Rose of Sharon with No Buds

[Jenny]

The small Rose of Sharon I planted last year has no buds at all. My neighbors' are all in bloom.

It has healthy foliage which broke dormancy at the right time.

Is this possibly because it is still young, or could it be that something ate the buds off last fall? I have an occasional deer problem.

--Jenny

[Vox Humana]

I have some that I planted 4 years ago that are blooming for the first time this year. Mine were planted in very dry, shady areas. I put one in a sunny spot that year and it bloomed the next year and is much bigger than the others. It self-seeded itself, and the seedlings have not bloom yet. So, I think the short answer is, "yes." They are too young.

[Stewart Robert Hinsley]

In message , Jenny writes

To the best of my knowledge H. syriacus blooms on the current years wood, so something eating the buds last fall would be an unlikely explanation.

H. syriacus will lose its flower buds if it gets too dry. (That's why I'm giving up growing them in pots.) But I expect you would have noticed if this had happened.

Is it a cultivar or a seedling? If it is a seedling being too young is plausible, but grafted cultivars flower at quite a small size.

[Jenny]

Thanks for the helpful replies!

This hibiscus syriacus was a little Home Depot cheapie as I wasn't sure I had enough sun available to invest in an expensive one.

It looks healthy and it's growing, so maybe next year it will surprise me. It's getting about 5 hours of sun where I've planted it, and it is not too dry.

--Jenny

[Ray Pearson]

that's pretty much how it works, we have LOTS and they bloom the second year in. sometimes even wait til 3rd.

[Dana Schultz]

I started some from seeds and gave half of them to my mother. That was two years ago. Hers are full of buds in full sun and mine have nothing in lots of shade. My guess is patience.

[Ray Pearson]

all of ours are in direct full sun, they love sun and once they are settled in (1 year) you can't hardly kill em if you try.