Hibiscus 'Helene'

Hibiscus 'Helene' is a showy, deciduous, flowering shrub offering summer interest. Blooming abundantly and continuously through summer and into fall, the plant sets large, 5-petaled, pure white single flowers that have a dark red to purple eye. Borne on slender branches, the tropical-looking flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.

A Hibiscus syriacus, commonly called rose of Sharon, Hibiscus 'Helene' is multi-stemmed shrub with a moderate growth rate of 1 to 2 feet a year and an upright, bushy, columnar habit of attractive 3-lobed, coarsely toothed foliage. Leaves are palmately veined, a unique trait, and emerge pale yellow-green and turn medium green in season but exhibit no real fall color. The plant can be trained as a small tree or espalier. It is an excellent specimen or foundation plant but also works well massed or grouped as a hedge, screen, or a back of the bed or border plant.

Remarkably easy to grow, rose of Sharon prefers full sun to part shade and fertile, organically rich, moderately moist, well-drained soil with a slightly acidic to neutral pH, but it tolerates poor soils and some drought and is pH adaptable. It loves hot summers and blooms best in 6 to 8 hours of full sun. Good air circulation is important for disease prevention and for best overall performance. It is fairly pest and disease free; deer resistant; and heat, humidity (with good air circulation), air pollution, and mildly salt tolerant. Cold hardy for hibiscus, it can over winter in temperatures as cold as 20 degrees below zero with a heavy mulch covering the root ball to insulate it.

Hibiscus 'Helene' has a naturally attractive form and only needs pruning to tidy up its shape and/or to maintain a desired size. Pruning back stems also encourages more blooms and can increase air circulation within the plant to help prevent disease, but pruning should be done sparingly, after flowering has finished. Removing up to ⅓ of the overall shrub creates a fuller bush with larger blooms. Keep in mind that these shrubs bloom directly on older wood or on shoots that come off old wood.