100 Species Challenge

1. Strawberry
2. Black-eyed Susan


3.  Rose of Sharon, Althea



Rose of Sharon is an easy-to-grow shrub. Unlike many flowering shrubs, it blooms in late summer. It's an old-fashioned shrub, tall, with a vase-shape. Here is a photo of a mature speciman; the ones in our yard are fairly young, closer to my height and not very wide. We see a spectacular Rose of Sharon that's probably 15 feet tall when we drive to piano lessons.

What I learned about Rose of Sharon while preparing this entry: trim in the early spring. I should know this stuff, but I never can remember whether to trim various shrubs in the fall or the spring, new growth or old growth, etc. etc. Really, though, Rose of Sharon does just fine without pruning, provided you plant it in a spot big enough for its mature growth.

What is this 100 Species Challenge? See blog entry here, or click on the label in the sidebar.