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To shape it into a tree, choose one large dominant branch and cut away all others.
When to prune?
In colder climates, once the plant freezes, cut it back to several inches above the ground. New growth will emerge in mid spring. Pruning in the fall/winter can encourage new growth which will be prone to cold damage.
When the first frost nips off the leaves, cut back the shrub to 12 inches above the ground and cover it with a cardboard box. Mound pine straw over the box to insulate the stem and roots. Uncover it in late March; the stem should put out new shoots immediately.
You can cut back 1/3 to 1/2 of the branches down to 1/2 up to 6 inches above the ground of the stem and then prune the rest one month later. This way you will reduce the size, get a fuller bush and still have flowers. Remember heavy pruning can delay blooming. You can also prune lightly throughout the year. In colder regions Confederate rose will die back to the ground and the roots will send up new growth which bloom that summer.
There are several ways to propagate a confederate rose.
Fall: try rooting your cutting in water, or in a bucket of damp sand and keep it out of direct sunlight. Store in a cool (not freezing) spot for the winter. If that doesn’t work try it in the Spring with new growth. Start with a pencil-thick 5-6 inch cutting of firm new growth, strip off the lower leaves and insert cutting in a mix of 3 parts sand to 1 part peat. Rooting is quicker and should take 4-5 weeks. Transplant when the plant is dormant or in early spring.
After the flower turns red a seed pod is formed which can be opened and the seed planted to form new plants.
These estimates for how long Confederate rose takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.
Average days | Min days | Max days (0)
Average days | Min days | Max days (0)
Average days | Min days | Max days (0)
Dixie rosemallow, Confederate rose shrub, Cotton rose
Hibiscus mutabilis L.