Plant: Double Blue - Althea
Althea · Hibiscus syriacus 'Double Blue'
Size: 3 gal
Light
Bloom
Mature size
More about this plant
A rapidly growing, large deciduous shrub or small tree native to south China and Taiwan, upright and multi stemmed and reaching roughly 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. Alternate, three lobed, coarsely toothed green leaves 2 to 4 inches long turn gold and yellow in fall, and flowers 2 to 4 inches across with five crepe like petals open through the hottest months, each bloom lasting a single day. Brown five valved capsules follow and persist through winter. It grows in full sun to partial shade, is pH adaptable and tolerant of neglect, heat, salt and wet soil, and draws butterflies, hummingbirds and specialized bees. NCSU records it as non toxic to cats, dogs and horses, but also as weedy and invasive in some states.
- Full Sun
- Grows to 12 ft tall and 10 ft wide
- Blooms in spring, summer
- Hardy in USDA zones 5-9
- Deciduous foliage
Plant description
A rapidly growing, large deciduous shrub or small tree native to south China and Taiwan, upright and multi stemmed and reaching roughly 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. Alternate, three lobed, coarsely toothed green leaves 2 to 4 inches long turn gold and yellow in fall, and flowers 2 to 4 inches across with five crepe like petals open through the hottest months, each bloom lasting a single day. Brown five valved capsules follow and persist through winter. It grows in full sun to partial shade, is pH adaptable and tolerant of neglect, heat, salt and wet soil, and draws butterflies, hummingbirds and specialized bees. NCSU records it as non toxic to cats, dogs and horses, but also as weedy and invasive in some states.
- Flowers
- Flowers are 2 to 4 inches across with 5 crepe-like petals, single or double, and each bloom lasts for one day.
- Foliage
- Leaves are alternate, simple and 3-lobed, 2 to 4 inches long, with coarsely toothed margins.
- Fruit
- A 5-valved dehiscent capsule about 3/4 inch long and wide, brown, persisting through winter.
- Native range
- South China and Taiwan
