Spanking the plant won't help.

You can prune the branches now.

It will take some practice for you to figure how to prune it to grow the way
you want it to grow.

If you prune it like a hedge, it will only get bushier.


NokNokMan wrote in message
. net...
Hi all, this is my first post to rec.gardens and I hope I can find some
advice. I have a rose of sharon that's about 7 years old and very
healthy.
I prune it in late winter in the hope that it will grow more "tree-like".
But every summer the 'trunk' grows shoots. A lot of shoots. Can I safely
prune them now and how can I prevent them from growing back? Wrap the
trunk? Thanks in advance.