Rose of Sharon – Hibiscus syriacus

Let your light shine by Lady-bug

A woman by the name of Cindy wrote to TheGardenLady asking her to identify a shrub by giving the barest description.  Do my readers remember the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words”?  I requested that TheGardenLady’s webmaster write back to Cindy requesting a photo. The second TheGardenLady saw the photo, she was able to identify the shrub; whereas, as good as the description had been, it did not produce instant recognition.

Now not all plants are as easy to ID as Cindy’s photo. ThisGardenLady spends hours with friends trying to identify weeds. This is something we like to do as fun. And believe me, we are not always successful even when we have the plant in our hands. And we would never be able to identify 99% of the weeds with just a description.

So if you want a plant identified, send a good clear photo of the flower and another of the leaf and a good photo the entire plant would help as well as some information as to where you live.  And if the plant is an indoor plant for your area, let TheGardenLady know that as well. The more information available the more readily someone can solve any problem. This holds true if you are solving a mystery or taking a problematic plant to your Master Gardener office.

The common name in America for Cindy’s mystery plant is the Rose of Sharon or it has Althea in its name. Its Latin name is Hibiscus syriacus. It is a shrub native to Asia and is the national and beloved flower of the South Koreans.

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