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Rose of Sharon - is it dead?

16 years ago

Help! I have a hedge of 5 ROS. They've been there for around 5 years and have, in the past, bloomed beautifully.

This year, however, they look terrible. Out of the 5 plants, 1 has leafed out totally and has buds, 1 has no leaves at all - could it be dead? - and the other 3 ROS have very growth. I don't know if I should pull them out this Fall and replace them with another tall shrub, i.e. Limelight Hydrangeas or given them another chance next year. Any suggestions or ideas?

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Comments (2)

bud_wi
16 years ago
I posted in the Wisconsin Forum about mine. This year they did not leaf out until just recently and they still aren't really full yet. I don't see any buds either. I don't know why. Maybe a late freeze we had? Mine are always the last thing to leaf out in my garden and I am getting sick of looking at them just being sticks ten months out of the year and am going to rip them all out when the weather gets cooler. I've already purchsed the replacements.

If you break off a branch and it is still soft it is still alive. They just look dead all the time. The garden centers here have signs up warning people how persnickity they are so that people don't return them to the store saying they are dead.
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bellarosa
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the response. I'm thinking of pulling mine as well. What are you planting as a replacement? I'm thinking of Limelight hydrangeas. I've seen beautiful specimens of these at a nursery in Wisconsin - the name escapes me right now! I think its called Northwind nursery? Anyway, I'll cut back a few of the branches and see if they are alive. Thanks again.
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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
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Leave it be. If the tiny leaves are green and flexible, it's still alive. Fertilizing a stressed woody sounds like it should help. But it forces new leave to grow but as sit does to, it uses up the plant's reserves that it needs to recover from the stress. If the problem is due to winter stress, the plant may or may not recover. Only time will tell.
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