Rose of Sharon

This is a self-pity post. I'm missing my old place today, especially the Rose of Sharon which are in full bloom wherever I drive. You see, I planted LOTS of Rose of Sharon  along the road at our old place for privacy and beauty. I scavenged volunteers from underneath the bush on the front slope and planted them in long, thin rows on either end of the property. I envisioned a hedge. (You can barely make them out in the above photo.)

The neighbors probably thought I was crazy. My husband was patient with me though, despite my doing this unannounced, and helped me to mow around them when they were small and it was a pain. But soon, with repeated plantings and with dedicated pruning, I did indeed have a hedge that afforded us tons of privacy, beautiful blooms in 4 colors, and something else to be proud of. (The blooms are just ending in the photo below- you can barely make them out, but these bushes were always laden with large flowers when in season.)