How to Prune Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) 

My dad planted a Rose of Sharon in the yard. He has passed away many years ago. The Rose of Sharon means a lot to me because of that. I have not touched it in many years it is so overgrown. I've been so intimidated to do anything with it. I am also from Connecticut so I appreciate you being from Connecticut. I now have the confidence to take care for my overgrown Rose of Sharon. Thank you so much for your video. Keep making the world look beautiful you have a great talent.

I'm so glad I found this. My rose of Sharon is getting more and more dense. It flowers profusely. Till now I've trimmed it down each year to keep it from getting higher than I could reach. Next year I'll be able to address the density.

I found it strangely touching when he showed the 3 eggs and mentioned the mom.

I picked up few ideas in trimming and just now finish trimming plumeria bush so lower buds can receive sun. I'm in Honolulu. Your video helped me more than what I perused earlier. Thank you and Aloha.

Very nice tutorial...

Thank you..saved this for a year and finally my Sharons look good!

Thank you for all the excellent details and zoom-in shots. This video was most helpful. I've just completed my pruning tasks in Manassas, VA, and will await the new blooms.

Great video with much needed information. My Althea's are getting crazy. If it stops snowing by April, they are all getting a spring trim. 🌿

Awesome video! Thank you so much for showing how to prune the Rose of Sharon.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. We moved into a house with a monster rose of Sharon bush! It seems to be similar to some old fashioned lilacs that I’ve pruned.

Great Video covering many aspects of pruning. Regards from Weimar Germany.

I have about 8 of these in my backyard and this video is exactly what I needed. I trim them a bit here and there but generally didn't know what I was doing. Going to get a saw like that too because some of mine are really bad.

I've learned a lot at my older age thanks

thanks for this great video, I have one that is about 3 years old...it's growing beautifully and I was wanting to shape. Can I prune it in th fall without damaging it for next season's flowering?

On my so happy I found this ! My beautiful Rose Of Sharon’s are out of control and so tall they are flopping together ! Thank you very much for this informative video 👍

Thank you

Hello, I want to keep the roots from spreading , would it work to plant it in an underground pot? Thanks

Thank you for your help.

Thanks. We have a monsta growing on our New England property. I wasn't sure if it was ok to give it a good hair cut.

We just bought a house with Rose of Sharon planted along the property lines. Most are still alive but I think they weren’t taken care of because branches literally snapped or easily pulled out of the ground when we attempted to clear the weeds around them. There are still many little shoots growing from the ground Is this a lost cause or will it regrow with some TLC?

Is there a picture or video that shows what this one looked like after blooming again?

I won’t ever want the shrub to get that tall. At the most 7ft. How do you keep them smaller?

I have a 3-4 Ft. young Rose of Sharon that doesn't need much height taken off but it has all last years buds on it. Should I cut all of the buds off?

it is mid october ,in michigan, and my bush is loaded with like flower pods of some kind,is that normal

question! Can you do this pruning in late fall, after it flowers?

Mines needs pruning really bad but I'll have to wait until it goes dormant, Fast growing & really Beautiful when blooming..Thank you for this video..WELL DONE~

What type and length of saw did you use

Do you have any update on this?

Still too tall...cut it down to 5 foot and round it a bit..

This was very helpful for me, as I inherited two bushes that are threatening to take over my front garden. There is s system to pruning and I think you demonstrated it very well, so thanks, neighbor!

One of the best "How To" ever. Thank you. I am looking forward to cleaning up my messy bushes. I am also struggling with the reseeding and spreading. Augh

I was looking for how to overwinter my hibiscus and then I found you! I have a literal forest of Rose of Sharon in my yard and I love them. But, I've never really set my day aside to prune them. Come next year I'm spending a weekend pruning my Rose of Sharon ! Thank you so much for teaching me how !!

Thanks for the great coaching and thanks too for looking out for the little robin family. So nice!

Thank you! My mom's Rose of Sharon is out of control and I'll try but wish you could come over and give her a haircut. So cute about the robin and eggs.

I love this video not only because of your exceptional expertise but you care for nature I. E. Mother Robin and her babies. ❤ thanks so much. I have a ton of Rose of Sharon some 60 years old that are gorgeous and self seeding in the corners of my yard too.. But need pruning and get a little more under control. I wanted to prune now before they get any buds but maybe I'll wait until winter so I can see what's really going on inside..

You're a great landscaper, but more importantly, you're just a really nice guy!

Very clearly explained and some nice personal touches. Thanks.

I’m a little confused now about my rose of Sharon! It’s more like smaller, individual sticks coming up, instead of his that looks like a big tree. Should I just leave my 4 sticks then?

Very helpful. I just wonder if this pruning can be done in the Fall around the end of October?

That's a nice pruning saw that you are using! Would you kindly let me know the brand? Thank you!

Detailed information that even a beginner can learn how to prune a Rose of Sharon. Thanks to the Expert!!

I love the branch up your nose 😂. I usually get a branch in the eye!!! I now have a large collection of safety glasses 🌿💗🌿

That intro was pure Tim and Eric. Loved it.

Thank you for sharing your expertise in pruning a rose of sharon. It was good.

Wow! Well done. I am a Master Gardener and I learned more thru your video. Thank you.

Smart bird! She picked a protective Holly! I’m going to prune my R of S today. I might have to get a wee bit brutal on it. It’s huge and gives too many seedlings. Nobody wants even one. Old Lyme, CT here!

Lovely video thank you. It would be helpful to know which month you’re in and were you are in the world.

Hi John; What kind of sunlight do they prefer? I bought 2 half wine barrels and planted a rose of Sharon bush in one and the other a rose of Sharon in a tree form 7 years ago in full sun. They have hardly grown. I’m in zone 8b Seattle, Washington area. I knew I would be moving when I originally planted them in barrels.

Man that's a monster I hope mine get that big

Great job 'before' and 'after'. The R.O.S. now appears more majestic, imho with its verticality and labor of love.

Thank you for the helpful, detailed info. New sub. I just bought 2, it's averaging 30-40 degrees here in zone 8 in mid November. Should I plant now with starter fertilizer or keep in garage until spring? Thanks!

Hi! I have a large Rose of Sharon in my front yard, it was hit by a car over the last winter, which cracked the base of the tree open, and caused it to lean over alot more than it already was. I would like to try and save it if i could, im curious how far back i can prune it, w/o killing it. It gets so top heavy when it reaches bloom, I figure I would trim half or more of it back, and bind the base together with something, and hope for the best.. right now its propped up, until i can figure out what to do with it. :/

great video! great explanation

I was told in in the early 50's when my grandfather came back to the dairy farm and build hi BIBill house these were the most affordable tree/shrub. Mine are in tree form but I Bonsai and propagate the millions of unkillable seedling. A spring after sprouting they are about 2 ft natural spear straight and great for bonsai or a hedgerow.

Ahhh, the dreaded branch up the nose... good video!

It was fun seeing the Robin's nest 💙

If I've let mine go to the middle of summer or flowering stage...am I out of luck watching it sag and possible break limbs? Or should I just trim until it stops sagging?

Thanks for an excellent and well produced tutorial. I appreciate your time and clear explanations.

My mom blasted her with the pressure washer and then the bark come off the plant and made it worse😮

Thanks, I have a two trunk plant, each trunk 6 inches diameter and 15 feet high - how do I prune that ?

Thank you for posting this! We just moved to Lincoln, NE from Albuquerque, NM and have one about 8 feet tall in the back yard. I had no idea how to prune it, or maintain it, but now I feel confident I can do it properly.

Can such huge shrub be relocated? Or can I use the branches to start new shrub? We have two and would like to relocate if possible

Thanks for the tips I am dealing with my first rose of sharon in which came with our house. It fell over recently and I am learning a lot.

Thanks for showing it! I always read to cut down dead branches and crossing branches, but I inherited a garden (with years of no pruning for a lot of the shrubs, etc.) so this has been a learning process for sure! (Ours is flopping over in July and I wasn't sure how to start). I assume all these work for hibiscus double red althea as well

Question; you focus on removing any crossing or rubbing branches, but I'm curious to know if a Rose of Sharon can be trained to spiral. Is this possible?

Thank you for the video. Could you add a link for the hand saw you were using?

One quick question - my Rose of Sharon still has the dead dried up flowers leftover from last year. The plant continues to flower every year with them on, but for proper care, should I remove these?

I was just given two rose of sharons by a neighbor and I had no idea they could get this big. Glad I found this video!

Thank you for the video. My old Rose of Sharon needs pruning. I also have a young sugar tip one that has gotten too tall and is top heavy especially on windy day.

Thank you🎉

If you cut out all the middle stems, will it still look full when it flowers, or will it take several years to fill back in? Can you over prune it?

Thank you so much! What kind of tool is this? Brand? I need one!

Nice video, I've got a large Rose of Sharon I was wanting to prune but will I have to wait till early next Spring? Or is there a sooner time I can try it? Thanks!

Great info and demo!! Thanks for sharing. I have one I got on clearance at Walmart years ago, I couldn't believe it even survived. But good grief, I wanted it as an ornamental type tree and the darn thing is as big as my crepe myrtles. I hate I can't do anything with it this year.

Would it be safe to split a a Rose of Sharon at the root to create two or three from a big bush?

Should I trim the Rose of Sharon early spring of late fall?

Very helpful video. I would like to know what kind of hand saw you are using. I use longer version and end up nipping branches that I don’t want to cut out. Thank you.

do you recommend "painting" the cut branches with the black preserver stuff (not sure what it is called) so that the tree/bush is not damaged? or when you prune any trees/bushes, is it alright to just leave them to heal?

44 degrees the coldest winter🤣🤣🤣🤣 In Cleveland that would be the warmest temperature in winter. Nice video though! Thanks for sharing.

How about a picture of how it looks with foliage?

I guess being almost the end of may it’s too late to transplant?

Oh wow I never knew. I was cutting it all the way to nothing. And it still came back every Summer as big and beautiful as always . But my rose of Sharon doesn’t grow as huge as yours, mine is about 5’ tall at most and my branches are not as thick as yours . I do love this bush. The huge beautiful pink flowers. They close at night and open in daytime. Next to my beloved butterfly bush, my rose of Sharon is my favorite shrub. Now I know to not cut it so much anymore. I didn’t know. I feel so bad.

What about the pods from the flowers they look ugly.

My ROS hedge is getting tall...maybe 10-12 feet and spindly. Can I top *gasp* these to encourage thicker shrub-like growth? I'm waiting until all seed pods are harvested (autumn). Thanks for tips. :)

Thanks, and thanks for your concern for the Robin. It reminds me of the stone carving of a Robin and her nest at the top of a column in Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria, BC, which commemorates the builders halting construction in that area until the eggs were hatched.

Do you have any tips on how to get rid of mold or moss growing on rose of Sharon?

Can I prune in the fall instead of spring?

I wish you were in Masachuetts to help me. I have these bushes growing in my front yard. 6 all together. 3 down either side of my front yard. They are so out of control. I don't know where to begin. We were just going to use electric hedge clippers. Glad I came upon your video. I wonder if a regular landscaping company would know how to trim them back.

Is rose of Sharon okay for walking canes or staffs?

Wow! I did not know they grow up like a tree. I thought it was a small growing bushes. My son gave to me for mother's day (2021). I'm not sure where to plant. Not near the house. It's a lot of work I see. Your Information is very good. Thank you!

...and then you have this one single branch, sticking up amongst the shorter ones that I already cut to nubs. We'll get rid of that one too. >saw saw saw saw< Just kidding. Looks good over all.

sweet soul who honored that mama bird, a quick question...can this be done in late fall - Nov/Dec after all the leaves have fallen?

Its mid October and in Zone 4 (Ohio), we had our first frost. I just transplanted a Rose of Sharon from the backyard to the front yard last week and the leaves are drooping. Do I eave it alone or should I cut it back in preparation for winter?

I appreciate this video. But I have a question. I inherited an overgrown Rose of Sharon. Its extremely tall with only 5 huge branches. I'm not sure what I need to do with it. It desperately needs rejuvenation. I'm tempted to just get rid of it but I'm sentimental to these old fashioned plants. I wish I could post a picture.

Love your videos...so very helpful. I'm glad I watched your how to on pruning my tree hydrangeas...they have a massive growth of wild wood. I'll be having some fun! Also, when is the best time to transplant the tree type hydrangea's? I have a white one and a pink one.

You're great, man! Thanks a lot for the help.

!2" of snow on the ground can't wait to start pruning my Rose of Sharon. have always been afraid to start. You have given me the confidence to do it. Even if I have to take my lap top to the bush. It's highest point is about 10' and next to the driveway. Can you tell me the make of your pruning saw ?

Our Blue Bird Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus Syriacus) is loosing so many flowers buds before they bloom. We have almost 200 of these fallen on the ground. Its such a pity. Please advise what to do. Thank you

My boyfriend bought a house last year and a friend of ours is giving me one of the pups off her own Rose of Sharon. I've already started tearing up the front of our yard to get ready for it next year, this is the first video I've found that explains it's pruning care in ways I can easily understand!! Do the pruned areas sprout new growth and how quickly? I've never had to prune anything (I just have my indoor pothos)

Excellent video. Thank you!