rose of sharon

[align=left]Hi, I am new to this site.* I was wondering if someone could answer a guestion for me.* I have just transplanted 65 rose of sharon's.* They are just sticks about 2-3 feet tall.* I was wondering how to get them to bush out.* I know to prune them in late winter but if I just trim a few inches off of them will this cause them to bush out enough instead of being a straight stick?* Eventually we want them to grow into a hedge.[/align]
[align=left]Thanks[/align]

Hi Bandmom,

You don't say where you live, but since it's getting colder where I am and you just transplanted them, I would suggest you wait until early spring before you prune them.* Give them time to let their roots establish.* I would suggest you prune them by one third to one half and remove all the flower buds the first year to help them get established.* You should find this helpful.* At this first site you can click on the plant sketch at the bottom and keep clicking on the plant in the pop up box to see how to prune.
http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/extras/51hedges.php
http://oldfashionedliving.com/roseofsharon.html
http://www.arborday.org/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?ID=170

Newt