During the last part of July, I was trying very hard not to complain about the heat. Perhaps I did grumble a bit but I think I did a pretty good job biting my tongue. My wife, Sharon, was having some trouble getting a decent night’s sleep in spite of the window fan blowing at top speed in the bedroom. She kept threatening to buy an air conditioner, and I kept insisting that it wasn’t worth it for the few days of excess heat we have to put up with. At night, I’d run the larger window fan at full speed to try and cool the house off and then close all the windows in the morning to trap any coolness I’d gained overnight. As the hot days continued, it became harder and harder to cool the house down as the heat penetrated the structure. Needless to say, there’s now an air conditioner in our bedroom.
Speaking of air conditioning, it was during a hot July a hundred years ago that Willis Carrier invented air conditioning. Considering how much we love air conditioning, you’d think that he invented it for comfort’s sake. Actually, he was prompted to invent it for a printing shop in Brooklyn that was having trouble with color printing because the paper couldn’t run through the presses properly with the hourly changes in temperature and humidity during summer. Carrier created modern air conditioning and it not only cooled the air but it removed moisture from it as well, in the process making the paper much easier for the presses to handle. I imagine the press operators were thrilled. It soon became apparent that people would enjoy this new air conditioning, and it was installed in restaurants, hotel ballrooms and bars. Establishments with air conditioning did so well that soon everyone wanted it. The rest, as we say, is history. But, I digress.
All around town, I see that the various members of the hibiscus are putting on quite a show. This includes althea, The Rose of Sharon. I have a short row of purple althea that has a double flower much like a carnation that is putting on a nice show. It seems that althea are gaining in popularity. While mine are double flowering, I greatly admire the single flowering varieties that I’m beginning to see more of. Their flower closely resembles that of the tropical hibiscus that is so popular in the south. These single flowering altheas weren’t available when I planted my hedge 10 years ago or I would have surely opted for one of those. Rose of Sharon is available in a wide range of colors but tend toward the reds and lavenders. There are even varieties that have a bi-colored flower and there’s a nice white that I’ve see as well. While the althea is a woody shrub, there’s another hardy hibiscus that is perennial in nature (it dies to the ground in winter) that is well worth commenting on.
Like althea or Rose of Sharon, the mallow hibiscus is a relative of the tropical hibiscus although the flowers are much larger. The showy mallow hibiscus will grow from the ground to a height of 4’ to 6’ during each growing season. Mallow hibiscus flowers range in color from white to deep purple and encompass every shade of pink in between. As if this weren’t enough, the flowers can be as large as a dinner plate! I know you’ve seen these around town since they are in flower right now. A lot of folks don’t realize that this plant is hardy in our area and will easily survive over winter to return larger and showier each year. Each of the giant flowers that mallow hibiscus produces will only remain open for one day. Fortunately, they produce plenty of buds so the show goes on for at least a couple of weeks and even longer for a well-established clump.
If you plant either of these northern members of the hibiscus family, you’ll need to be patient in spring. Neither the woody shrub althea nor the perennial mallow hibiscus will show any sign of life until spring is well under way. I usually see no sign of life from either in my yard until the lilacs are in bloom. That’s when the first leaves appear on my althea and the mallow hibiscus is just poking a shoot up from the soil. They are amazing plants and easily deserve a place in your garden. Thanks for the read.
