Althea

Althea's late spring blossoms apparently love the extreme heat and humidity in our backyard. It's nice to have at least one shrub that doesn't have to drink water! 

Althea

The althea shrubs are making their annual splash around town, and while sometimes called rose of Sharon, they are not the same as the biblical flower of the same name. Wildflowers, possibly crocus, that grew on the plains of Sharon in Israel, may have been the original rose of Sharon.

Rose of Sharon

I'm told this lovely flower is called a Rose of Sharon, a type of althea. This bush blooms near the goldfish on the grounds of Sturdivant Hall.