Rose of Sharon and whitefly

[Persephone]

Hola, amigas/amigos -

I am getting rid of a bamboo that has gotten out of control. Not spreading, but shedding those little paper-y thingies all over the place.

I asked a landscape architect relative what to put in its place. He suggested Rose of Sharon, which is a kind of Hibiscus.

I have had TERRIBLE luck with some exotic Hibiscus that I bought at the Huntington plant sale years ago. Could never control the )**^$^*& whitefly, no matter what I tried. I do not remember what kind of Hibiscus they were; lost the tag long ago.

So now I come to the question: Does anyone know whether Rose of Sharon is subject to whitefly as well? If so, no use planting it.

This is So. Calif coastal, Zone 24/8.

TIA

[Jim Shaffer]

I've never noticed whitefly on mine, but maybe they're just not as destructive to it as they are to softer plants.

What I do have a problem with is Japanese beetles. They don't eat enough foliage to do any permanent damage, but they do disfigure the flowers.

[Jim]

[....]

to the source of the beetles and break the life cycle.

[Phisherman]

Very few Japanese beetles on my Rose of Sharon this year. But, some years ago it was a bad infestation. I used a mayo jar with 1" of water and a little dishwashing soap in it. I held the jar under the beetle, tapped the branch, they fall into the soapy solution and die. Close up the jar and throw it into the trash. You can catch quite a few beetles this way.