Very easy to buy a young plant and train it/prune it to a single trunk. Rose of Sharon blooms on first year wood. Handsomer, I think, than the single trunk is training to 3 or four, with blooms at the top. Done this way, it looks something like a crape myrtle.

Often forms 3 or 4 dominating large trunks anyway. Lollipop trees like one shown available in nurseries, ask around at independent garden centers to see if there are any plans to order some for next year. Or look online, maybe with "syriacus standard" or "syriacus tree form".

I've had luck with those ordered from Greenwood Nursery in Tenn. I believe Diana is sterile.

Here is a link that might be useful: Greenwood Nursery

I don't believe there is any special type of rose of sharon tree like in the picture. The person probably pruned a standard rose of sharon to obtain the shape. I have a few rose of sharons and prune two. I keep one about 4' tall. It's getting a nice thick trunk and is looking good. Another rose of sharon I have is actuall two different colors planted in the same hole. I keep this larger but didn't want a huge plant. You should prune in the early spring right before new growth starts. The new growth will grow and they will flower. Good luck. Oh the only thing I don't like about these is the self seeding. I have seedlings popping up in my adjacent flower bed and elswere. Must be hundreds of them to pull and cut so I don't get a rose of sharon forest.

Blue Satin Rose of Sharon is a very strong grower, has the most beautiful blue colored blooms, and can be pruned into a single trunk ornamental tree form.

I have several of this cultivar growing at different stages, and all of them seem to be sterile.

This cultivar is in high demand but short on supply, and in the last couple years I have only seen small sized ones at the local nurseries.

The first one I purchased several years ago was a 3 gallon pot size shrub form Blue Satin, that I have planted and am trying to prune into a single trunk. It is currently only about 3 feet tall, and will take a few more years of developing to look as nice as the different cultivar, RS tree forms I see offered at the nursery.

There have been some past GW postings on this forum which suggest to let the RS grow to the desired tree height and then do some drastic pruning on the shrub to bring it into a tree form.

I have begun pruning my Blue Satin Rose of Sharon to a tree form from the time I first planted it. At that time it was only about 15 inches tall. After just less than 3 years of growth and pruning, it now has a one foot tall (1 inch thick, clean trunk) with an upright growing two foot tall, vase shaped canopy. This upcoming growing season should be the first time this RS will be considered as having become well established, so I'm expecting it to gain another 2 feet or more in height before it goes dormant again; late next fall.

If I prune it correctly I hope to begin Spring 2009 with it progressing to an almost 3 foot tall nicely developed trunk. By then it also should have developed a 6 foot tall vase shaped canopy. If not, I will not prune for a taller trunk until the canopy matures to a 6 foot or slightly taller height.