Double White Rose of Sharon – A Beautiful and Low-Maintenance Flowering Shrub
The double white rose of sharon (Hibiscus syriacus ‘Double White’) is a gorgeous, low-maintenance flowering shrub that adds elegance and visual interest to gardens and landscapes With its fluffy double white blooms and easy care nature, it’s no wonder this plant has been a beloved garden classic for decades In this article, we’ll explore why double white rose of sharon is such a great choice for gardens, and provide tips for selecting, planting, and caring for this beautiful shrub.
What is Double White Rose of Sharon?
Double white rose of Sharon is a flowering shrub that loses its leaves in the fall. It is in the Hibiscus family and is also known by its common name, althea. From mid-summer to fall, it blooms a lot of big, double white flowers that look like peonies or carnations. The centers of the flowers are ruffled and fluffy, and they catch the light beautifully. Unlike some hibiscus types, this one can handle cold and does well in zones 5–9.
When the shrub is young, it naturally grows in a vase-shaped shape. As it gets older, it changes into a full, round shape. When fully grown, it can be 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. The dark green leaves make a nice background for the pretty white flowers.
Reasons to Grow Double White Rose of Sharon
There are many great reasons to consider adding double white rose of sharon to your outdoor space:
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Longer bloom time—blooms profusely from mid-summer to fall, after many other shrubs have finished. The pure white color stands out against late summer gardens.
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Versatile – Works well in beds and borders, mass plantings, containers, and can be trained into a small flowering tree. Provides vertical interest and structure.
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Attracts pollinators – The flowers draw in bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, supporting your garden’s ecosystem.
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Easy care – Extremely low-maintenance and trouble-free once established. Tolerates heat, occasional drought, humidity, and poorer soils.
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Hardiness – Withstands cold better than other hibiscus, thriving even in cooler zones 5-9.
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Beautiful grace: The dense, plentiful white flowers make the landscape look elegant and fresh. Especially striking at night when they seem to glow.
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Heirloom favorite – Has been a treasured pass-along plant for generations thanks to its beauty and reliability.
How to Grow Double White Rose of Sharon
Fortunately, double white rose of sharon is very easy to grow. Here are some tips for success:
Site Selection
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Choose a spot with full sun to partial shade. At least 6 hours of direct sun is ideal for the most prolific flowering.
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Give it space as it can grow quite large. Allow 6-10 feet between plants depending on your variety.
Planting
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Plant in spring after the last frost. Container-grown shrubs can be planted anytime during the growing season.
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Prepare a hole twice as wide and just as deep as the root ball. Set the plant at the same level it was growing in the nursery pot.
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Backfill with native soil, water thoroughly, and add 2-3 inches of mulch around the base to retain moisture.
Care
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Water regularly during the first year to establish an extensive root system. Then only as needed during drought.
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Apply a balanced, slow-release fertilizer each spring to support growth and flowering.
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Prune out any dead or damaged branches in late winter before new growth emerges. Remove older stems to rejuvenate over time.
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May self-seed around the garden. Pull out unwanted seedlings when small.
Pest or disease issues are rare, but prompt treatment of aphids, beetles, or fungal problems is recommended if they arise. Overall, siting double white rose of sharon properly and providing adequate moisture during establishment is key to growing a vigorous, floriferous specimen. Then you can enjoy its graceful beauty and resilience for years to come.
Stunning Double White Varieties to Try
If you’re looking for a double white rose of sharon to light up your garden, here are some top varieties to consider:
White Chiffon® – Very large, abundant white blooms with fluffy, ruffled centers. Nice rounded habit with graceful arching stems. An award-winner.
Double White – Fully double white flowers resembling carnations. Heirloom variety that has been popular for generations.
Sugar TipTM – Distinctive red eye in center of each double white flower. Blooms heavily late summer into fall.
Ice Follies – Opens white then fades to light pink or lavender. Semi-double. Mid to late summer flowers.
With clouds of elegant white blooms over rich green foliage, double white rose of sharon is a timeless choice for easy-care splendor in the garden. This beautiful, unfussy shrub fills gardens with grace and classic charm year after year.
More Information Description Thanks to its elegant, fully double, pure white blooms, White Chiffon® rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is one flowering shrub that will never go out of style! A member of the award-winning Chiffon® series from Proven Winners, its soft, graceful habit is covered with big white flowers all summer. The clean white blooms go with any color in your garden (or with your home!). We especially love it planted near a deck or patio where you enjoy summer evenings, as its bright, crisp blooms really shine out at night. This is a staff favorite that everyone wants for their garden once they’ve seen it in bloom.White Chiffon® is incredibly easy to grow, making it perfect for gardeners of any skill level! Find a sunny spot to plant it and watch this prolific bloomer shine and attract butterflies all season long. Details
Learn which roses of Sharon are sterile, when to fertilize them, how to grow them in containers, and everything else you need to know to grow rose of Sharon like a pro.
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Not sure how many plants will fit in your garden? Our calculator will tell you exactly how many plants you need. Area Foot Length.
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- Big, full white flowers cover the plant in summer.
- Brings butterflies and other pollinators to your garden.
- Low maintenance! Perfect for beginners and seasoned gardeners.
- Zones 5-9, sun, 12 tall x 10 wide at maturity.
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Plant spacing is based on the ultimate width of the plants. This figure is normally given as a range; for example, 3-5’. If you live somewhere cold or want plants to grow faster, space them out at the shorter end of the range. If you live somewhere warm, don’t have a lot of money, or don’t mind waiting longer for plants to touch, use the higher end of the range. Using the larger number is recommended when calculating distance from a building or structure. There’s really no such thing as “maximum spacing”: if you don’t want your plants to touch, you can space them as far apart as you’d like. All plant spacing is calculated on center, or in other words, the centers of the plants are spaced one half of their eventual width apart:
Unless you are planting in a straight line, as you might for hedges or edging, space your plants in a staggered or zig-zag pattern for a more interesting and naturalistic look:
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Top 5 Favorite Rose of Sharon Shrubs | NatureHills.com
FAQ
What is a double white rose of Sharon tree?
Double White Rose of Sharon tree is grown for its white and red flowers, which bloom from June to September. This deciduous shrub grows to 8 ft tall and 6 ft wide. Works well as a specimen or hedge. Origin: China and India.
What is the most beautiful rose of Sharon?
Blue Satin. ‘Blue Satin’® is one of the most striking of all rose of Sharon cultivars, featuring intense blue-violet flowers with deep magenta throats and yellow stamens. And as one of the rose of Sharon seedless varieties, it produces few to no viable seed pods.
What are the cons of the rose of Sharon?
Invasiveness Concerns This cheerful flower may seem delightful, but its invasive tendencies can be quite a handful! With its abundant seeds, the Rose of Sharon is known for self-seeding, often sprouting in unwanted places and competing with our beloved native plants. Yikes!.
What is the double petaled rose of Sharon?
The Double Pink Rose of Sharon tree has flowers with twice the petals. It is a prolific bloomer that offers loads of blooms for months on end! Attractive to pollinators. Butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds love this flowering dwarf tree.
What is a Double Pink Rose of Sharon tree?
The Double Pink Rose of Sharon tree is a deer, insect, and disease resistant tree with low maintenance requirements. It can also handle pollution, drought, heat, and cold, so it can grow in a wide range of soil types, even wet ones. The Double Pink Rose of Sharon tree is known as the Pink Hibiscus tree.
Are Rose of Sharon bushes Hardy?
Rose of Sharon bushes can grow in USDA zones 5–9 and can handle a lot of different conditions, such as poor soil, heat, humidity, drought, and air pollution. Flowers bloom from the middle of summer to the end of fall. They can be white, red, pink, lavender, blue, or bicolor, and they can be single or double.
What is a Rose of Sharon Bush?
Rose of Sharon Bush is a purple flowering shrub used as a hedge plant and foundation shrub. It is tolerant of a wide range of conditions, including heat, humidity, air pollution, poor soil, and drought.
What is a white pillar rose of Sharon?
A new color for this unique rose of Sharon series! White Pillar ® rose of Sharon is a sister plant to Purple Pillar ®, the plant that changed how you think about rose of Sharon. Both naturally grow as a narrow column, so it takes up just a fraction of the space that conventional roses of Sharon do.
Is Rose of Sharon drought tolerant?
Rose of Sharon is drought-tolerant once established. Fertilizing: Fertilize in early spring by applying a granular rose fertilizer according to the label. Reapply each spring. Pruning: Rose of Sharon needs little to no regular pruning. If you wish to prune, however, late winter or early spring is the best time to do so.
When does a Rose of Sharon leaf out?
Don’t worry if spring has sprung in the rest of your garden, but your Rose of Sharon still doesn’t have leaves. These shrubs are fashionably late when it comes to leafing out. Don’t expect them to begin putting out new foliage until later in spring. In some regions they don’t fully leaf out until May or even early June.