No green thumb? Not creative? Need a new hobby, a revitalization of downtime? This Key to Project Success Series is about adding some beauty, zip, and zing to life with regular, simple and fast projects. With the right idea and the right tools, there is less misstep and so much happiness to achieve! Give this first project the fifteen minutes it takes to start a rewarding, long term endeavor, with gardening.

One of the easiest, foolproof, beautiful additions to your yard, patio, or balcony is Rose of Sharon. You can start one from seed or click the one for a 4” pot. Either way, Rose of Sharon will grow quickly, year after year, just keep it watered, and enjoy the process. Oh Master Gardener that you are! By next year it will have so many blooms! Blooms on the plant turn brown and “go to seed”, so you can easily start new plants. Seeds that drop to the ground will also sprout, don’t pull them, they are not weeds. You can cut the lower branches to have just one trunk to create a “tree” form or if yours is bushier then that is fine too. Looking at growth habit and form of each plant to develop a pruning plan that makes sense is relaxing and creative. These plants are hardy outdoors and come back to life in the Spring in much of the U.S. but can be overwintered inside in colder areas. You can always pot them in the gorgeous, affordable pot below with some dirt,

I will be collecting seeds and taking them to my daughter to grow a privacy hedge for free, she just moved to Chattanooga . I already took a sprout in a pot. She used “Sharon” for privacy around her outdoor sitting area at the last house too. I have 2 varieties, a single bloom and the fuller double bloom and my favorite is BOTH of them 🙂