No pain, no gain. Pruning your beautiful Hibiscus syriacus “Aphrodite” will leave you a more compact plant and no flowers for many months, but in return you will get a better-shaped tree with additional branches and blossoms. “Aphrodite” hibiscus thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 however 9 in which its ruffled single flowers, clear pink with deep-red eyes, lighting up the garden between June and October. The cultivar was designed from the National Arboretum and typically grows to 8 feet tall with an 8-foot spread. It is possible to maintain it smaller by pruning at any time between February and August.
Pour alcohol on a clean rag and rub across the blades of the pruning shears. Allow 15 seconds to allow the alcohol to eliminate disease-creating organisms before making a cut. Repeat after cutting dead, dying or diseased timber.
Early in spring, then select the longest one or stem which is out of proportion to this plant and then follow it down about one-third of this way in the stem shirt. Start looking for a leaf node facing out in the way you desire the stem to grow. Utilize the cut one-quarter inch above the node. Keep in mind while you’re pruning that new growth begins just below every cut you make.
Move to a different lengthy division and trim it back by at least one third. Follow the same procedure with every long division, pruning off one third or more in a manner that leaves the tree balanced and well-shaped. Always leave three or more nodes on every stem.
Prune the shorter unwanted branches several months after to give you a few blooms throughout the flowering season. Repeat the same procedure for shorter stems, cutting them back about one-third at a leaf node. Think about the total form of this plant as possible cut.
Renew the plant by cutting it entirely back in spring, if you would like. Prune it back to thick timber and main branches; the plant will regrow by midsummer and flower through fall.