Honesty, until I owned 20 of them I didn't even know what Roses of Sharon where.  The previous owners certainly did, though. They planted Roses of Sharon along the fence lines.  Then, during a bitterly cold winter a few years ago some of them died leaving holes in shrubbery.  After watching them grow wild and boom for two years I decided to clean them up. 

So, last weekend Christy and I spend a day pruning and transplanting the Roses of Sharon. Some of the bushes where over 6 ft. tall and full, while others where haggard looking and leaning over. We decided to cut them back to a uniform size and give them a bit of shape.  We also transplanted six bushes in order to fill the holes get them away from the new apple tree.  Man, that was a big job.  We filled seven 30 lb garbage bags with cuttings and dug...and dug...dug. The reward will com in August when brilliant red flowers blanket the side of the yard.


Roses of Sharon last summer

If you don't know what Roses of Sharon are, they a shrub that comes from China and blooms in late summer.  They don't bloom for very long, but when the do it is glorious.  Each bush will be covered with hundreds a bright red flowers similar to a rose (but not quite).  They are very hardy and do well in the Midwest with little attention, which works well for me.

All in all, I have to say it was worth the work.  The look is so much better and I am eager for them to bloom.