Marianne's Response

Something is eating my unbloomed Roses Of Sharon flowers

I planted 4 Roses Of Sharon trees this summer (2 Roses Of Sharon Tree Form and 2 Roses Of Sharon shrub trees) Every morning when I go into my backyard to water my plants and trees (and sometimes evenings after work) I find all of my unopened Roses Of Sharon buds lying on the ground all around the trees. Something appears to be nibbling them or knocking them out of their sockets before they have a chance to bloom and I don’t know what is causing this or what predator is knocking pulling these unbloomed buds out of their bud sockets and ruining them. I am very frustrated and want to know how I can prevent this from happening so I can enjoy the beauty of these blooms and protect the long term health of all of these trees. At my wits end. HELP!?

Posted by Richard Holland on July 27, 2018

Marianne's Response

This sounds familiar - my own Rose of Sharon tree was surrounded by fallen buds and I eventually determined that a squirrel was chewing them off. Are there squirrels in your area? The other thing you may consider is if the soil is drying out. In times of drought this shrub will drop buds to conserve energy for foliage growth. This most often happens with newly planted shrubs like yours as the root system is still forming and aborting the buds allows the plant to put more energy into root and leaf growth.  If the shrub looks otherwise healthy I would keep an eye out for critters and wait until next summer when the plant is more established to enjoy full blooms. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti

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