Pruning Rose of Sharon?
 

Hi all -- I'm in zone 7, Northern VA suburbs of DC. Last year I planted a
Rose of Sharon that bloomed profusely all season. I've read on several Web
sites that Rose of Sharon needs to be pruned in early spring to develop its
blooms for the current year, but none of the sites I read said how much to
prune back. This bush is about 4 feet tall and has about six or seven thin
canes. I don't want to kill it, so if anyone here can give me an idea how
much needs to be cut back, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!

P.S. Now that I think of it, even though my ROS was in constant bloom all
summer, the leaves always looked kind of a sickly yellow and droopy. I've
read that ROS needs consistent watering so I watered every day. This bush
is planted in a fence-line garden that gets full sun for about six hours a
day in summertime. What is the more likely cause of the droopy yellow
leaves in this case, over-watering or under-watering? Thanks in advance!

Rhonda
Alexandria, VA

Pruning Rose of Sharon?
 

Hi Rhonda,

You've got it a bit confused, I think.....RoS are different from many spring
blooming shrubs, in that they bloom on "new wood", i.e., this season's
growth. This means that if they are pruned in the spring, they will still
set buds and bloom, unlike, forsythia or lilacs that set their buds in the
fall (a spring pruning would cut down on flowering).

However, just because they *can* be pruned in the spring, it doesn't mean
they *must* be pruned in the spring. Older, overgrown specimens can benefit
from it, but there's no reason to prune your small plant.

In my experience, RoS do not need a lot of water. Like any plant, they need
some attention their first season, so they can get settled, but once
established they are remarkably carefree. We experienced a terrible drought
here last summer, with restrictions on watering, and my RoS still managed to
grow and bloom. I consider them to be very drought tolerant. My guess is
that you overwatered yours, unless your soil is very sandy. This year, try
giving it a top-dressing of compost, a light mulch, and then leave it alone,
watering only if it doesn't rain for several weeks. Water deeply, letting
the hose trickle or using a soaker hose--it's better than frequent shallow
waterings.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Natty_Dread" wrote in message
...
Hi all -- I'm in zone 7, Northern VA suburbs of DC. Last year I planted a
Rose of Sharon that bloomed profusely all season. I've read on several
Web
sites that Rose of Sharon needs to be pruned in early spring to develop
its
blooms for the current year, but none of the sites I read said how much to
prune back. This bush is about 4 feet tall and has about six or seven
thin
canes. I don't want to kill it, so if anyone here can give me an idea how
much needs to be cut back, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!

P.S. Now that I think of it, even though my ROS was in constant bloom all
summer, the leaves always looked kind of a sickly yellow and droopy. I've
read that ROS needs consistent watering so I watered every day. This bush
is planted in a fence-line garden that gets full sun for about six hours a
day in summertime. What is the more likely cause of the droopy yellow
leaves in this case, over-watering or under-watering? Thanks in advance!

Rhonda
Alexandria, VA

Pruning Rose of Sharon?
 

"SugarChile" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
Hi Rhonda,

You've got it a bit confused, I think.....RoS are different from many
spring
blooming shrubs, in that they bloom on "new wood", i.e., this season's
growth. This means that if they are pruned in the spring, they will still
set buds and bloom, unlike, forsythia or lilacs that set their buds in the
fall (a spring pruning would cut down on flowering).

However, just because they *can* be pruned in the spring, it doesn't mean
they *must* be pruned in the spring. Older, overgrown specimens can
benefit
from it, but there's no reason to prune your small plant.

Great! Thanks for the info. Should the plant have started to leaf out yet?
What I have as of now looks like a bunch of bumpy sticks, unlike my other
bushes which have started to show green.

Rhonda










In my experience, RoS do not need a lot of water. Like any plant, they
need
some attention their first season, so they can get settled, but once
established they are remarkably carefree. We experienced a terrible
drought
here last summer, with restrictions on watering, and my RoS still managed
to
grow and bloom. I consider them to be very drought tolerant. My guess is
that you overwatered yours, unless your soil is very sandy. This year,
try
giving it a top-dressing of compost, a light mulch, and then leave it
alone,
watering only if it doesn't rain for several weeks. Water deeply, letting
the hose trickle or using a soaker hose--it's better than frequent shallow
waterings.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Natty_Dread" wrote in message
...
Hi all -- I'm in zone 7, Northern VA suburbs of DC. Last year I planted
a
Rose of Sharon that bloomed profusely all season. I've read on several
Web
sites that Rose of Sharon needs to be pruned in early spring to develop
its
blooms for the current year, but none of the sites I read said how much
to
prune back. This bush is about 4 feet tall and has about six or seven
thin
canes. I don't want to kill it, so if anyone here can give me an idea
how
much needs to be cut back, I'd be very grateful. Thanks!

P.S. Now that I think of it, even though my ROS was in constant bloom
all
summer, the leaves always looked kind of a sickly yellow and droopy.
I've
read that ROS needs consistent watering so I watered every day. This
bush
is planted in a fence-line garden that gets full sun for about six hours
a
day in summertime. What is the more likely cause of the droopy yellow
leaves in this case, over-watering or under-watering? Thanks in
advance!

Rhonda
Alexandria, VA

Pruning Rose of Sharon?
 

Here in PA, the forsythia are in full bloom, the daffodils are just
starting, the lilacs are starting to show green, but the RoS are still
dormant. I would expect things to be a bit further along in Virginia, but
it's been a rough winter and a wacky spring, so it's hard to say.....If
you're worried, you can scrape a bit of bark off of a twig with your
fingernail. If it shows green underneath, it's fine. RoS are tough plants,
so I wouldn't be too concerned.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Natty_Dread" wrote in message
Great! Thanks for the info. Should the plant have started to leaf out
yet?
What I have as of now looks like a bunch of bumpy sticks, unlike my other
bushes which have started to show green.

Rhonda

Pruning Rose of Sharon?
 

Thanks, Sugar! :-)


"SugarChile" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
Here in PA, the forsythia are in full bloom, the daffodils are just
starting, the lilacs are starting to show green, but the RoS are still
dormant. I would expect things to be a bit further along in Virginia, but
it's been a rough winter and a wacky spring, so it's hard to say.....If
you're worried, you can scrape a bit of bark off of a twig with your
fingernail. If it shows green underneath, it's fine. RoS are tough
plants,
so I wouldn't be too concerned.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"Natty_Dread" wrote in message
Great! Thanks for the info. Should the plant have started to leaf out
yet?
What I have as of now looks like a bunch of bumpy sticks, unlike my
other
bushes which have started to show green.

Rhonda