Judy you are so right about not necessarily relying on Internet info, but also asking locally.
Plants generally have a tendency to be larger in warmer climates than they do in others that are cooler. Their growing season is shorter, thus shorter plants. So…..usually go for the larger side of the scale if one is given, or larger for this area. Since you are north of Houston, you might find that your plants won’t be as large, but generally they should be taller than this plant grown in areas north of you.
I know this is all very confusing. The point is to look for the source of the info when you get it….on the internet, in a book, in a group, etc. Is the person in Florida….then chances are that our conditions would be similar. Are they in Georgia, then chances are that ours will be different in some way…..etc. etc. etc.
That’s why it’s important to ask locally. Even within the Houston area there are different zones (8b, 9a, 9b and some say 10)……different soil types, rain levels, temperatures, etc. So you can imagine the differences with the rest of the US, etc. They can’t include everything, although some try, so generally information is based on avg. with the coolest and warmest
climates thrown out of the equation.
Confederate Rose gets much wider, and typically has it’s biggest flush of blooms in fall. Rose of Sharon blooms throughout the warm temps, and although it can get as tall, it is more of an upright plant, taking less space vertically. The blooms are very similar, with the Confederate rose appearing more rose form than Hibiscus. The double blooming Rose of Sharon is very similar though. The single blooming Rose of Sharon is more like a
single blooming Hibiscus. Hope this makes sense….