Q.One Rose of Sharon leafed out mine did not
I moved into a house two years ago to discover I had a 10 year old
pink Rose of Sharon behind the bedroom window, My neighbor, same house
style also has one in purple and same age and size. The are in the same
place behind the houses, a NW view and about 20ft. apart. Her’s is leafed out
as of now 6/3/19 in Illinois, mine looks dead so far therefore I am worried now.
At the end of September last Fall I saw the middle area was dead so took off those
branches..so it’s sort of in a big V shape right now and about 13ft. high and 7ft
wide. Do I wait, take it out and replace it? Frustrated!
Considering how cool much of spring has been in IL, I wouldn't give up yet. Rose of Sharon is an hibiscus and relishes warm weather. Given the need for pruning last year, I'd give it extra time just for that. Does it get direct sunlight for at least 4 hours daily? Do you supply a few inches of compost under the shrub annually? This is all the food RoS needs and it doesn't need to be dug into the soil. It may be time to reduce the overall height. Remember that two of the major goals of pruning are to remove old, less productive wood and to thin side branches so sunlight can reach down to the shrub's base. Remove branches that cross, any stem that is growing toward the middle of the plant and 1/3 of the oldest stems right to the ground. The first article is general care of Rose of Sharon and the second one is pruning RoS
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rose-of-sharon/rose-of-sharon-bush.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/rose-of-sharon/pruning-rose-of-sharon.htm
