Rose of Sharon – Care & Pruning
Rose of Sharon is a Beautiful Summer Loving Plant
Colorful, showy flowers appear in summer in shades of white, red, pink and purple on the rose of Sharon bush. Growing rose of Sharon is an easy and effective way to add long lasting summer color with little fuss. The large, showy flowers attract birds, butterflies and other useful pollinators.
How to Grow a Rose of Sharon
Care for rose of Sharon, botanically named Hibiscus syriacus, is minimal. After planting rose of Sharon, this attractive specimen may thrive with neglect. However, some care, especially pruning for size and shape, will likely be needed for this showy shrub to add value to your landscape display.
Also known as shrub Althea, this 4- to 12-foot specimen is a native of eastern Asia that is well adapted to growing in most USDA plant hardiness zones. It often reaches a spread of 10 feet and can be used as part of a growing privacy border.
When planting rose of Sharon in the landscape, consider that older varieties may reseed abundantly. Prepare to remove additional plants appearing in unwanted areas. These can be relocated to a more desirable location or shared with friends.
Shrub Althea is best planted into rich well-draining, slightly acidic soil in a full sun to mostly sun location. The rose of Sharon bush prefers moist, well-draining soil, although it will tolerate most soil conditions except those that are soggy or extremely dry. A top dressing of organic compost or mulch may benefit the rose of Sharon bush.
Ongoing Care for Rose of Sharon
Bud drop can be a problem with growing rose of Sharon. This may be caused in part when the rose of Sharon bush is under stressful conditions, so try to keep the shrub as happy as possible. Too little water or too much fertilization may contribute to bud drop, which seems inherent to the rose of Sharon bush. Monitor conditions on growing rose of Sharon to be rewarded with a long season of large showy single or double blooms.
Flowers grow on the current year’s growth; early pruning before buds develop can keep the growing rose of Sharon in top form and keep the tree-like shrub in bounds.
A deciduous shrub, learning how to grow a rose of Sharon and keep it under control is best done with experimentation on your cultivar. Some have attractive drooping branches while others assume an upright form. Care for rose of Sharon can depend on the form taken by your specimen.
The rose of Sharon shrub flowers on growth from the current year, allowing optimum opportunities for when to prune rose of Sharon. Pruning rose of Sharon shrub may be done in late fall or winter after leaves drop or in early spring before buds form.
Rose of Sharon pruning done later than early spring may cause the loss of some blooms, but those that are not removed will be larger. Learning how to prune a rose of Sharon and when to prune rose of Sharon is simple once you learn the methods.
Younger shrubs may benefit from a light pruning while older specimens may need more extreme branch removal. When planning to trim a rose of Sharon, stand back and take a look at the overall form. Younger shrubs grow upward and have an erect form, but older specimens may have attractive, drooping branches. To maintain either form when pruning rose of Sharon shrub, remove wood to the first or second node (bump on the limb).
If growth appears untidy and out of hand, rose of Sharon pruning may need to be further down the stem. Annual rose of Sharon pruning prevents an untidy appearance.
“Younger shrubs may benefit from a light pruning while older specimens may need more extreme branch removal.”
How to Prune a Rose of Sharon
When pruning rose of Sharon shrub, begin by removing any branches that appear dead or damaged from storm or winter damage. Also, remove branches that appear to have gone awry or are growing in the wrong direction. Top, upright growth may be pinched back to encourage the growth of side branches. Oldest and tallest stems can be removed first.
An important step in rose of Sharon pruning is removal of any suckers sprouting from the bottom of the trunk, growing from the roots or spouting in the nearby growing area.
Pruning rose of Sharon shrub will include the removal of older, inner branches that disturb an open and airy appearance. Thin out branches which block sunlight or prevent air circulation through the plant. Remove weak branches further down and only prune back healthy branches to the node which allows the desired appearance. As a rule of thumb, allow 8 to 12 inches between inner branches for the best flowering display.
If your rose of Sharon bush is old and has not been pruned in several years, renewal pruning rose of Sharon shrub offers the opportunity to start over. In late autumn or winter, cut older trunk branches down by two thirds of the tree’s height. Some prune these back even closer to the ground.
This rejuvenation pruning allows a new form to develop in spring when new growth emerges and affords the opportunity to keep up with annual pruning. This type of pruning may result in a loss of blooms the following year, but is well worth the loss for a newly formed shrub.
Whether your pruning chore is only to trim a rose of Sharon or to cut it back severely, you will be rewarded with more vigorous growth and possibly larger flowers the next year.
Article courtesy of gardeningknowhow.com
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Thank you for the information on the Rose of Sharon bush
We’re happy to help!
Jo where can I purchase a smaller variety of the rose of Sharon? What can you tell me about growing one on a smaller space? Thx
There is a smaller variety called Lil Kim, we don’t carry it at this time. It will max out at 3 to 4 feet tall. Otherwise consistent pruning to maintain desired size is recommended.
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Hi. My rose of sharon has not bloomed. It seems stressed. The leaves are droopy and some are yellow. Can I trim the branches back
It was kept inside through the winter and I have kjust planted it outside
Thanks.
You will want to cut the dead out now. Sometime in the fall/winter do a rejuvenate cutback. Cutback pretty severely. This will stimulate more bushing out in the spring. Do a fertilizing in fall in conjunction with the pruning.
My rose of sharon is in it’s secomd year and resembles a branch with small upward leaves sprouting but tbe top 1 inch is dead, can I trim tthat off being we arr now in june?
Yes it is safe to trim that.
Can I prune back my bush to hedge height? and let the lower new branch growth fill in? My bushes have gotten so tall they block a view I want to maintain. Can I prune my bushes in October without fear of “winter kill” hurting the bushes in the spring?
If you could email us with details and/or photos of the plants in question we would be glad to help. Please email us at questions@stutzmans.com
Rose of Sharon tree has dried up buds – should I remove them?
You wouldn’t want to now. In the spring if you find them unsightly you can, but it’s not necessary.
Where are the seeds to replant? In the dried up flower?
The seed would be located in the center of the blooms that fall off.
Our Rose of Sharon is almost 10 yrs old. Last summer the entire back half of the bush seemed to be dead-no leaves or blooms. The front half had leaves but bloomed sparingly. We did have a really cold spell after spring had started that affected many people’s garden plants of all types. Just wondering what we can do this year? Thank you
Trim back the dead and fertilize and it should improve.
Can I lightly prune my rose of sharon during the growing season? I want to try and control some.of the height. I am in Florida and it didn’t get cold enough for my plants to drop their leaves.
Thank you for any information.
A light trimming before bloom flushing occurs will be fine (even in beautiful Florida). Thanks for checking with us!
Can I lightly prune my rose of sharon during the growing season? I want to try and control some.of the height. I am in MI…it’s June…and there are no buds yet. Thx
Pruning off green the green of the plant won’t hurt it but it will delay blooming. It’s best prune when there are no leaves present.
I have an old Rose of Sharon that seems to have taken a hit by the freeze this past winter. It also had a vine growing around the base that seems to have choked out nearly one half of the plant as it has not shown any new buds or leaves this summer. I have never pruned a Rose of Sharon but am considering it this fall. There are only 7-10 main “stalks” coming from the base of the bush but most are dead. If I cut them back dramatically, is there any chance that it will revive the once beautiful bush or do I cut my losses and replace the entire thing? I’m in zone 6b.
You will want to cut the dead out now. Sometime in the fall/winter do a rejuvenate cutback. Cutback pretty severely. This will stimulate more bushing out in the spring. Do a fertilizing in fall in conjunction with the pruning.
Thank you for The helpful information on pruning the rows of Sharon. It is very helpful.
Is there a way to prevent suckers from growing on the trunk of my Rose of Sharon? If there is no way to prevent it, is using pruning shears the best way to take off the suckers? I get so many suckers and it’s a pain to remove all of them due to the location of the plant. Thank you very much!
We carry a product called “Sucker Punch” that comes in a spray or liquid bottle that you can use to paint the area. You would need to prune one more time, but treat with the Sucker Punch afterwards to prevent them returning.
Hello, I have several rose of Sharons. They are vase shaped, but I want a more full look. I’m trying to grow a live fence. How can I accomplish a fuller bush?? Thanks.
You want to do more frequent pruning to encourage that lower branching.
I moved to NM from OH where we had a Stutzmans nursery in Yellow Springs. Great people.
Here in NM I ha e a mature Rosa Sharon. Last year there was about 6 inches of bare branches from the ground up. This year, it’s grown to about 10 inches. I can’t find any information on this problem. Do you have a suggestion?
It is in the process of maturing at this time. As it does, it will develop a trunk.
I’m in Georgia. Can I prune my Rose of Sharon now in October? I need to trim them away from house for painting at least and wondered if it’s ok just to do full prune now.
Yes now is a good time to prune. Thanks for checking with us!
Thanks for the quick reply. Glad to know it’s ok. They’ve still got their leaves and I didn’t want to hurt them. They are so beautiful when they bloom.
I have a very old rose of sharon that is looking pretty sad with green moss growing all over the branches. After reading some of the comments it sounds like I need to do a rejuvenate cutback. How far from ground level should I cut back to and what is the recommended fertilizer?
Prune up to half of the branches and feed it with tree & shrub fertilizer. Thanks for checking with us!
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Something ate the bark off of two lsrge limbs on my Rose of Sharom. I had to cut them off as they were dead. It’s 12′ tall and 10-12’wide. Can i heavily prune it when the leaves are off to reshape it. Im in Michigan
Yes you can prune anytime there’s no leaves. Thanks for checking with us!
Yes anytime they are dormant.
You should only prune them when they are in the dormant stage.