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Although tying a shrub together is really not a good practice as it ruins the natural shape of the shrub, this should not have prevented the outside buds from opening. Needless to say, the inside part of the shrub would not be receiving adequate light. Eventually, the inner portion will be a mass of bare, leafless branches. The shrub was probably tied together so the occupants could use the steps. A little careful pruning each spring could have prevented the shrub from growing out of bounds and made tying unnecessary.
It is possible that the shrub produced more buds than its roots could feed. A plant this size with a large amount of flower buds must have adequate nutrients, especially phosphorous, and a constant supply of moisture at its roots. The shrub prefers a rich, well-drained soil with ample amounts of organic matter added. (Compost, well-rotted manure, leaf mold, or peat moss).
The Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus) does best in full sun, or only partial shade. If the shrub is growing in a heavily shaded area and not receiving enough sunlight, this would slow flower development. A cooler than normal growing season will also delay flowering of the plant. Another possibility is that the flowers rotted in the bud if conditions were abnormally wet during the bud stage. This is a fairly common trait of the plant. An infestation of sucking insects such as aphids can reduce flower production.
As mentioned above, tying the shrub ruins its natural upright, vase-like shape, although older specimens will eventually become arched if they are not pruned. Futhermore, it is almost impossible to prune out dead or diseased branches when a bush is tied together. The Rose of Sharon will produce many small flowers when it is left un-pruned. Although the shrub is of the type that should be left to grow naturally without heavy pruning, it is best to remove dead, diseased, crossing and crowded shoots and branches. The result is a more open shrub which allows light and air into the center of the bush, as well as the production of larger flowers. Occasionally an odd shrub will develop this open tendency without any pruning required.
The plant can be made to produce much larger (but fewer) flowers if each stem of the previous season's growth is cut back to two or three buds in early or mid spring. This is possible because the shrub produces its flower buds on the current season's growth. This type of pruning seems too drastic for most gardeners.
The Rose of Sharon will respond well to hard pruning. Options include: 1. untie the shrub and remove 1/5 to 1/4 of the old stems each spring (until all old stems are removed) by cutting them back to a few inches from the soil, and then thining all but the strongest new shoots each spring until a new bush is formed; 2. Shorten the overgrown branches and stems by pruning back to a bud and thining out crowded, dead and diseased branches and shoots; 3. Cut the whole shrub back to 3 or 4 inches from the ground and thin out all but a few of the strongest new shoots, or 4. Cut the whole bush back to the ground except for one nicely shaped stem, or cut if off at ground level and start with one new stem and train it as a single trunk tree.
