A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2005 Rose of Sharron question

The abandoned house across the street has a beautiful rose of sharron bush........I think you all know where I am going with this. Can I take a cutting from it to start another bush here in my own yard? If so how? Any help would be appreciated!

I bet if you look around the plant there are babies you can just pull up. I have cut branches and pushed them in moist soil and they root.

I looked around it and didnt see any but they have a neighbor who is mowing it like a man on a mission to kill the grass. So I will try to look closer. So you have just cut branches and they have grown roots? Gonna try that one see if it works. Any other suggestions from anyone would be helpful!

Karrie, I know rose of Sharon sets seed - which is why they pop up everywhere. They should be getting ready to quit flowering soon, if they haven't already - keep your eye out for seeds. If you want to try rooting a cutting, I'd snip off the top may be 4" of new growth and plunk that in some peat/pearlite and dab a little rooting hormone to the end of it. Pick off all but the top 1/3 leaves, and seal in a ziplock bag, keep in the shade. Give it about 6 weeks or so to form roots. good luck!

Karrie - my dad calls rose of Sharons the "nuisance plant" because seedlings pop up EVERYWHERE! He's not kidding!!! I planted 2 bushes - one magenta, one white, and am constantly pulling seedlings out of the grass - even mowing does not kill these babies! I believe I have some seeds, if you can't get one going from a cutting. Good luck!

I am gonna head over and look real close for seeds and seedlings. It is a beautiful bush. It has a few flowers and buds on it, but no seed pods that I could see. It is a double bloom very pretty. I am about to go dig up the whole bush! lol Naa couldnt do it. But its sad to see what is happening to that yard full of hosta beautiful leaves all different colors and they are just hacking at them. Its weed infestided now. She worked so hard on her flowers then divorce. You can imagine the rest!

Karrie - look around the base of the bush for little off-shoots. Dig those up and replant.

You could be right about not seeing many seedlings. The double rose of Sharon is a hybrid that does not seed as readily as the old fashion single bloom ROS.

It sounds beautiful. I would do a midnight dig also. LOL!!!

Hey Karrie,
I know the feeling. Same thing happened to me too. Do you have a miners cap lol?
I did the next best thing, I took care of the plants in the neighbors yard. I found more satisfaction and less guilt. Also made for better relationship when new folks finally moved in. Often times new neighbors just dig that stuff up anyway and chuck it or move it.
Don't feel guilty about taking a few cuttings or new sprouts, put them in your weed pail as you work on keeping everything else alive. Letting the weeds take over and ruining good plants is a bigger crime.

I would love to take care of them too but don't really have the time. I take care of my yard my moms his grandmas that there alone is 3 acres of mowing a week. Then there are my flowers and the neighbors flowers on this side of me. I take care of their 3 little beds. So I can have the seeds from their snapdraggons. I am busy and then when I do have some spare time I find a darn bush I want to go dig up!