Aphrodite Rose of Sharon

Big pink and maroon bullseyes, Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love and beauty! So it's no wonder the Aphrodite Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite') embodies its namesake! Closely related to Tropical and Hardy Hibiscus, so you know it's a gorgeous flowering ornamental shrub! The 4-inch, hollyhock-like rosy-pink flowers feature deeper red eyes and a slightly ruffled appearance to the delicate petals.

Also known as Althea, your Aphrodite will not only provide you with gorgeous flowers but will provide them for a very long time each growing season! It profusely blooms from early summer and into fall much to the delight of every hummingbird, bee, and butterfly in your immediate area!

The Aphrodite Rose of Sharon is an upright, deciduous shrub, growing into a vigorous, erect, multi-stemmed plant. It's the type of show that will be impossible to miss in your yard! The diamond-shaped, dark-green, toothed foliage completes the picture, a vibrant accompaniment to the brilliant flowers. Hardy throughout USDA growing zones 5 to 9, these are highly adaptable and versatile flowering bushes!

Planting and Application:

Aphrodite is a highly versatile plant, presenting a spectacular appearance as a single, specimen planting or en masse! Any way you use Althea, they'll win you over with their easy care nature and low maintenance growth, plus a long, late-season bloom of vivid flowers! Add a single focal point as an anchor or accent to Cottage gardens and foundation plantings. Create groupings to accent your front yard berms and Pollinator gardens to attract the attention of everyone (and everything with wings) around!

Plant several Althea as a hedge along your house or outbuilding, or group a few at the edge of a perennial bed for a tall, eye-catching splash of color. The open and airy branching is light and lively, but compact enough to still give you plenty of screening, and create the "living walls" of a garden room. Add as backdrops to Perennial and Rose gardens, as property-defining hedges, and both country and tropical-looking privacy!

• Prolific Rosy Pink Blooms & Darker Maroon Red Eye
• Birds & Pollinators Love the Nectar-Rich Blooms
• Starts Blooming When Other Shrubs Are Done for the Season!
• Upright, Rounded Form & Pretty Branching Structure
• Grow it in Large Containers for a Private Balcony for Years
• Stylish Flowering Privacy Hedge, Specimen & Backdrops

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Aphrodite is rather hardy, able to tolerate poor soils and some drought. It's able to handle heat and humidity, and can even survive in some urban conditions. Rose of Sharon loves sunshine! Plant it in a spot where they will get at least six hours of sunlight a day, but Aphrodite can handle a touch of afternoon shade in warmer climates. Provide a moderate amount of water on a regular basis. Use a three-inch layer of arborist mulch over the top of the root system to keep them nice and cool.

Apply a slow-release fertilizer designed for flowering plants at the same time. Deer tend to leave it alone, but hummingbirds and butterflies are sure to flock to its dramatic appearance in your yard. Mostly seedless in cooler climates, Althea can reseed and get messy in warmer climates, but a timely deadheading to nip off those seedpods before they mature and become a nuisance.

Aphrodite is also quite versatile, being adaptable to whatever shape and size you wish to impose upon it. This pretty shrub blooms on new wood. Prune Althea in early spring to either shape or control the height. You'll have flowers later that season, no matter how tightly you trim them in spring. You can even train these shrubs into multi or single-stemmed tree forms! Renewal prune every 3-5 years to keep the shrub growing to its fullest potential.

• Full Sun
• Moderate Moisture & Enriched Well-Drained Soil
• Rugged, Cold Hardy & Heat Tolerant
• Tolerates Salt Spray
• Vigorous & Very Low Maintenance

Long-lasting, showy blooms on an ornamental shrub, you can't go wrong with the goddess-like Aphrodite Rose of Sharon for your yard. Plant one today to begin reaping the rewards of this amazing ornamental shrub with the help of Nature Hills!