rose of sharon start

is it possible to get a start of a rose of sharon bush and if so can some one tell me how? also do you know if you can start vinca by seed?

not sure about the hibiscus(rose of sharron) but vinca can be started from seed. Vinca can get out of control if you aren't watching it. So keep that in mind when you plant.

There are quite a few people who list it for trade--you might see if someone has a cutting of one that you like. http://davesgarden.com/community/trading/search.php?search_text=hibiscus+syriacus&showhave=on&submit=Search It'll be easier if you have something to trade for it, but some people are willing to trade for postage if you don't have anything to offer in exchange. Or if you want to buy a plant, when I lived in Ohio & Indiana lots of people had them so you should be able to find some at your local nursery too. Or look around your neighborhood--I bet there are a few people near you who have them and would be happy to let you take a cutting.

thank you for the info. my neighbor has a rose of sharron and is going to give me a cutting but she nor I know what to do once you get the cutting , do you stick it in water in a sunny window till it roots?

I don't know how they'll be in Indiana but here in Virginia they'll get away from you pretty quickly if you don't keep on top of them. They easily reproduce from seed here.
If they're willing to let you take several cuttings you'll increase your chances substantially.
Take the cuttings from the newest, softest growth available on the tree. Use as sharp a blade as you can - NO SCISSORS!!! A new, sterile razor blade is the best tool. BE CAREFUL!! The stem should be cut at an angle, again with a sharp blade. The object being to expose as much an "opening" as possible to the soil/water you'll be putting the cuttings into. The cuttings should be kept warm and moist obviously, with strong but not burning levels of light. At this point if you're using lights you could go on a 24 hour schedule. But really 18 hours a day should be good enough.
And the two words I haven't seen posted yet - rooting hormone. There are several types available. Some may be better that others for your purposes. I'll leave that research for you to do. Honestly, there may be no difference in them, I'm just not sure.
And in a nutshell, that's it.

Good Luck to you!!

edit: The cup o' water in the window sill might just work. Change the water daily and if using tap water let it sit for a while to dissipate the chlorine before putting the cutting into it. We used to give my girlfriends grandma an Amaryllis bulb every Xmas. Of course the bloom would get so heavy it would need propping up to fully enjoy the flower. She would walk out to here Rose of Sharon to get a stick to prop it up with. within days the stick would go from winter freeze to growing. She was the ONLY person I've ever met that I could say truly had a "green thumb". At 88 she was still collecting ginseng roots from the forest. She'd only dry a few. Most would end up in her beds, and they ALWAYS lived. Mrs. Shelton was incredible!

This message was edited May 10, 2010 10:03 PM

This message was edited May 10, 2010 10:11 PM