You'll have to prune. It's pretty easy to do. BTW, you may want to get yourself a sterile cultivar so you don't have to deal with millions of seedlings.

me thinks you doth protest too much .. i dont see any problem with either ... sans a micrometer.. i see no difference in size... and the slightly different bloom period would .... in my world .. mean an extended show time .. rather than both ending at the same moment in time ... but it is obviously personal choice.. in fall .. when the other trees start turning colors ... the plant will basically be dormant above .. i would start by digging a new hole .... then i would cut them down to about 2.5 feet ... and get to digging.. starting out about 3.5 feet.. so i could end up with a 2 to 2.5 foot ball ... and than hook a chain to them.. and DRAG them to the new hole.. re-measuring first.. and resizing the hole if need be ... and drop it in there ... back fill .. no amendments .. no fert no nothing ... water PROPERLY ... mulch well .. and be responsible for all PROPER water next year ... IMHO.. they are nearly RUN OVER WITH THE TRUCK plants.. i wouldnt worry too much about it all .... [plz correct me if i am wrong, and althea is foo foo] ken ps: you leave the 2.5 height.. so you have something to rock it back and forth.. while you search for the big roots underneath .... pps: frankly.. i would go buy two new ones.. and put them where you want them.. and just kill these two.. i work smart.. not hard ... but on my 5 acres .. i would just let the stumps rot where they stand ... unlike yours being right out there ... and if you are going to have to dig them out.. may as well try to save them ... what do you have to lose?? .. a little exercise??? ppps: rejuvenation pruning would be in its future to get rid of the 2.5 foot branches.. in the next 5 years or so ...

they are pretty late to bud out in my z5 .... i would stop all fertilizing or stimulating.. proper watering is all it needs.. and.. its a shrub.. not a perennial ...different rules for pruning .. etc ... might try the shrub forum in the future ... highly invasive by way of seedlings in some areas .... do not expect flowers this year ... and maybe not next year ... ken

Hi everybody, Rose of Sharon or Hibiscus Syriacus have got to be the plant who is the very last to send out leaves. You simply must be patient even if it seems dead and it's June. It's just that late. It's a hibiscus after all and why should it send out leaves until it's darned sure there won't be any more frosts or cool weather to harm those beautiful flowers. I've even grown one here in Canada's zone 5. It was a Blue Bird and out of zone. It took several attempts and several sites. It did really well up until last year at over 6 feet it finally died. It had blooms beginning early August. We've been growing them at my parents home near Brantford for about 30 years. The trick to having them bloom early is to let them grow. The older the plant the longer the bloom season and the earlier they start. I currently have a few babies from southern ontario that came from my brother's house. They survived one winter in the back yard, but I really ought to bring them to the south side of the house where the last one did so well. Sorry, I can't remember how many years before you get the height. As I recall, one year they just suddenly take off. It would depend on your zone, but I'd say give it 3 years or so. Mary