My 6 ft. Rose of Sharon has now lost all its leaves. The tree faces west. (Toronto, Ontario Nov. 17 ) There are about 15-20 closed buds ( acorn size ) that did not bloom or open. Should I just cut off each bud now or wait till spring? Do I just cut off the buds or remove the entire branch back to the main stem? I want to encourage growth next spring.
Hello – I think what you are seeing are not buds on your Rose of Sharon but seed pods. The seed pods will continue to dry over the winter and eventually split open and drop seed to the ground. Come spring, you could see the beginning of some new Rose of Sharon shrubs! Rose of Sharon is known to self-seed prodigiously so many gardeners prefer to avoid letting the shrub set seed. If the Rose of Sharon flowers are deadheaded once they finish blooming, no seed pods will develop. If you want to avoid any chance of self-seeding, you can remove the seed pods now by just snipping off the pods. If that is not a concern, they can be removed whenever you would typically prune your Rose of Sharon. If you’d like to read more about Rose of Sharon seed pods and how to grow new shrubs from seed, I’ve included a link to a good article below. I’m also including a link to an article on when and how to prune Rose of Sharon to encourage growth next spring.