Hi Everyone, I ordered some Rose Of Sharon bushes from an add in our local newspaper. When they came in the mail they were just small brown twigs, they looked dead. I planted them as the directions said and they started to grow very nicely. When I got them they were just 8 inches tall now they are 20 inches tall. Problem is they just stopped growing and are all turning light yellow and light green color. They were bare when I got them and are now full of bright green leaves. They grew fast and have now stopped growing at all. Is there anything I can do to help them start growing again? Or, have they just stopped for the winter time? Thank you all for any help. Richie Cooper
Maybe they just quit like so many things do, this time of year. Not because of winter, just late the summer thing to do. Rose Of Sharon bushes are pretty hardy. Don't worry, if they don't come back in the spring, try again. but don't cut them down, just be patient.
If the tree was bareroot when you bought it then a minimum of growth above ground is normal. It has to acclimate to the soil it is in, the growing conditions and develop a sturdy root system first and foremost. A plant of any kind has to when it is stored and sold bareroot. If it was in a pot when you bought it, there could have been some minor root damage when being planted that it is recovering from, which again is more important to the plant than putting out and maintaining leaves and growth. Your weather probably has signaled them to start the process of going dormant too and since they are very young plants they will react quicker than a well established plant. Keep watering them like normal while the weather is warm and dry, the roots never go complete dormant on diciduous plants. And before you get any really cold weather, cover them with a deep layer of mulch. They should come back nice and strong next spring.
I covered one last winter and ran out of burlap for the other one in that area. The covered one has done better and are now blooming. I have one in the front yard too that I do cover or wrap with burlap so the rabbits don't chew on it...Good luck with yours...I find here that if I water them too much the buds turn yellow and fall off..Sherry
