Question
Hello: This spring I purchased 2 rose of sharon 'sticks'.  I puchased them from an online nursery that is well known and I've had success with their plants in the past.  The rose of sharon that I purchased are to be blue in color when they bloom.  However,.. they haven't grown at all.  They were approx 10" tall when I received them as a bare root.  The root system looked very good and I planted them at different locations, not beside each other.  ..neither one has gotten any leaves on them or grown taller and they've been in the ground 2 months.  I did spade around one of them and lifted it to see what the roots were doing or if it was dead..and I found a BUNCH of little growing straggly roots growing like mad..but nothing is showing on the 'stick' that is above ground.  It just looks like I planted a stick.  There are some places on the 'stick' where leaves are to grow out from..but they aren't even bulging like a leaf is forming.  One of the 'sticks' did have a dried seed pod on it when I got it..but even that leaf area isn't looking like anything will develop there.  My question is..;   Should I give up on these and plant something else there, do you think I just need to give them more time?    Or might something be wrong that is just making the roots go straggly and causing the plant to not develop above ground?   ...should I maybe cut the roots back and replant?.. help!   Kind Regards,..and Thank you. Connie

Answer
Connie,
If the roots looked white and healthy, then I would recommend putting down some slow release granular fertilizer, preferably with some mychorrizae, to stimulate root and top growth.
If the roots looked brown or black, then it is time to give up on them, unless the bark in the stem is still green (scratch with your nail to check). If there is still some life, use a rooting hormone to reestablish the root system.
Good luck.
Ed Gulliksen