JMC- Blue satin is the most beautiful true blue ROS flower I have ever seen. The foilage is darker green than Lavender Chiffon, looks tropical, and it grows a little faster also. It is a single, sterile flower. I loved it sooo much I also ordered a Violet satin and the flowers on that were incredible! Brandon, I bought both of them through a licensed nursery that always sells on Ebay. THey are a nursery though, and sell proven winners of soooo many plants. They were both healthy and I didn't pay over 9.99 for them. They grew quite nicely also. Do a search on Ebay under Rose of Sharon Blue satin and you will find them. They are propular. GOod Luck!

Amazing the things you learn on the perennials forum!!! I don't think I ever thought of the literal meaning of that term. Lovely photo!! Well thank you everyone for your input. I guess I will keep them and mulch them well overwinter. Plantmaven, what a beautiful shot. I have seen these shrubs in Toronto, but have never seen one this beautiful - perhaps yours is a double bloom. Thanks for the suggestion of bringing one plant indoors, but I don't have room and I have been trying to avoid bringing anything in that grows because I always get an infestation of something on my houseplants. What I may do is pot one up and sink it in the ground overwinter. That may give it better protection. It's already getting cold up here so lots to do in the next week or two. Thanks again. Northerner.

Hi everybody, Rose of Sharon or Hibiscus Syriacus have got to be the plant who is the very last to send out leaves. You simply must be patient even if it seems dead and it's June. It's just that late. It's a hibiscus after all and why should it send out leaves until it's darned sure there won't be any more frosts or cool weather to harm those beautiful flowers. I've even grown one here in Canada's zone 5. It was a Blue Bird and out of zone. It took several attempts and several sites. It did really well up until last year at over 6 feet it finally died. It had blooms beginning early August. We've been growing them at my parents home near Brantford for about 30 years. The trick to having them bloom early is to let them grow. The older the plant the longer the bloom season and the earlier they start. I currently have a few babies from southern ontario that came from my brother's house. They survived one winter in the back yard, but I really ought to bring them to the south side of the house where the last one did so well. Sorry, I can't remember how many years before you get the height. As I recall, one year they just suddenly take off. It would depend on your zone, but I'd say give it 3 years or so. Mary

the flower from rose of sharon is beautiful but my neighbor Monique is lazy and does not dead head hers, it spreads everywhere even her own lawn has about 900 seedlings in that area,and they do not care. They are inconsiderate. I had to pull 275 shoots from my grass and now they planted them along the fenceline...I'm sure i will have at least 700 to pull next season. Nothing you spray on them make them die..The seedpods are still there from last year and they dont trim them either. They also have a birch tree that spews seed pods for months clogging my pool, gutters, and branches fall continuously all season long from those trees.I have pulled tons of seedling trees from that as well in my landscape, very invasive! If it was the other way around she would be going ballistic! May the wind blow their way and have them have to clean up after their own problems. Plenty of other plants to plant but they are wealthy and very very cheap.