscape Use: Its upright growth habit and attractive foliage make it ideal for use as a specimen plant, in mixed borders, as an informal hedge, or even in large containers. The Hibiscus syriacus Minerva adapts well to various garden styles.
• Hardy & Resilient: Thriving in USDA Zones 6-9, this shrub is cold-hardy and generally resistant to pests and diseases, ensuring a healthy and long-lasting addition to your landscape.
• Deer Resistant: While no plant is entirely deer-proof, the Rose of Sharon is less palatable to deer compared to many other garden plants, offering some protection from browsing.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Proper Rose of Sharon care is essential for ensuring your plant thrives and produces abundant blooms. This hardy shrub is relatively easy to grow, but understanding its specific needs will help it reach its full potential. The Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant prefers a location with full sun to partial shade, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day for optimal flowering. While it can tolerate some shade, too much will result in fewer blooms. Ensure good air circulation around the plant to prevent fungal issues.

When it comes to watering, young plants require consistent moisture to establish a strong root system. Water deeply 2-3 times a week during dry periods for the first growing season. Once established, the flowering shrub outdoor is quite drought-tolerant and can withstand periods of dryness, though regular watering during prolonged dry spells will encourage better flowering. The ideal soil type is well-draining, fertile loam, but it will tolerate a variety of soil conditions, including clay or sandy soils, as long as drainage is adequate. Avoid overly wet conditions, which can lead to root rot. For best results, amend heavy clay soils with organic matter to improve drainage and aeration.

The Althea plant for sale benefits from annual fertilization in early spring with a balanced, slow-release granular fertilizer formulated for flowering shrubs. Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring before new growth begins. You can prune to maintain shape, control size, or remove any dead, damaged, or crossing branches. Rose of Sharon blooms on new wood, so pruning in early spring will not jeopardize the summer’s flowers. Pests are generally not a major concern, but watch out for aphids or whiteflies, which can be managed with insecticidal soap if necessary. With proper Rose of Sharon care, your Hibiscus syriacus Minerva will be a showstopper for years to come.

Size & Details

This offering includes one healthy Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant, typically shipped 1-2 ft tall, measured from the top of the quart container. The plant is grown in a standard quart-sized nursery pot, providing a well-developed root system ready for transplanting. When mature, the flowering shrub outdoor can reach a height of 8-12 feet and a spread of 6-10 feet, making it a substantial addition to any landscape. It exhibits a moderate to fast growth rate, quickly establishing itself in your garden.

The plant is a deciduous shrub, meaning it will lose its leaves in the fall and enter dormancy over winter, re-emerging with fresh foliage in the spring. Expect the first blooms to appear in its initial year, with increasingly prolific flowering as the plant matures. It ships as a potted plant, ensuring minimal transplant shock upon arrival. This Althea plant for sale is ready to be planted in your garden as soon as conditions allow, typically thriving when planted in spring or early fall.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant typically reaches a mature height of 8-12 feet and a spread of 6-10 feet, making it a medium to large flowering shrub.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: This plant is shipped in a quart-sized nursery container. You will receive a plant that is 1-2 ft tall from the top of the pot.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: The Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant is an outdoor flowering shrub, hardy in USDA Zones 6-9. It is not suitable for long-term indoor cultivation.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For the best flowering performance, this flowering shrub outdoor plant requires full sun, meaning at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. It can tolerate partial shade but may produce fewer blooms.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, Rose of Sharon care is generally considered easy. It’s a hardy and adaptable shrub, suitable for gardeners of all experience levels, making the Althea plant for sale a great choice.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your plant will arrive as a live, potted plant in a quart container, with a healthy root system and foliage, ready for planting.
• Q: How long until it blooms? A: The Hibiscus syriacus Minerva typically begins blooming in its first year, with more abundant flowers appearing as the plant matures. Blooms generally appear from mid-summer through fall.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: The best time to plant your Minerva Rose of Sharon live plant is in the spring after the last frost, or in early fall, allowing it time to establish before winter.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: This specific variety is hardy in USDA Zones 6-9, meaning it will tolerate winter temperatures within these zones. If you are outside these zones, winter protection may be needed.
• Q: Is the Rose of Sharon deer resistant? A: While no plant is completely deer-proof, Rose of Sharon is generally considered to be deer resistant, making it a good option in areas with deer pressure.