Plant Finder

Other Names:  Shrub Althea

Brand:  Proven Winners

Description:

A compact shrub with extremely showy flowers throughout summer; beautiful blooms are shell-pink with red blotch and veins; very adaptable plant, but prefers full sun

Ornamental Features

Rose of Sharon, Lil' Kim features bold shell pink trumpet-shaped flowers with a red blotch along the branches from mid summer to early fall. It has green deciduous foliage. The lobed leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color.

Landscape Attributes

Rose of Sharon, Lil' Kim is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Rose of Sharon, Lil' Kim is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use

Planting & Growing

Rose of Sharon, Lil' Kim will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. This plant should be periodically fertilized throughout the active growing season with a specially-formulated acidic fertilizer. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.