Rose of Sharon: A Showy Summer Bloomer

4. Prune this shrub a little bit to maintain its appearance

Gardening experts suggest cutting Rose of Sharon back to a height of four to six inches before new growth starts to emerge in the late winter or early spring. If you prefer a fuller shrub with bigger flowers, cut the plant back to one-half its size in late spring. Through careful pruning in the first two years, you can easily train these plants to grow against a supporting structure. Or, prune it to have a single trunk so that it behaves and looks more like a tree. Remove all suckers that appear at the bottom of the trunk. Snip off fading flowers and their seed pods to prevent spread.