Hibiscus syriacus Pink Giant - Rose of Sharon

Hibiscus Pink Giant is a particularly vigorous and floriferous variety of Althaea, which will make a real impact in the garden without requiring much care in return. This tall and healthy bush tirelessly produces large flowers that are visible from a distance, with a bright pink colour, stained with dark red at the base, for almost 3 months, until late summer. This hibiscus with a bushy habit, branching from the base, is solid and accommodating, easy to combine in a flowering hedge or mass planting. Give it a sunny exposure and an ordinary soil, even limestone, but not too dry in summer in order to encourage flowering.

Hibiscus syriacus, sometimes called Syrian ketmia, is a very hardy shrub, deciduous in colder climates but with persistent foliage in hot climates. It belongs to the mallow family, just like hollyhocks and marshmallows. It is native to temperate regions of Asia (China, India), and has given rise to many cultivars including 'Pink Giant', selected in 1970 by Minier Nurseries.

'Pink Giant' is characterised by vigorous, healthy, dense and bushy growth, and abundant, extended, brightly coloured flowering. This variety quickly forms a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall and 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) wide bush, with an erect habit, supported by an upright but well-branched structure from the base. It generally blooms from the second half of July and for a long time if the weather remains mild. Its short-lived flowers, which fade in 24 hours, continuously renew themselves until October. They are simple, 8 cm (3.1 in) wide, and composed of true pink petals, stained with dark purple at the base, arranged around a pure white central column, composed of stamens and pistil. Its foliage is very healthy, bright green, slightly shiny, and turns yellow in autumn before falling. The leaves are alternate, simple, heart-shaped and lobed; their edge is dentate and undulate.

The 'Pink Giant' Althaea appreciates bright, warm exposures. This hibiscus requires no maintenance and grows slowly but steadily in the first few years. Plant it sheltered from strong winds, in soil that remains slightly moist until the end of summer. This highly ornamental variety can be used in a medium-sized free hedge, in combination with other hibiscus of different colours, botanical roses, mock oranges,  lilacs and butterfly bushes that will provide the fragrance it lacks. It can also be planted as a standalone specimen or at the back of a perennial bed composed of daylilies, asters or shrubby salvias, for example.