Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Lil' Kim® Rose of Sharon

A miniature Althea, this compact beauty packs a big punch of elegant charm! An impressive and rare miniature, the Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Lil' Kim® Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus 'Antong Two') is truly one-of-a-kind. Just look at those gorgeous blooms!

But this petite plant isn't just a pretty face! This little workhorse is actually quite versatile in your garden!

Admirers of the Lil' Kim® Rose of Sharon love its abundant showy, 5-petalled white blooms with their stunning, wine-red eyes. Unlike larger counterparts and their short-lived blooms, these blooms last three times as long! A dependable rebloomer, Lil' Kim® continues to produce wonderful blossoms throughout the summer and into the fall.

The lovely plant is fully covered with dark green, lance-shaped leaves and when combined with its upright growth habit and compact structure, the effect makes it the perfect fill plant for the garden, no matter the style! You'll enjoy fantastic results from this ornamental Hibiscus shrub without it requiring much work from you.

Decorate your summertime with this very special variety! It was developed by well-known world-famous Althea experts in South Korea. Did you know that the Rose of Sharon is the South Korean National Flower? You can tell at a glance the expert precision that went into its development. Related to Tropical and Hardy Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon (also known as Althea) are just as tropical looking, easy to care for, and resilient!

In the United States, Lil' Kim® was introduced by Proven Winners®. Its been field tested for years, and will deliver an outstanding performance in your yard. Plug this plant into almost any location and let it grow. You'll love how easy and low maintenance it will be. Wonderfully easy to grow in USDA growing zones 5 to 9, these compact 3-4 feet tall and wide shrubs are a small-scale gardener's dream come true!

Planting and Application:

These space-saving gems are the right size for courtyards and front foundation plantings or even for use along pathways and the driveway! Lil' Kim® is the perfect plant for a mixed shrub border or as a low-growing background plant for smaller perennials. Get ready to see bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds come out of the woodwork!

Try planting several Lil' Kim® in a group as an eye-catching, low hedge beside your driveway or along the front walk to divide your yard from the street. For a solid screen, plant 2 feet apart on center. You'll measure from the center of one to the center of the next. Try mixing and matching dwarf Lil' Kim® with her sister shrubs - Lil' Kim Red and Lil' Kim Violet for a unique and showy display!

Pop several Lil' Kim® into outdoor containers and planters to admire them as a floral specimen on porches and patios, or on balconies and sunny decks. The vivid blooms easily add curb appeal to a front entry or mark the entrance to a garden room. Or go big and use these gracefully branched plants as living walls to create the garden rooms on their own! You'll surround yourself with butterflies and flowering wallpaper!

Lil' Kim holds its own in a formal setting bounded by a low, tightly-clipped Boxwood hedge. Or, add it to a rambling Cottage Garden to entice butterflies. Lil' Kim® looks great no matter where you use it!

• Showy & Prolific White Blooms & Wine-Red Eyes
• Rounded Shrub With Deep Green Foliage
• Deep Green Folaige & Rounded Form
• Prolific Flowering Late-Spring Til Fall
• Loved by Butterflies & Hummingbirds
• Chic Accent and Specimen, Big Impact for Small Gardens
• Works Great in Containers!

#ProPlantTips for Care:

This hard-working dwarf Rose of Sharon likes well-drained soils but tolerates many different soil types. It is well adapted to both extreme heat and high humidity. Lil' Kim® will also tolerate urban environments. Select a location with full sun exposure for the best flower display. Though tolerant of periods of drought, this plant will benefit greatly from a 3 to 4-inch layer of arborist mulch spread to 3 feet outside of the canopy. This will help keep the root system cool in the summer and extend the period between watering. Make sure to water regularly in containers. Feed with organic slow-release fertilizer twice a year in the late winter and mid-summer to keep plants growing and blooming well. This will ensure a proliferation of large flowers beginning in the late spring.

For best results in a container, make sure your pot has plenty of drain holes in the bottom. Provide a good enriched and well-drained potting soil such as Dr. Earth Organic and Natural Planting Mix for the healthiest patio container plants.

For the largest flowers prune back your Lil' Kim® Althea in the late winter to 2 to 3 buds per stem. Renewal prune every 3-5 years to maintain vigor.

In some areas of the country, Hibiscus syriacus varieties are considered invasive, although Lil' Kim® produces far fewer seeds! Nature Hills uses an online service called Plant Sentry™ to alert you if there are any local regulations. Your local Agricultural Extension Service is also a valuable resource on the best plant selections for your area. To avoid any seedlings, simply deadhead your shrub lightly right after bloom to remove these seedpods. But don’t cut back your stems, or you'll risk cutting off next year's flowers!

• Full Sun
• Moderate Moisture Needs
• Appreciates Mulched Beds
• Prune Early Spring
• Tolerates Most Soils, Including Poor Soil
• Somewhat Drought Tolerant & Salt Tolerant
• Produces Very Few, to Any Viable Seeds

Enjoy this wonderful bloomer that tolerates heat and urban environments! You'll have a full summer's worth of continuing blooms when you plant the Proven Winners® Lil' Kim® Rose of Sharon Shrub in your garden this year. Order today at Nature Hills!