Plant Name: Lucy Rose of Sharon Standard
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Technical name: Hibiscus Syriacus ‘Lucy’ (double flowers)
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Plant Family / Type: Hibiscus / Deciduous Flowering Shrub
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Preferred location: Full Sun (preferred) /
Partial Shade (no. and vibrancy of the bloom sare reduced)
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Mature height:
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Mature Width:
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Growth Rate / Habit: Moderate / Upright and vase-shaped
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Flower / Foliage:
· Double Fuchsia flowers - July into Fall
· Late bloomer and set the Flower buds on current searson’s new growth
· Leaves come out in late spring
· Flower most heavily and tend to be stockier when grown in full sun
· Heat lover – can tolerate summer heat
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Preferred soil:
· Grows best in moist, well drained soil that contains lots of organic matter
· Able to tolerate a wide variety of soils but not constantly wet soils
· Very tolerant of drought once established
· Water until the soil is wet to a 4- or 5-inch depth. Water daily or every 2 days for the first month. Afterward, water as soon as the top of the soil feels dry so that you keep the underlying soil constantly moist but not soggy
· Too much or too little water or over fertilization will cause buds to drop from this plant
· Yellowing leaves – indication of too much water
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Pruning and Maintenance:
· Time - Winter to early Spring
· Does not require annual pruning. Pruning is only necessary once the plant outgrows its space
· Prune to leave 2 or 3 buds per branch will encourage additional side shoots to form and should produce more flowers in July and August
· It can be cut back to stubs no more than two or three feet tall without risk of injury
· Recommendation - selectively remove individual shoots to different heights with hand pruners or a small, folding pruning saw. This technique will result in a smaller plant while preserving a more natural form
· Prune it back hard when branches simply bending over because of the weight of the flowers. What's happened is the shrub has become top-heavy with not only the weight of the flowers but the legginess of the branches
· To prevent self-seeding, deadhead the spent flowers before seed pods develop
· Light or no pruning will allow it to bloom profusely with smaller flowers
· Heavy pruning will create larger but less flowers
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Shaping:
· Shaping of your Rose of Sharon bush should be done during the first two years, then after that, only light pruning will be needed to maintain the shape
· Make shrub to appear as a tree, prune the lower branches off and leave a main trunk
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Fertilize
· Early-Spring - Spread a granular, slow-release fertilizer before major growth begins for the year. Use a balanced fertilizer that is labeled for use on trees and shrubs
· Mid-Summer - Mix up a liquid plant fertilizer with water as instructed on the packaging. Pour the liquid fertilizer into the soil around the Blue Satin hibiscus
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Health Issue – Flower Bud Drop
· A most common health issue is "Flower Bud Drop when the shrub may be in bud or full bloom and then the next day the buds/flowers have fallen off. To avoid this, the soil moisture must remain constant; it can't fluctuate excessively between dry and moist. This is why a rich, organic moisture retentive soil is recommended
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