you keep cutting on them.. until they are in the shape you want ...

it might be called.. pruning for form ...

you usually have to start rather young ... rather than trying to reform a huge old plant ...

just dont leave stubs ...

buy some good pruning shears.. and go at it ... the process begins ... usually by removing some lower branches .... and it should take about 3 to 5 years to accomplish.. never remove too much at once ....

ken

The more it is cut, the more likely it will be to make suckers, so trim as little as possible, just for shaping when necessary. Trying to obtain a tree shape by removing lower branches would likely yield unpleasant results, a more bushy shape than before from an explosion of new lower growth. Starting with a specimen that hasn't been topped/pruned would be my goal. Let it branch naturally, when ready.

Thumbs up for Ken's response.

i would think that any cultivar could be pruned to that shape if you apply ken's suggested method.
here is an old one that appears to have been pruned when young to the tree form you like. it is located on a property with a house that predates the civil war but no way to know how long it has been growing there; probably not from the mid-1800's. i don't think they live that long.
anyway, it has a large trunk and a nice form. it was windy the day i snapped this photo; thus the windswept form.
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claga, what you describe is called 'standardizing.' So if you google that, you'll get step-by-step info.

Thank you all for your help...

jeff_al do you know the variety of the Rose of Sharon in your photo?
I really like the flower it produces.

Thanks

That pic is an example of a tree that was left alone to grow to a natural form/shape.

i doubt that this plant was "left alone" to produce this shape. that would be not be characteristic for this species of hibicus plant from my observations. they naturally grow into multi-stemmed shrubs, typically more bushy than this example. you can see some small whips coming out from the trunk that need to be pinched out.

claga,
i have looked online at some of the available cultivars and the one in the photo closely resembles one named 'blushing bride' but i am not certain.

The other thing you can do is plant it with a "tree tube" around it. That discourages branches near the bottom.

variety is irrelevant.. as to pruning it into the shape you want. ..

i dont understand.. why you seem to think otherwise ..

and lets be very clear ... sometimes you dont win ... and it will take years ...

ken

There are plants that come in varieties that naturally takes a "tree" form and varieties that take a "shrub" form. (eg. Holly) The OP was unclear whether Rose of Sharon is one of those, or the sort of thing that has to be pruned into a 'tree" shape. It's a legitimate question.

Yes, a Rose of Sharon can be tree shaped. Patience! I have 2 in the side yard that I prune every year a month after the last leaves fall. My rule is to leave 2-3 nodes on each branch. During the growing season I may 'rub' off the new buds on the lower branches and trunk to keep the inside clear. The pictures of are 2 different "trees" due to picture quality. I need to take some new pictures.
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