Normally the Rose of sharon have begun to bloom by now. Instead my 'Blue Satin' Rose of sharon tree form has, only in the last week, begun to set a few fairly good sized bloom buds. Most likely the setback in bloom timing on my RoS is due to the stress it suffered over our Easter freeze. The same can be seen with our local crape myrtles which mostly have seemed to be set back a couple weeks from their normal beginning bloom burst. For me, the sluggish bloom burst for my 'Blue Satins' has been helpful though. This year, since my RoS tree has managed to leaf out with new branch growth, which hardened off before the blooming began, I was able to take some cuttings and root them. Last year I had tried to do that, but those cutting failed due to my RoS blooming almost before the new growth branches had even hardened off. I can tell that the four cuttings I stuck in potting soil and set under the east side canopy of my mature Scarlet Oak tree are now just beginning to root. With our almost entire month of June's daily rain events they are showing promise that they now are well on their way to developing good root systems. I am very happy that ,now even if some of the potted Blue Satins I purchased from the nursery last week turn out to be mislabeled, and different cultivars, I can be assured that at least my 4 cuttings, which have rooted for me will truely be my 'Blue Satin' cultivar that I like so much.

Yes, Kate, and I blame all of you for enabling me!!! Convincing me to place a 2nd fall rose order! Endangering my planned trip to the camellia garden nursery! Infecting me w/ 'what's over the next hill' disease! Tantalizing, tempting and luring me into 'money poor, rose rich' land! I ordered 2 roses in spring '06, 2 in spring '07, then 5 in the summer, now it's fall and I've gotten 6 and 3, and just ordered another 6, and I'm trying to add 1 add'l rose to my order!!! What do you call this? Exponential growth? maybe LUNACY would fit better! While I have quite a bit of space, I don't envision it being swallowed up by roses! I like low care shrubs and perennials- anything that doesn't have to be mowed! Brandy

Kavell, Rose of Sharon only blooms on new growth, not old growth that was there from last year. If you prune them in the early spring before they start putting on leaves, they will grow and bloom in late summer on the new growth. Pruning a Rose of Sharon doesn't stop it from blooming, it encourages it, because it will grow and bloom on the new growth. Timing of the pruning is what counts. If the ROS had set buds already and then it was pruned, it won't bloom because the buds were cut off for that year. That is why it is especially important to prune in very early spring. DOn't worry about your bushes or tree-like ROS. Next spring just prune them back by 1/3 or less. Very early spring. No later than mid April. They will grow and set buds in May and June for their blooming again next summer which is probably towards the end of July sometime. Remember, don't prune off More than 1/3 of the plant. Don't fertilize the plant til July, if you must fertizile. You don't want to feed a stressed out plant, and by pruning it in early April, you are stressing it out. Good Luck! It'll be fine for you, you'll see. They're very hardy.

I am having the exact same problem and it is the second year for this. Some of the buds just barely start to open and then nothing. Last year I watched the buds just drop off having never opened - very annoying. I fertilized this year and so far no difference. I did notice some very small (smaller than a grain of rice) white fuzz on a few of the buds and I'm wondering if they are being attacked by something... Sorry this isn't much help... I'm thinking of taking one of the buds with the white to a nursery to see if they can help me identify the problem.