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Rose of sharon won't bloom

18 years ago

Anyone know why my rose of sharon won't bloom? It is about 4 ft tall, and is loaded with buds that look like they are about to open, but they don't. This is the 2nd year it has done this. Last year I thought maybe it was still getting established, so I didn't think much of it, but now that it's doing it again this year, I think it must not be happy with something. The tree looks healthy overall. Thanks for any info.

Will

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Comments (6)

Realist1216
18 years ago
Are you fertilizing?? Is shrub getting enough sun? My Rose of Sharon is all budded up also and so far only a very few blooms. Same last year. I am going to transplant to a sunnier area and fertilize. Did not realize until I read entries in this forum that Rose of Sharon needs to be on a regular fertilizer schedule!!
wqcustom
Original Author
18 years ago
It's definately in full sun, so maybe I'll start to hit it with some regular fertilizer. Thanks for the tip.
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Snow is a good thing in winter! It's the perfect insulation for them so don't be worried about them getting snow piled on. You want the roots and crown of the rose to be protected from the freezes and thaws of early spring. You will probably have cane die back but as long as the root and graft union are protected the rose should fine. These sound like they are hybrid tea roses which do grow taller and narrower than floribundas or shrub roses. But with out a picture to see what the canes look like it's hard to say if you've lost your graft and now have root stock growing. Pictures of the canes and the base of the plant where the canes are coming up from would be very helpful. Try and check the base of the rose and see where those canes are coming from. There should be a big sort of knotty looking part where the roots go down from and the canes come up from. That's called the bud union where one variety of rose has been grafted unto a different variety for the root stock. The root stock is usually a variety that is very vigorous so they graft a less vigorous rose to it to make it grow bigger, stronger and faster. If the bud union is killed the root stock may come up from the ground. See if the canes you have are coming from the top of the graft area or from below ground where the root stock is. If the bud union was buried you may have to carefully remove some soil to see where those canes originate from.
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If you have tried to dig it up and it has come back, then Jeri is right, you have rootstock. Yes, it is very tough; that's why it is used for rootstock. There are a about a half-dozen roses commonly used as rootstock and they all bloom only once a year, in spring. (Many other roses are also once-bloomers.) You can't force them to bloom. So you will have to wait until next year to see it bloom. Don't prune it. I had several Dr. Huey's in my yard when I bought my house. They had been mowed and chopped down. It took two years for them to bloom after I let them grow (to be sure they were rootstock). I kept one for display purposes and got rid of the rest.
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Hi edlincoln, just my personal experience, no expert....I planted 2 new Rose of Sharon bushes in Sept of last year, and only got a few flowers...I think they work on their roots a lot the first year, and if they have the energy they bloom. They only bloom on new wood too. Also, they wake up much later than other plants in the spring as they require a warmer soil temperature before leafing out. I would say close to August for blooms. I put mulch around it, but not around 6" from the trunk, don't want rot, but helps keep moisture in and protect roots in winter. Maybe someone else will know more. Goodluck, I bet it'll be beautiful with blooms this coming summer....can't wait for mine!
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wmc1
18 years ago
All mine come in full bloom every year in full sun. Don't ever fertilize them, and never had problems.
cmargo
18 years ago
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.
tina1217
18 years ago
The bud drop could be caused by gall midge. Place some buds in a sealable plastic bag. After a day or two, you may see the very small yellowish worm-like larva on the plastic. Control the midge affecting buds with Orthene sprays as needed. Hope this helps.
Diane D
2 years ago
Mine has never bloomed at all in 11 years. Every year it is loaded with tons of buds that never open. Breaks my heart.

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