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How to Plant a Rose of Sharon Hedge

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) is an old-fashioned type of shrub, but it is at home in any garden, whether casual or formal, and even fitting in with the clean lines of a modern garden. Sporting large pink, fuchsia or white blossoms from July through September, the rose of Sharon makes a delightful accent shrub and a decorative hedge.

Things You'll Need

  • Rose of Sharon shrubs
  • Garden gloves
  • Shovel
  • Soil amendments
  • Water
  • Mulch
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Instructions

  1. Planting Your Rose of Sharon Hedge

    • 1

      Determine your rose of Sharon hedge location and size, keeping in mind that rose of Sharon is a naturally large shrub. You can trim each plant to create a smaller hedge if you like. Rose of Sharon prefers full sunlight to partial sunlight, needs to be protected from harsh winter winds, and likes to have well-drained soil.

    • 2

      Determine how many shrubs you'll need for your hedge. You will be planting each shrub anywhere from 3 to 6 feet apart--from the center of one plant to the center of the next plant. As your shrubs grow and fill in, they will meet each other to form a hedge.

    • 3

      Dig holes for each rose of Sharon plant. Each hole should be approximately twice the width of the pot your plant is in. The depth should be roughly the same as the pot depth.

      According to Garden Guides, if your soil is very heavy and clayey, it may be necessary to amend it with a combination of peat moss or perlite and composted material. If the soil is very sandy, amend it with composted material or a mixture of composted manure and topsoil.

      Fill each hole to the top with water and allow the water to soak into the surrounding soil.

    • 4

      Remove each rose of Sharon plant from its pot, as you are ready to plant it. To get the plant out of the pot, Bluegrass Gardens suggests gently hitting the sides and bottom of the pots to loosen the plant. It may help to lay the pot and plant on its side to do this.

      Promptly place the shrub in its prepared hole, spreading its roots a bit and filling in with soil and firmly tamping both soil and plant into the ground. If the plant is root bound, slice the roots and spread them before planting. Cover the planted area with 1 to 2 inches of mulch.

      Repeat with each rose of Sharon shrub until your hedge is planted.

    • 5

      Thoroughly water each plant in. Repeat the watering every two or three days for two weeks, giving your shrubs a chance to establish themselves. If you are planting in very hot, sunny weather, continue regular watering for another two weeks until your plants are established.