Roses of Sharon

[mzdawn]

I just bought roses of sharon....how large do their roots grow if I put them next to the foundation will they get so big they might break through...

[The Helpful Gardener]

Easy one, Dawn.

Nope.

Have fun...

Scott

[Port Elgin Pete]

(My first time on the forum)

Our Rose of Sharon bush has small brown seed pods at the ends of it's branches. Should I just leave them, or should I be trimming those off?
(Not sure its age, but I believe it's around 10 yrs.)

Thanks in advance.

[Brad]

It makes no difference. Some people prune them off based on aesthetics, but it makes no difference in plant health or blooming ability.

[Port Elgin Pete]

Brad,

Thank you for the reply and the info - I was beginning to think the question was so dumb that it didn't warrant a response!

[Brad]

No problem man.

[Port Elgin Pete]

Ok, now I'm going to milk it and ask about my Japanese Red Maple! This may not be the right place to ask, but I thought I'd try here first.

(We bought this house last year and it has incredible gardens & trees/shrubs/bushes, but we're novices, thus the questions.)

The top foot, to foot-and-a-half of our JRM was barren all last year - no leaves! I can see that it looks like the same will happen again this year. These branches are a dead-looking grey-brown colour, whereas the rest of the tress has a nice healthy reddish-brown colour.

Should I cut these branches off at the point where they appear to have died? Or is there some other solution to this problem?

(I may be able to find a photo that shows the tree from last year, but that would take me a while.)

Thanks - Port Elgin Pete.

[Grey]

I'll have my hubby answer your Jap. Maple question when he gets in. He's wanting to grow them commercially and has been doing a lot of research.

My guess is to cut off the dead-looking branches as close to the trunk as you can so it keeps its shape.

[Port Elgin Pete]

Grey,

That's what I was thinking of doing.

Just to note that the branches I'm referring to go dead quite a ways away from the main trunk - they're at the far ends of the outer branches.

Looking forward to hearing from your husband.

Thanks again - Port Elgin Pete.

[Brad]

That is a fairly common occurance with most japanese maples. Kind of like mother nature doing a pruning job on your maple. The best thing to (like Grey said) is to prune off the dead tips. The new buds will break below and the tree will go from there.

[Port Elgin Pete]

Brad,

Guess I'll be getting the loppers out tomorrow and cutting her back.

Thanks for the advice.

[Grey]

My hubby said the same thing I did. Hope that helps ya - just try to shape the tree a little while you are cutting so it doesn't look weird.

[Port Elgin Pete]

Grey,

I think I'll step back from it frequently to get some perspective and try to keep true to the current shape.

It really is a beautiful tree located beside our 2-level pond, which makes it somewhat of a focal point in that part of the yard. I'd hate to butcher the thing and have to wait years until it comes back, so I will take my time with it.

If I make out ok, I'll post some photos once the it's full of leaves.

Thanks again - Port Elgin Pete.

[Grey]

You could also post a photo prior to your trimming and we can help you figure out where to cut, if you are not sure.

Good luck!