Rose of Sharon
 

Hello Everyone

I have had a Rose of Sharon in my garden since I moved to the property 15 years ago. It has always been about hip height and has always had plenty of yellow flowers, followed by lovely berries. It has always been neat and tidy and required no maintenance whatsoever. It also used to attract a lot of bees to the garden, which I really liked.

This year it has gone bananas. It has virtually doubled in size and is no longer neat and tidy. I don't recall doing anything to it at all.

I'm completely baffled by it.

Please could someone tell me what has happened to my lovely shrub and if there is anything I can do in June to reduce its size without impacting the flowers for this year?

Many thanks

June

Rose of Sharon
 

First, is the new growth from the base or from the top? My Rose of
Sharons are about 8' tall. June is too late to prune this year, wait
until mid-winter. .



On Mon, 11 Jun 2012 11:18:01 +0000, June Gamble
wrote:


Hello Everyone

I have had a Rose of Sharon in my garden since I moved to the property
15 years ago. It has always been about hip height and has always had
plenty of yellow flowers, followed by lovely berries. It has always
been neat and tidy and required no maintenance whatsoever. It also used
to attract a lot of bees to the garden, which I really liked.

This year it has gone bananas. It has virtually doubled in size and is
no longer neat and tidy. I don't recall doing anything to it at all.

I'm completely baffled by it.

Please could someone tell me what has happened to my lovely shrub and if
there is anything I can do in June to reduce its size without impacting
the flowers for this year?

Many thanks

June

Rose of sharon blooms profusely, and its attractive flowers are its main selling point. Like other types of hibiscus, rose of sharon's flowers bear a striking stamen. Another feature giving the shrub value is its relatively late period of blooming (in the Northeastern U.S., it blooms in August). Rose of sharon is thus able to offer color when many flowering shrubs have long since ceased blooming.

A heat-lover, rose of sharon is also prized by growers in the Southeastern U.S. who crave plants that can stand up to summer's heat. The plant is reasonably drought-tolerant.

Don't give up on rose of sharon, thinking it's dead just because it hasn't leafed out by early summer. This plant not only blooms late, but leafs out late, as well, so be patient. When an althea's flower buds are not opening, that's another matter.

Nor are those the only problems associated with growing Hibiscus syriacus. Its seed drops and sprouts where you don't want it to, and the consequent need to remove the young plants manually is hardly conducive to low-maintenance landscaping. For those seeking help in getting rid of althea seedlings, I do, however, offer an alternative to pulling up the seedlings.

Rose of sharon isn't the only type of Hibiscus that flourishes outside of tropical and sub-tropical regions, although when you hear that genus referred to you may very well think immediately of the tender types seen on display in greenhouses. Another hardy hibiscus is Hibiscus moscheutos, known for its giant-sized flowers.

I like this bloom rose... I want to see it in my own garden, how can I... ? Help me dude.

You should have pruned rose of Sharon in late fall or winter after leaves drop in your flower gardening. You can prune in early spring before buds form. If pruning done later than early spring may cause the loss of some blooms. Remove any branches that appear dead or damaged from storm or winter damage. Also remove branches that appear to be growing in wrong direction.

Also remember to remove any suckers sprouting from the bottom of the trunk, growing from the roots or sprouting nearby growing area. Thin out branches which block sunlight or prevent air circulation through the plant. Remove the weak branches down and only prune back healthy branches to the node which allow the desired appearance.