Herb: Rose Of Sharon


Latin name: Hypericum calycinum


Family: Hypericaceae (St. John's Wort Family)



Description of the plant:



Plant:
Evergreen
Shrub

Height:
30 cm
(11 3/4 inch)

Flowering:
June to
September

Habitat of Rose Of Sharon:

Grassy places and open woods to 1800 metres.

Other uses of the herb:

A good ground cover plant, succeeding in the heavy shade of trees and in dry shade. Very vigorous, it can swamp out small plants. For the densest cover plants should be cut to ground level each April. A yellow-orange dye is obtained from the flowers.

Propagation of Rose Of Sharon:

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 3 months at 10°C. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Cuttings of half-ripe wood 10 - 12 cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Plant out in the following spring. Cuttings of mature wood, 12 - 17cm with a heel, October/November in a sheltered position outdoors. Plants root by the spring. Good percentage. Division in spring as new growth commences. Very easy, larger clumps can be replanted direct into their permanent positions, though it is best to pot up smaller clumps and grow them on in a cold frame until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the spring.

Cultivation of the herb:

Grassy places and open woods to 1800 metres.

Medicinal use of Rose Of Sharon:

None known

Known hazards of Hypericum calycinum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.