Due to the winter weather, orders from these states will ship in the spring, April to May: CA, CO, IA, ID, KS, ME, MI, MN, MT, ND, NE, NH, NV, OR, SD, UT, VT, WA, WI, WY. And due to the extreme cold and wind which we experienced through the Christmas holidays of December 2022, many Osmanthus varieties won't be shipped until we are assured there is no cold damage. This may be as late as April or May, 2023. We may choose to delay shipping other plants as well.

Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite'
Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite'
Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite'

Hibiscus syriacus 'Aphrodite'

Regular price $18.00 Sale

Aphrodite Althea or Rose of Sharon. Altheas have been a popular old standby shrub for years, but newer selections are bred for sterility to prevent the unsightly seed pods which might otherwise line its stems. And since energy is not put into producing seed, one gets far more flowers. This selection was bred by the U. S. National Arboretum and is a triploid, meaning that it has three times the number of chromosomes that a normal Althea has which renders it almost completely sterile. This cultivar produces large deep pink flowers with a crimson throat and will flower from June until fall. Another interesting aspect of the plants name, Hibiscus syriacus, is that when Carl Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, named this species, he thought that its origin was Syria, hence the specific name "syriacus." But it is really from Korea, where it is the national flower of South Korea. So since the oldest name stands, we are stuck with an improper name.