Purple Pillar^® Rose of Sharon Hibiscus syriacus

I grew one in the ground and one in a big pot here in Tucson (zone9). The one in the ground failed but didn't get enough water. The plant in the pot has been growing now several years and looks great, although it needs to be tied to a post on the patio. Already budding out here in early March.. Rich in flowers most all summer.

While the plant itself is beautiful, the width is wrong for areas that receive decent rainfall (like West Virginia). I have 2 of these and they are both 12-14 foot wide. They also see like crazy in the garden beds and grass surrounding them.

Great privacy hedge option with statement flowers! The plants arrived in great condition and once I got them in the ground they grew like crazy! One I have is probably close to 9 feet. I think I missed the boat on pruning in early spring because the tallest one has some trouble with wind in big storms but I'll make sure to stay on top of pruning next year in hopes that it strengthens the stems a little bit more and less susceptible to toppling. Would definitely recommend!

I am growing 2 of these in zone 7a here in central Maryland. Mine do not bud up until July, and do not bloom until August. Currently, both of mine are about 10-11 feet tall. These are beautiful as long as you do not get any winds or heavy rains. The first bad storm we got here blew a 30mph gust that made them bend sideways. Ever since, I have not been able to get them to stand up straight. They are not broken, just bent. I have reinforced the base with stakes but that doesn't matter when you have limbs that are 11 feet tall and being weighed down by buds, flowers, and water. Currently, they are in a "rainbow" shape where the limbs are so top heavy they are almost touching the ground. I suspect I will either need to rip these out or prune them to stay below 8 feet as we get nor'easters here frequently during summer that will continue to dump rain and winds on them.

Two years ago I planted an 8 plant hedge of Purple Pillar. I planted all in the same manner,, .and did as good a job planting as a gardener with 50+ years experience could do. The plants flourished and had grown to six feet high at the end of last season. I very much enjoyed the blooms and appreciated the very vertical form. Unfortunately, 4 of the 8 shrubs died back completely to the ground during the past winter. They are coming back from the roots now, but it's very disappointing for a shrub that is supposed the be hardy in Zone 5. (I am in Indianapolis, which was reclassified as Zone 6 a few years ago). We did not have a particularly bad winter. So now I have a very varied-height planting and have lost several years of growth. I'm going to continue trying this plant, but I'm not sure I can recommend it at this point.