Rose of Sharon, or scientifically known as Hibiscus syriacus, is a flowering shrub that generally produces pink and purple flowers and white flowers. Other names are Korean Rose, Rose mallow, Chinese hibiscus, and althea. Rose of Sharon also has the title, Blue Satin. This plant is a dense, bushy shrub famous for its abundant blue-violet blossoms that resemble hollyhocks. This plant is native to India and China. This flowering plant blooms steadily from mid-summer to fall. This shrub produces large, dark blue to purple flowers, 10 cm high, has a dark reddish-purple throat, and a striking cream-white stamens tube. Each flower lasts about a day. Precisely pruning rose of Sharon is essential for continuous blooming. However, this shrub will continue to bloom until the end of the season. Here are the hallmarks of Rose of Sharon:
purple rose of Sharon
General facts of the Rose of Sharon
Grow in an upright position, 180-270 cm tall and 6-9 feet or 90-180 cm high.
Grows well in soil that is well-drained and with moderate humidity.
It tolerates dryness, heat, and humidity quite well.
Sufficiently resistant to pests, but you still have to pay attention to the stems and leaves’ health.
Pruning 2-3 shoots in late winter can produce larger flowers later.
It can be used as a border shrub or hedge.
You don’t need any intensive care, but pruning them now can help the plant grow and give it a more attractive appearance. Get in the habit of mowing bushes when they are dormant in late winter or early spring. Remove damaged wood first. Then, care for crossed stems or uncontrolled growth that disturbs the appearance of regularly growing stems. So, how do pruning Rose of Sharon properly?
To pruning the Rose of Sharon, you must wait until winter or early spring. In general, the plant does not require too much care. However, if you decide that you need to prune the bush, do so during the colder months while the plants are still in their dormant state. This way, you will help grow new growth as the weather warms up.
That is a general rule that the best time to prune Rose of Sharon is between March and early May (for US residents) before the flowers begin to open. Cutting the branches too early or too late can cause it to enter a shocking state, making it susceptible to different elements and delaying new healthy growth.
Discard dead or damaged wood. Give special care to branches that appear damaged, rotten, or colorless. Leave only the strongest and healthiest parts of the branch. You can try to cut each shoot as close as possible to the most extended branch connecting it as far as possible. Previously, if you were pruning yourself, you would need to be proficient with gardening shears to handle most pruning.
You may find branches that are thicker or tougher than others. In such cases, you may need extra-long, robust scissors or a regular hand saw for pruning.
If you are unsure whether a branch is damaged or dead, try rubbing a little on the bark. If the wood underneath has a greenish hue, then the branch is still considered healthy.
Remove the branches that cross each other. Check the inside of the bush to see if any shots are overlapping or getting tangle between them.
Trim the two most bent branches from the base (just one of them is fine). When doing so, you can also check for any tangled or bent stems near the ground.
Remove the cross branches to be able to clean the middle. By doing so, you have provided a place for air circulation, which is essential to keep pests and diseases away. Apart from that, you will also make the bushes look good.
Remove the teat that is visible from the base of the plant. For those of you who may not know, a pacifier is a thin stem that grows vertically at the root of a woody shrub. Generally, you can find a lot of Rose of Sharon. Pacifiers usually appear mostly on the underside of main branches or directly on the ground beneath the plant. The best way to treat pacifiers is to cut them as close to the base as possible, as this will remove the connection they have with the plant roots and make their growth slow. Pacifiers can germinate and come back, which means you’ll need to cut them again about 2 or 3 times a year.
Pacifiers not only make your rose bush look ugly, but they also weaken the essential nutrients in the soil if you don’t remove them right away.
If it seems that the Rose of Sharon is not growing well or has grown heavily, you can trim the bush to two-thirds the size. It would be better to get more growth than you cut. You don’t need to worry; as long as the hardwood at the plant’s base is intact, Rose of Sharon will return to producing flowers from year to year.
Purple Rose of Sharon
Rejuvenation of the plant
The pruning rose of Sharon can be divided into several types. Pruning vigorously means significantly reducing the overall size of the plant. Usually, the gardeners call it plant rejuvenation. This rejuvenation aims to promote the healthy growth of new plants and remove old and diseased branches. For this plant itself, you will need to rejuvenate now and then. You can trim the Rose Of Sharon until it becomes a stump, but you must do this when the plant is inactive.
The more branches you cut, the fewer flowers that can appear when the bush blooms. However, this is not a problem because you can get brighter and healthier flowers than before pruning. That is because the plant can transfer more energy to the remaining branches after pruning. As a result, the remaining branches will get more intake than before and produce more colorful and healthier flowers. Regularly maintaining the garden free of weed plants is good for the healthy growth of the plant. Pruning rose of Sharon plant can also make plants healthier, beautify their shape, and improve their growth.
