I planted mine in the spring. It is blooming first year. I've planted things this time of year but they need to be watered well. Rose of Sharon also likes a good amount of sun. If you can keep it watered well until autumn it may do fine. It seems odd you would get green stems and then they die later. Maybe there wasn't enough sun or water.

ROS likes well-drained soil. What is your soil like?

Thanks both for your help:-)

Sunnytop; I didn`t water very much after planting it last autumn, I thought I couldn`t water that late. Then I will try that the next time.

Watergal; the soil seemed fine when I planted but I mixed in some soil I bought. Now this year I have seen the soil maybe isn`t well draining.

I planted it near a south/westfacing part of my foundation, so it received a lot of sun at least.

I will definitely try to plant a rose of sharon again, at least since it seems to be a possibility that it can survive. Then I will try to water it well before winter and make a bed with well draining soil.

Ha, I've tried to kill them and I can't. I ripped one out from a heavily shaded & neglected area (heavy clay). I had every intention of tossing it out, and it was in the barrel, but after a few days, I decided to plant it elsewhere. It came back with a vengence. I have tried to kill them and I can't. My neighbors plant spews out hundreds, if not thousands of seed each year (he doesn't know the meaning of the word 'prune' or 'deadhead'). Needless to say, I'm forever removing sproutlings and babies from my yard.