Rose of Sharon bonsai

[HoneyHornet]

(Sorry in advance if this is in wrong section)

I have rose of sharon growing all over my dads yard,in the sideyard the neighbors dog mauled some i had my eye on..of course they grow like straight spindles for most part,so of course the dog destroyed the couple that actually had some flavor...well I pulled them anyway this spring and they are turning into some favorites of mine

 

[HoneyHornet]

Little gin

 

[JudyB]

Do you get flowers on these?

 

[HoneyHornet]

So far only on this one has produced flower... it put off one at a time I would say a total of maybe 3 or four at most and they got stronger as it kept re attempting to flower.. as in the first one the blue work week and shriveled and then after that drop that pushed another one out that was in a little bit better shape this one in the picture is either the 3rd or the fourth and it was the first one to come in with plump petals

These things are super resilient and beautiful in many different applications I've even worked at a house where a woman was pruning hers like a boxwood and that's literally how tight it was with buds so I just had some faith lol

I have one that's about 5 foot tall that I wired up call droopy and that thing filled out really nice and gave me some good bloomz I just like them a lot in general maybe it's because they pop up like wildfire at the property I was raised at

 

[JoeR]

I have two that I've been working on, they are literal weeds- near indestructible. Mine bloomed well for me this year. They are very flexible so don't hesitate to wire the hell out of them. Love water and lots of fertilizer

 

[HoneyHornet]

I have two that I've been working on, they are literal weeds- near indestructible. Mine bloomed well for me this year. They are very flexible so don't hesitate to wire the hell out of them. Love water and lots of fertilizer

Maybe they could of gotten more fert,still super healthy but I did ween off ,I was using 10 15 10 liquid dose in a gallon of water and getting my plants every other day almost for a period and then went to like once a week and now its here and there aha then again work sched in mor ing and school at night will do it

 

[HoneyHornet]

I have two that I've been working on

Tease with no pics eh? Lol would love to see how some established ones turning out

 

[HoneyHornet]

I want to throw some wire in the top of the smaller one shown and start giving it some more flavor

 

[JoeR]

Tease with no pics eh? Lol would love to see how some established ones turning out

I can't say they're "established" as the larger one got its first styling this year, and the clump was made this spring. Actually haven't posted mine before, but ive been growing them for a couple years. 4? They also can have dieback problems after large cuts, and the wood is soft and rots quickly.

 

[HoneyHornet]

Nice! That first one has sweet taper at that hard bend! And that one is a fatty i wish I had stock that thick to pull,there is a bunch of tall skinny ones at my dad's i was thinking on bending them up but i havent been over there

Short anecdote : I was doing tree service in the woods and saw an old rose of sharon that a tree fell on and bent the tip to the ground...and from years of being pinned to the ground and leaf fall and natural compost etc etc it fully rooted that top into the ground and it was a big arch it was beautiful..would have taken pics but we are working with chainsaws and soaked with sweat so i dont carry my phone out there lol gabe me ideas tho...i wanna try one of these arches lol

 

[HoneyHornet]

noticed one of mine is starting to get few yellow leaves...i read its common from overwatering and poor drainage but my mixes are a good ratio of inorganic and its been going strong and still looks healthy..still dont like the yellow

 

[HoneyHornet]

My wired guy..should have taken pics as it was blooming it was doing well but the buds havent been lasting long..they are commonly the last flowers still out going into fall..wondering how to boost that bud production..since this one is meant to stay tall id like it to produce since im not worrying about bud removal for the sake of harnessing the energy elsewhere into the tree

 

[HoneyHornet]

This one was growing out of the rocks in my dads koi pond,roots full developed in running water..a little meh but when i was weeding and he wanted it removed since he doesnt like the integrity of the liner to be compromised,I decided hey I'll take it haha

I like its little companion fern tho

 

[Nimster64]

I just bought two from the nursery I want to cut the main trunk down because they are tall. If I do that will they still sprout new growth?

 

[HoneyHornet]

I just bought two from the nursery I want to cut the main trunk down because they are tall. If I do that will they still sprout new growth?

Absolutely they can be cut pretty hard id wait til they are finished pushing new growth for the year but generally you can cut them wayyy back..they even shrub up and can be hedgey in time..ive seen some tight like a boxwood

 

[armetisius]

Few things to remember:
1) They are members of the hibiscus family and as such,
during growing season, they need feeding like mad.
2) Those straight "sticks" are very pliable and can be twisted
and wired into just about anything you want them to be.
3) The bark scars if you look at it too long. Paper wrap the
wires and watch for "biting" they can explode in a couple of days
and wires that were "fine" are suddenly half embedded in the bark.
4) They do not ramify out finely so plan it accordingly.
5) They are very up-reaching so whatever you do keep that in mind.
your branches are always going to try to climb. Something like a
Stewartia would be good.
6) Large cuts try to rot out. The do not have true wood for the core.
7) They are host or bait to nearly every insect or disease known to the
plant kingdom. Stay on top of your spraying schedule. Be very watchful
for ants. They tend to love this plant as a place to farm aphids on so they
can gather "honeydew" for food.

 

[HoneyHornet]

Very informative!I only got what I said about chopping it because I've had them in my yard and cut them down and they seem to come back fine but sounds like solid precautions to take

 

[Nimster64]

Absolutely they can be cut pretty hard id wait til they are finished pushing new growth for the year but generally you can cut them wayyy back..they even shrub up and can be hedgey in time..ive seen some tight like a boxwood

Thanks for the reply I will wait till late fall to do so. Or will spring be better and just plant the cuttings then or will the cuttings root if I keep them inside

 

[Nimster64]

Few things to remember:
1) They are members of the hibiscus family and as such,
during growing season, they need feeding like mad.
2) Those straight "sticks" are very pliable and can be twisted
and wired into just about anything you want them to be.
3) The bark scars if you look at it too long. Paper wrap the
wires and watch for "biting" they can explode in a couple of days
and wires that were "fine" are suddenly half embedded in the bark.
4) They do not ramify out finely so plan it accordingly.
5) They are very up-reaching so whatever you do keep that in mind.
your branches are always going to try to climb. Something like a
Stewartia would be good.
6) Large cuts try to rot out. The do not have true wood for the core.
7) They are host or bait to nearly every insect or disease known to the
plant kingdom. Stay on top of your spraying schedule. Be very watchful
for ants. They tend to love this plant as a place to farm aphids on so they
can gather "honeydew" for food.

Great info thank you so much I will keep them away from my other plants

 

[armetisius]

Very informative!I only got what I said about chopping it because I've had them in my yard and cut them down and they seem to come back fine but sounds like solid precautions to take

You can cut them way back. What I was talking about was cutting in to LARGE wood.
Mother had a peony flowered one at her left door yard. Carefully cutting back for years
it stayed fabulous. And the best time to cut IS immediately after flowering. Gives them
time to recover before rainy Winter gets to it. But my sister's orangutan of a husband
cut thru the main trunk about eighteen inches above the ground one Thanksgiving.
Leaving a naked seven inch trunk stump open to the elements. It never recovered. But
it did sprout back with like five trunks from the roots. Within two years the "old trunk"
had rotted off into the ground. Do what you want to, just be careful of LARGE open
wounds. The is NO "real wood" in the trunk and disease will run thru it like wild fire.