Question
Hi Jim,
I really know nothing about pruning trees.  I live in North Carolina.  I have two rose of sharon trees about 12 to 15 ft apart.  One of my rose of sharon trees looked to be dying, the branches were falling over and the leaves were yellow.  I decided to cut all small limbs and leaves off and sure enough it was covered with aphids.  I was reading about rose of sharon trees and saw that you shouldnt prune til winter.  Have I hurt my tree?  What to do about aphids, will they go to the other tree?  What is the best way of pruning, after I pruned in the spring I had small tiny limbs come out everywhere and the tree actually looked worse than it did before pruning. HELP?  I love my trees because of the humming birds.  I would appreciate your help.  Thank you, Georgia

Answer
As for pruning Rose of Sharon, remember when a shrub flowers in mid to late summer, it sets its flower buds on the current season's new growth.

To encourage the shrub to produce more flower buds, prune the plant in late winter before it breaks dormancy.
There are several ways to prune--if  a bush shape is what  you want then the small branches sprouting is ok--just let them grow and then shape the bush the way you want it to look. If you want a tree shape you will have to pick on main stem and prune the others and the new sprouts should be cut off the tree trunk as they come out. Most folks like the bush shape since it is easier to deal with and has more blooms than the tree shape.
the aphids can be controlled with an insecticide spray. The foliage will need to be sprayed on both sides.
 Chemical Control - Contact Insecticides Numerous contact insecticides are registered for aphid control. Since aphids are often placed under considerable pesticide pressure in field crops and greenhouses, they may be resistant to certain categories of insecticides. Therefore, if you do not obtain reasonable control, consider rotation to another insecticide. Contact insecticides currently registered for aphid control include: acephate (Orthene),  bifenthrin (Talstar), chlorpyrifos (Dursban), diazinon,  malathion, nicotine sulfate, pyrethrum,  rotenone, resmethrin, and tetramethrin + sumithrin.
There is also a systemic insecticide that can be applied to the soil and the roots take the imsecticide to the leaves and as the aphids feed on the juices they are killed. Imidacloprid (Bayer Advanced Garden Tree and Shrub Insect Control) is a newly available systemic insecticide that can provide aphid control on trees for several months following application to the soil.