How to Grow a Rose of Sharon Bush From Cuttings

Rose of sharon, also known as hardy hibiscus, is a sturdy, drought-tolerant shrub that will bloom in late summer, adorning the landscape with double or single blooms in shades of lavender, red, blue, pink, purple and white. Rose of sharon is a neat, upright shrub that requires very little pruning. Although it is a deciduous shrub, in warmer climates, rose of sharon may remain green year 'round. Rose of sharon can easily be started from stem cuttings in early and midsummer.

Things You'll Need

• Sharp knife or garden pruners
• 4-inch pot
• Coarse sand
• Peat moss
• Saucer
• Pencil
• Rooting hormone
• Plastic bag
• Rubber band
• Stakes or wire hoop

Instructions

1. Use a sharp knife or garden pruners to cut an end from the end of a healthy rose of sharon branch. The cutting should have at least three sets of leaves, and should be about 4 to 6 inches long. Make the cut at an angle, just below a leaf.

2. Fill a 4-inch pot with a mixture of half coarse sand and half peat moss. Set the pot in a saucer of water and allow it to draw water through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot until the soil is evenly moist.

3. Strip the leaves from the lower half of the rose of sharon stem cutting, leaving the upper leaves intact. Dip the end of the stem cutting in rooting hormone.

4. Make a hole in the potting mixture with your finger or with the eraser end of a pencil, and plant the rose of sharon stem cutting in the hole up to about half of its length. Be careful not to knock off too much of the rooting hormone. More than one cutting can be planted in the same pot, but leave space so the leaves don't touch.

5. Put the pot in a plastic bag, and secure the bag with a rubber band. If necessary, put some stakes or a piece of wire bent into a hoop shape in the soil to keep the plastic lifted off the cuttings and soil.

6. Place the pot where it will be in bright but indirect light. Don't put the pot directly in a window, or in bright sunlight, because the plastic bag will increase the heat and the cutting can be burned.

7. Maintain a high level of humidity in the bag. Check every day, and if the soil is dry, remove the pot from the bag and set it in a saucer of water until the soil is damp. Never allow the soil to become soggy, because the cuttings will rot.

8. Check the pot in two to three weeks to determine if the rose of sharon cutting has taken root. The easiest way to determine this is by pulling gently on the cutting. If you feel a slight resistance, the stem cutting has rooted. You may also be able to see the fine, white roots in the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot.

9. Remove the pot from the plastic bag and return it to indirect light. Continue to keep the soil moist by watering it from the bottom. The new rose of sharon shrub will be ready to plant outdoors in spring.

Tips & Warnings

• Wipe the knife or pruning shears with rubbing alcohol. This will eliminate the chance of passing bacteria or disease to the rose of sharon stem cutting.

• Keep the cuttings cool and damp until you're ready to plant them. Put them in a plastic bag or bowl with damp paper towels, and keep them in the shade.

References

• NC State University: Plant Propagation by Stem Cuttings: Instructions for the Home Gardener
• University of Missouri Extension: Home Propagation of Garden and Landscape Plants
• U.S. Forest Service: Hibiscus syriacus Rose-of-Sharon