How to care for a Rose of Sharon bush

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by Faith Draper

First of all let's get one thing perfectly clear a Rose of Sharon bush is not a rose bush but rather is in the Hibiscus family. Caring for a Rose of Sharon bush is relatively simple and the little work that is required is well worth the effort to enjoy the beautiful flowers in late spring to fall season.

There are many varieties of Rose of Sharon available. The full height will range anywhere from 5 feet up to as much as 12 feet and the bushes will produce blooms in varying shades of blue, purple, pink, and white.

All Rose of Sharon bushes require pretty much the same care.

Care of your Rose of Sharon bush should start from the time you bring it home. You will want to select a spot in full sun and the bushes prefer moist but well drained soil. Once you've picked your location then you will need to dig a hole to plant the Rose of Sharon in. Whether planting one or several each hole should be as deep as the root ball on the plant and at least 3 times the depth of the whole.

If your soil is good then you won't need to do anything to the dirt but if not then you will want to apply a generous helping of compost before planting. Once your hole is dug fill it with water and let that soak in before doing anything else. Next you will place your Rose of Sharon bush in its hole and fill in with half the dirt you removed from the hole.

Now you will fill the whole again and let it soak in and then add the balance of the soil from the whole. Pat the dirt down gently to remove any air pockets that might be in the dirt and add a light layer of mulch to help keep down weeds and hold in moisture. Your now ready to set back and enjoy your beautiful Rose of Sharon bush.

As for any other care of a Rose of Sharon bush each spring you should add fresh compost under the bush and an inch or two of mulch. If your bush starts to crowd surrounding plants you can prune it if you'd like but this should be done only in late winter (southern areas) or early spring (northern areas). This is because the blooms develop on new growth at the ends of branches each year so you don't want to cut that off best to wait until after it blooms.

Rose of Sharon bushes are spectacular alone or grouped with other shrubs or bushes. A row of Rose of Sharon makes a beautiful natural fence. Don't panic though if spring comes and goes and your Rose of Sharon hasn't bloomed they tend to bloom late spring early summer (even leaves come on late) but the blooms last well into autumn. An added benefit of Rose of Sharon bushes is the birds (particularly humming birds) and butterflies love them and are frequent visitors to the blooms.

How to care for a Rose of Sharon bush
Faith Draper
Helium.com

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