How to Trim a Rose of Sharon Bush

Overview

A great way to care for and maintain a healthy rose of Sharon is to give it a regular pruning. Pruning can keep the plant's height in check. It also can help shape the plant to act as a tree-like specimen, or a screen or hedge to divide a garden or cover a wall. No matter how you trim a rose of Sharon bush, the process is easy. After a good trim, you should see larger, beautiful flowers the same year.

Step 1

Wait until early spring to begin looking for swelling buds on the stems of your rose of Sharon. Because the rose of Sharon blooms on the current year's growth, it's important to leave at least two or three buds on each stem to ensure flowering.

Step 2

Pick branches to be trimmed based on the shape you want your plant to take. To keep the plant running a little shorter, trim all of the branches to 3 to 6 feet tall, making the full height about 8 feet. For a tree-shaped plant, only prune away branches from the bottom 2 feet of the plant.

Step 3

Cut away any new shoots coming up from the ground near the plant to help avoid competition. Snipping them at ground level should be enough to stop them. If you're pruning a hedge-shaped plant, allow the shoots along the sides to grow. Thin out only a few branches on the existing plant's body.

Step 4

Examine the plant once more after flowering to trim away old, weak or unproductive branches.