Common Hibiscus

Hibiscus syriacus

L. Species

Hibiscus syriacus
Lauu via iNaturalist — CC BY 4.0
Hibiscus syriacus photograph 1 Hibiscus syriacus photograph 2 Hibiscus syriacus photograph 3 Hibiscus syriacus photograph 4 Hibiscus syriacus photograph 5 Hibiscus syriacus photograph 6
Botanical name
Hibiscus syriacus
Also known as
Althea, Common Hibiscus, Korean Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon, Rose-of-Sharon, Shrub Althea, Shrub-Althaea, Syrian Hibiscus, Syrian Ketmia
Family
Malvaceae
Genus
Hibiscus
Flowering period
August to September
Height
2–3 m
Spread
150–200 cm
Hardiness
Fully hardy (RHS H5)
Reference
World Flora Online

How to grow Common Hibiscus

Written by the GardenDecoded editorial team Last reviewed 21 July 2026 Written for UK gardens How we research our guidance

Sunlight
Full sun
Watering
Moderate; water well in dry spells while flower buds are forming
Soil
Fertile, well-drained
Soil pH
Neutral to slightly alkaline

Planting

Give it the warmest, sunniest spot you have — against a south or west wall is ideal. In a cool or shaded position it will grow but flower sparsely, and in a bad summer may barely open at all.

Pruning

Prune in early spring, cutting the previous year's shoots back to two or three buds. It flowers on the current season's growth, so spring pruning does not cost you blooms.

Propagation

Semi-ripe cuttings in summer under cover. Named forms will not come true from seed.

Pests and diseases

Aphids cluster on soft new shoots. Sudden leaf yellowing and drop is more often waterlogging or drought stress than disease.

Value to wildlife

Bees work the open flowers readily, and the large single-flowered forms are more use to them than the doubles.

Notes

It comes into leaf very late — often not until May. Do not write off a bare plant in April and dig it up; scratch the bark and check for green first.

This guidance was researched and written by GardenDecoded — see our editorial policy for how guides are checked and reviewed.

Other names for this plant

These names have all been used for Hibiscus syriacus but are no longer the accepted name. You may still meet them on old labels, in books, or in nursery catalogues.

Althaea frutex Hibiscus acerifolius Hibiscus arborescens Hibiscus chinensis Hibiscus floridus Hibiscus rhombifolius Hibiscus syriacus var. alboplenus Hibiscus syriacus var. albus Hibiscus syriacus var. amplissimus Hibiscus syriacus var. brevibracteatus Hibiscus syriacus var. chinensis Hibiscus syriacus var. elegantissimus Hibiscus syriacus var. grandiflorus Hibiscus syriacus var. longibracteatus Hibiscus syriacus var. marginatus Hibiscus syriacus var. micranthus Hibiscus syriacus var. paeoniiflorus Hibiscus syriacus var. purpureoplenus Hibiscus syriacus var. purpureus Hibiscus syriacus var. ruber Hibiscus syriacus var. sinensis Hibiscus syriacus var. syriacus Hibiscus syriacus var. totoalbus Hibiscus syriacus var. variegatus Hibiscus syriacus var. violaceus Ketmia arborea Ketmia syriaca Ketmia syrorum

Others in Hibiscus

Hibiscus × sabei
Hibiscus acapulcensis
Hibiscus acetosella
False Roselle
Hibiscus acicularis
Hibiscus aculeatus
Hibiscus adscensionis
Hibiscus aethiopicus
Hibiscus aethiopicus var. aethiopicus

GardenDecoded is an educational gardening reference. Botanical data comes from World Flora Online and GBIF; growing guidance is our own. Always check a plant's toxicity and local invasiveness status before planting, and never eat or apply a plant based on this site alone.