Here's the picture:

{{gwi:38461}}

If the recommended spacing is 4', you're still okay with 3.75 -- that's what, 3" closer? Rose of Sharon is what will look 'right' there.

Have you considered a lilac variety called "Ms Kim?" It stays small, I have one in my yard, and can be kept under control with pruning.

First of all, at the risk of awakening the wrath of the dreaded Spacing God, you are obsessing a wee bit too much over spacing.

It has me thinking that something else about your choices is the real culpritÂbut maybe not.

Yes, far too many folks fail to leave enough room for future growth. By the same token, your Rose of Sharons never took a class in math and won't stop growing when they reach what the tag says. Tags are telling you what the average specimen in best conditions will attain by 5 or sometimes 10 years. Depending on where you plant them and how you care for them, yours may fail to reach that average or could surpass it. Regardless, if the tag is telling you what they'll be at 5 or 10 years, that does not mean they stop growing. They don't.

On the other hand, the eye and the mind loves things in threes. If I were you I'd get that third Rose of Sharon. Planting them in a row will create a small hedge. Typically, you'd plant closer anyway for that effect; you might even put two between the two existing ones. I don't really know because I haven't tried such a thing with RoS.

Or, you could plant it in a triangle (however slight) in relationship to the other two. I can't see, so I don't know if you can do it that way, but as a general rule, triangles are pleasing. Come to think of it, you could then keep the 4 feet you'd likeÂ

Another thing that might be helpful to keep in mind is that absolute screening isn't always necessary to achieve a sense of privacy. Laag, a regular poster here, has explained this well a number of times. Maybe do a search for the term "enclosure" to get more ideas about this concept.

Hope something in there helps,

Wellspring

I think they'll be fine just as you put them. A little gap just makes it easier to look out from the porch. Seeing what's going on is part of the whole porch thing. If that possible two foot gap bothers you just feed them compost.

I'd plant a white semidouble Flower Carpet rose between the two shrubs and, if you have the room, also one each on the other sides of the shrubs. Trouble free, blooms a lot, will complement the white trim on the porch, not interfere with the color of the Rose of Sharon, and provide added interest. This will also give you a variation in height.

Ingrid

I agree that another Rose of Sharon would work - as long as you prune them well. Most people don't bother and they get tall and leggy with bare ankles. Maybe that variety will stay as short as it's supposed to but I wouldn't count on it! Rose of Sharon blooms on new wood so can take a lot of early spring pruning and flower well. (Most sources say you get fewer but larger flowers - I find I get both large and profuse bloom...) Just don't do the deadful flattop haircut, which looks awful IMO. If you stagger the cuts so that the stems are in varying heights to keep the natural shape but shorter, it will look good, flower well, avoid the bare ankle problem and will fit the space available without blocking the view from the porch.

Mine looked like yours 3 years ago and last month I had to cut several side branches off because they were overlapping nearby shrubs. I'd say leave them as is and see what they look like next year.

What are the plants in the flower bed behind the RofS? Keep in mind the amount of space they'll take up in a few years.

Thank you all for your input! I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. The plants in the bed behind the RofS are endless summer hydrangeas, so shouldn't get more than ~4 feet (per the tag anyway), I know they haven't taken a math class either ;)

I'm still not sure what I'll do... wait it out and see how fast they grow or plant a third since things look good in threes and as long as I prune them they should stay in bounds okay. I don't have space for carpet roses on either side and think it would probably look funny to just have one in between. I did consider a Miss Kim lilac, but since that would stay shorter I thought it might look odd to have the thing in between be shorter. So I think I'm down to either leaving the 2 and composting well or adding a third.

Wellspring, I must confess that you are onto something when you said "It has me thinking that something else about your choices is the real culpritÂ" When we planted the RofS, I thought a lavender RofS was a lavender RofS, and I loved the lavender RofS shrub in the backyard of the house where I grew up. When shrubs first bloomed, I thought something was wrong because the blooms looked odd and mutant. After the second year of mutant blooms, I did a little research and figured out ours are the lavender chiffon variety, and the "double" flowers are normal for that variety. I personally find them ugly and fru-fru, and hate that they are in such a prominent spot. To me, the beauty of a RofS is the contrasting center, and that is covered up by little petal flaps in the chiffon variety :( So that is why I hesitate to plant another RofS shrub there. If it weren't for the fact that I dislike the lavender chiffon blooms, I think I would plant a third one in a heartbeat and stop obsessing over it. If they weren't thriving so well I'll consider ripping them out or at least moving them, but alas they thriving where they are so I have resolved to live with them where they are.

almondstriations~I have a lavender chiffon ROS too..it came with the house. Every year, I yearn for a different cultivar. Every year, I procrastinate until it becomes a non-issue. My friend, the arborist, gave mine a nice freshening up last summer, so it's earned a reprieve...still, I know what you mean...

BUT, did you know these grow like weeds?? It wouldn't be sinful to give yours away (put out a FREE, U DIG sign) and start fresh with three of the same shrub, maybe lavender with a red eye (Blue Bird)?!

I admit, I don't get the flagstone path or the little hydrangeas, maybe it's just the angle of your photo...

For what it's worth, if I were to create a planting using the lavender chiffon ROS, I would use purple beauty berry shrub with them (Callicarpa spp.), the berries would nicely complement the ROS blooms.

BTW I love the color of your porch skirt, and the columns. Blue Birds would look so nice there...