Good morning thegardenat902,

Do they need winter protection? I am in zone 5:

No your ROS will do quite well on their own in zone 5- if the plants have not had most the summer to establish roots though you can choose to protect them this year with some mulch- either lawn clippings or crushed leaves- then after that they should be established enough to take care of themselves.

If you are in a similar zone, when do yours usually leaf out:

ROS are late to the spring bud game- mine will leaf out in April-May- and will slowly grow until about June when they go nuts and start to bloom profusely!

Does anyone grow any kind of vines up hibiscus:

I would not recommend growing vines on the tree as this could choke your plants if the vines take them over.

How fast can I expect these to grow:

ROS are slow growing usually the first year they are planted while establishing their feeding roots. In their second year they should be established and will grow quite profusely to about 4 ft- Chiffon is similar to Diana in its growth habits and tend to be more vertical in growth.

And last does anyone have any full shrub pictures of Rose of Sharon Blue Chiffon or Lavender Chiffon:
Attached is a trained lady blue bird tree.

Love the Lady blue bird and Chiffon, I have quite a few Diana too. Great bushes/ Trees when trained correctly. During our hot summers the blues burn out to an almost steel grey making the trees look magnificent.

Hello and thank you so much for your reply!

They were just planted in September and October so I will definitely give them a nice covering of leaves. Good to know that after this year they shouldn't need any covering!

Oh April-May is not too bad. From what I'd read I was thinking it was going to more like June-July before any signs of life.

Thanks for the feedback on the growth! It helps to know what to expect.

Yours looks lovely! Thank you for sharing your photo.

I think it's borderline in your zone. My parents have a Rose of Sharon in Zone 6. It's winter hardy there with no protection. However, when it had babies I gave a potted one to a friend who lives north of me and it didn't last the winter...but he kept it in a pot.

My parent's Rose of Sharon is the last plant to leaf out in the Spring. it generally hasn't leafed out early April. A baby one I transplanted last Halloween didn't leaf out until August...I almost gave up and pulled it up. Not typical behavior, but be prepared for it to take a long time to wake up the first year. I seem to have better luck transplanting them in Spring then Fall.

I could give you photos of a generic Rose of Sharon probably Minerva.

They are tough plants that need little care once established. They make a lot of blooms in the late summer/early Fall and attract hummingbirds. More August through September for me. Somewhat vulnerable to wind, and self seed a lot.

Depending on the vine, it could hurt the tree...but they are tough. If you are willing to risk it, you could probably get something to climb it. Be prepared to prune the vine

I know that Elkins West Virginia is zone 5b and they do just fine in that area. I know because I had my photo taken many years ago in front of one that was bushy and well over 6 foot tall as I am over 6 feet.