Confederate Roses
By Fall, blooms on most trees and shrubs are gone. Tree leaves and plants are changing color and losing their foliage, and dying. We have three trees in our yard that are loaded with blooms.
Our Confederate roses have outdone themselves.
They are a popular shrub or small tree in southern gardens. They’re not a rose at all, but a hibiscus from southern China that loves the friendly climate of the South. The blooms only appear in the fall and change color throughout the day from white to pink, then darker pink or even red.
The folklore behind the changing color says a slain soldier fell beside a blooming Confederate rose tree, and his blood spilled into the ground. The flowers, which had been white in the morning, absorbed the soldier’s blood throughout the day.
This article in Dave’s Garden describes our trees perfectly.
“That sort of story makes for interesting reading, but the flowers do, indeed, live up to the specific epithet, ‘mutabilis,’ which means ‘variable or changeable.’ All are large and showy and look somewhat like a large, delicate rose. Some are single, and many are double.
“On some specimens, the flowers that open early in the morning are snowy white, but by evening, they have turned to deep rose. On the second day, they wither and fall from the shrub. On other shrubs, the opening blossom may be pink, turning to white or even a darker pink as it ages. Either way, many buds are waiting for their day in the sun.
“At any time, as many as three different colors may show at one time as the flowers fade or darken to their various hues. On some single-flowered specimens, flowers are red and remain so for the duration of their bloom. Some are pink and gradually turn a darker shade of pink as they age.”
They are a lovely addition to any yard, and the bees love them.
So far, the deer have left them alone — which can’t be said of all our plants.
It’s sad, but we don’t mind. It’s all part of our commitment to being a Certified Wildlife Habitat that provides water, food, and nesting. We do love watching the does and fawns.
