Prune Rose Of Sharon

Bob Bricault Horticulture Educator for Michigan State University Extension explains how to prune a Rose of Sharon using thinning and heading back cuts.

Prune rose of sharon. If you think your plant is dead just because it hasnt leafed out by early summer dont give up on it easily. In height and between 6 and 10 ft. Left to its own devices the plant will typically grow to over 12 feet in height and spread laterally 8 to 10 feet.

Because rose of Sharon blooms on the current seasons growth it should be pruned in late winter. To train your rose of Sharon into a small tree prune the branches during the growing season. Without pruning it grows upright and thin and flowers emerge only on top stems.

You can prune a Rose of Sharon shrub by cutting away the damaged or dead branches first then any crossing branches. The most common time to prune the plant is in late fall or during the early winter after the leaves have fallen. Rose of Sharon while it isnt a tree can grow impressively large.

More commonly the plant is pruned down to a manageable height at least once a year allowing it to serve as an ornamental shrub or a flowering hedge. You can also train it for espalier developing flat against a supporting structure. The Rose of Sharon can stretch to 8 or 12 ft.

Pruning techniques vary with your desired shape. Pruning of rose of sharon can usually be done at three times of the year. Can rose of Sharon be cut back.

You can prune it in the late. Prior to starting the job sterilize the blade with a quick dip in a 10 percent bleach. During the first two years prune Rose of Sharon to a shape of your liking.