Confederate Rose
I have recently purchased a Confederate Rose. My grandmother called it a Cotton Rose. I’d appreciate any information you can give me about this plant. Does it like full/partial sun? Mature height? My neighbor has two that are trees; can I train my potted bushy plant into a tree? If not, can you give me the estimated spread of the plant at maturity? All information you can give me would be so helpful. Thanks.
Confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) also referred to as Cotton Rose likes full sun, well-drained , slightly acid soil. It grows as a multi-branched shrub or a small deciduous tree with low branches which can get up to 12 feet tall and wide so allow room for expansion. Flowers bloom white and by evening turn into a shade of pink. You can have 3 distinct colors on the bush at the same time; white, pale pink and deep pink .
Confederate rose can be invasive in warmer climates. It is hardy in zone 8-10 and will die back with the first hard freeze but return in spring getting larger each year. If you are growing it in a container it will be easy to maintain. To shape it into a tree, choose one large dominant branch and cut away all others.
I have a confederate rose it had a lot of leaves all over and now it has a lot of blooms and flowers at the top and lost most of the leaves on the lower part now is there something going wrong here?
Can Confederate Rose grow in Southern California? If so, where would I get them?
I live in Central florida and have a large confederate rose all full
of buds but dont seem to want to open…please advise
Our rose bush has been growing in the same place for years with beautiful blooms. This year after initial great growth the top leaves began to curl inward and the leaves at least the parts we can see are mottled with the veins standing out rather than flat. What might be the problem?
My friend just moved into a house with 2 very large Confederate Rose bushes that she plans to dig up and I want them. When would be the best time to move them. I live in SC. THANKS!!
Confederate Rose blooms in the fall. Best time to move it is early spring. You can actually cut back the stocks and put them in a bucket of water until they root and you can replant them other places.
Hi. I live north of Houston, TX and had a confederate rose in my last home and loved it. I recently acquired a new one about three feet tall but I’ve noticed recently there have been holes all throughout the leaves like something has been chewing through them. I haven’t noticed any aphids or bugs on the leaves. How do I treat this if I don’t know what’s causing it? I don’t want to lose this plant because it is one of my favorites. Thank you!
I have a confederate rose that is very tall but this year it is having trouble leafing out except for 1 main branch and around the bottom. I cut it back to about 8ft and picked off the bottom leaves. I gave it some epsom salts and superthrive hormones but it still wants to leaf only at the base. I checked again if the branches are alive and the wood is still yellow and has elasticity so I think the branches are alive. We had an especially cold winter but this is new for my confederate rose. Is there something I can do or do I have to cut it back all the way?
We got some cuttings that were rooted last spring of a confederate rose. They did extremely well. We cut off some branches in the fall to root. We put them in water and left them in our basement for several weeks. No sprouting and the water got to smelling very bad. Our bushes out in the yard are about 3-4 feet and they are not putting out any sprouts or leaves yet. We live in Alabama. Do you think we killed them when we pruned them? When we got the first cuttings to plant in March of 2013, we put them out with one leaf on the cuttings and they took off rapidly! I was so surprised how fast they grew and bloomed beautifully. Don’t know what is going on now? Can you tell me what might be wrong?
Black leaves on confederate rose
Some of the leaves on our Confederate rose have turned a black color. Could this be a fungus, and if so, what is the best remedy for it?
I received several cuttings from my baby sister this spring . I potted them in 14 gallon pots ( maybe too big )and they are about 10 ‘ tall loaded wit unopened blooms . I’m hoping to see open blooms soon . I’ve been looking forward to seeing the colors change since I received the cuttings . n.c. between charlotte & Asheville
I have a confederate rose bush that I was given several years ago ,It get’s huge each year ,not knowing anything about it the place it is at is right beside my gardenia bush both are so large they are overtaking each other ,I live in NC where it get’s very hot and humid I trim the rose bush back each year and it get’s larger each time it comes back. My gardenia bush has gotten so large
now what do i do about moving one of them , not knowing alot I am afraid whichever one i move will die and they both have lot’s of flowers when they bloom.Help
Late bloomer
I have a confederate rose that blooms about a week before our first frost. Therefore I only have a fews days to enjoy them before the frost gets them. I live in zone 8. Is there something I can do to speed up the blooming process?
Mine always start blooming just about October 1st. I think blooming may have more to do with the suns position than anything else.
Hi, My mom gave me a Confederate rose, and it’s blooming for the first time.
All the info I’ve seen on this plant says it starts off white and continues to change to dark pink through out the day. However mine started out dark pink and hasn’t changed any. Can this be normal? Thank you.
I planted two this year they are the same as yours only bloom dark pink, I am looking for the same answer. Do they change colors as they get older. If you know the answer please let me know.
thanks megan
white fly on Confederate rose
I really like this information, so maybe you can help me with my problem. I live close to Atlanta Ga. and my confederate rose this year got all those white flies and I tried everything nothing seem to work and my leaves have turned black and and it was covered with buds, but only three or four opened and the flowers was not big like last year and the buds begin just to fall off. I sure would appreciate your help if you understand what I am trying to describe. Thank you Jo Ann
Sooty Mold treatment
Use BAYER 3 in 1 and this will get rid of sooty mold caused by those flies. I mix oz per gallon of water and spray BEFORE it begins. It is also a systemic but I find spraying the foliage gets better results for me. This is also great for Japanese Beetles if you are bothered by them.
Bayer Products (along with most others) have come under fire for using an agent that is believed to be causing the death of the bee. This mysterious death and the pattern of missing bees in our country is really disturbing. I only use this product once or twice and usually when I noticed the sooty mold is appearing. Crape Myrtles can get sooty mold also and this was the reason I used it .
What time of year is best for pruning my Confederate Rose? Charleston, SC
We live in SC and have had Confederate Rose for many years. We always cut back the week of Valentine’s day. We have had a few blooms over the years but not like you would normally see. So far this year, we haven’t seen a bloom yet. Can you tell us what we might be doing wrong?
Hi Joy
Are you fertilizing around the plant?
Legend of the Confederate rose
can anyone out there tell me of a saying about the confederate rose. My aunt whom is deceased now, Had a tree and she told me why the flower changed color. I cannot remember how it went.In the morning it was white, in the noon it was pink, in the evening It was red because you were dead. Does anyone know the saying? Thanks
I found your question when I was trying to find it myself. My great-aunt is 96, and she says the saying is: First day white, Second day red, Third day from my birth I’m dead.
What does it mean when the top leaves curl up? They are still green just curled up.
It is April 21st , is it too late to plant my C.R. cuttings? Can I plant them in a full sun area or do they need some shade ?
Hi Debbie
Yes, you can plant them. Are they rooted cuttings?
Move water rooted plant to soil
I have rooted a bunch of confederate rose bush limbs that are about 20 inches I rooted them in my kittchen over the winter and they have roots and saucer size leaves on them. I rooted them in water now I need to know what to do to get them ready for outside planting. I know there is something about things that are rooted in water that you must do before transplanting them outside but I can’t remember what my Uncle done or said to do.
my conf.rose is triple white opening turns pink and then to dark rose. Produces hundreds of seeds which I have planted over the years and also produce hundreds of seedlings however have only been able to transplant and establish one bush which is same as parent. What is proper way and time to replant the seedlings to larger pots that seem to be their demise. Gainesville,F
I planted a CR a couple of years ago and it grew very fast and very tall, but had very few flowers appear. I cut it down last year to about 4-6 inches above the ground and this summer it grew taller and wider than ever. It is completely FULL of blooms, but is now Oct. 12 and still no flowers. Can you tell me why it didn’t bloom this year? I am ready to cut it back again, but really wanted to see the flowers emerge from so many buds. I live in Chesapeake, VA and this came from a cutter of a very old plant. Some advice, please.
Rooted cuttings
Live in zone 8 near ocean. Recently rec’d several confederate rose cuttings, good roots, in water. Question is what do I do now? Leave them in water over winter? Pot and keep inside or plant in ground outside now? Last 2 winters unusually cold, several weeks of below freezing. If I pot now, do I keep inside or in cooler place, in dark or in sun, water regularly or not?
Holes in flower buds
Our Confederate Rose Trees are now full of buds. The buds have small black holes like a bug is eating into them. We cannot see the bug. What can this be and how do we get rid of it?
Thank you
Insect problem
My Confederate Rose is about 9 ft tall. I have flies on it that look like blow flies and on the back of the leaves are tiny white bugs, at least I guess they’re bugs, not sure, anyway they are covering the back of the leaves and leaves are turning yellow. I would appreciate any advice you can give me on how to correct the problem. Thanks.
What is life excpectancy for conf. rose? Thanks.
Deer resistant
Is the Conf Rose deer resistant? (oxymoron- they will eat anything). But will they mow it over, and I should keep it close to the house? It sure looks tasty, and saw they make a tea out of parts…thanks
I live in central Texas,45 minutes northwest of Austin. I got twigs last year soaking in water. I put off planting them and thought they were dead. With very little roots and some twigs with very short sad looking roots, I planted them anyway probably early fall. I didn’t think they would make it. They looked totally dead this spring. I didn’t water them for a while because I thought they were dead. I began to water them and they all came back except for two. Should I leave them in the pots (large whiskey barrel cut in half, and two medium sized pots) for winter? If so, should I cut them back after the first freeze? If you say leave in the pots, should I bring in the smaller pots inside an outbuilding with no heat when winter hits and cut them back. Or do I still have time to get them in the ground? Please advise.
Pruning and no bloom
I live in zone 9 about 45 miles sw of Houston, Tx. My CR was planted in April and it was about 10 inches tall. It is now about 4 feet. We have had a lot of rain but it is growing and looking good. It is one straight stem with lots of leaves. Would it be better to cut it back when it is spring or just leave it alone? Also should I expect it to bloom this blooming season?
My confederate rose emerged beautifully in the spring, full of leaves and new growth despite a number of days of freezing temperatures last winter. Suddenly, the leaves turned yellow, curled up, and dropped off the tree. The tree is currently bare, completely stripped of its leaves. Is it dead or still thinking? Any ideas regarding why it started to drop leaves and remains a bare tree without leaves or blooms in mid-summer in southeast Texas?
Hi Stan
Have you had rain, drought?
This is the second year experience with confederate rose. Last year leaves began turning yellow and falling off, but more near the lower part of tree. We live north of Houston. It then bloomed profusely toward the end of Sept.
After our harsh winter I thought perhaps I’d lost it. I trimmed off some tall bare sticks when it leafed out in the spring of this year. I will not trim it next year because it ultimately leafed out on bare branches.
It is loaded with blooms now and will provide beautiful ruffled blooms until the first cold snap.
I have fed it a 3 in one systemic, supplemented with miracle gro, seems to like that.
Puzzled why all your leaves dropped. I have to agree that it loves sun.
I live in Coastal Louisiana and recently got a confederate rose tree as a gift from my sister. I planted it in my front yard in late October and about 5-6 weeks later we had a frost and snow. The weather has been above normal cold with several frosts and we are now expecting a hard freeze with temps in the low 20’s. All the leaves fell from the tree at the first frost. My question is …do you think the tree had enough time to establish it’s root system in the ground before the first freeze and do you think it is going to come back in the spring or is it dead? What else should I do to protect this tree from the hard freeze that is coming next week?
Hello, I live in North Central Florida near Tallahassee.
We have been growing Confederate Roses for years and sharing them. There are three different bloom types we have in this area. One called the single = starts out white and turns pink. There is a double which has fuller blooms but still changes color. My Mom gave me a cutting from a triple – really full blooms, however the triple opens pink and stays pink. There may sometimes be a tiny bit of white inside the bloom but very little. They are all easy to grow and propagate from the stems. I do have some seeds this year and am going to try to begin new plants.
I have inherited a Confederate Rose that is still in a pot even though I know it has been outdoors for many years. I thought it was dead, but sat it under a tree until I could decide what to do with it. Overnight it has grown leaves and is blooming. My question is should I wait to plant it until the Spring? Also, I’m not sure where to plant it. I live in eastern North Carolina. Thank you for your help.
Gall midge
I have had a Confederate Rose bush in my yard for about
4 years and it has been simply beautiful until this year. I have noticed tiny white worms in the bud before it turns yellow and doesn’t make a flower.What could be the problem? Would appreciate your help.
Thanks.
Please tell me how the flower got its name. My wife said it had to do something about the civil war.
Confederate rose toxic?
Can you tell me if Confederate Rose is poisonous?
Thanks.
August 3,2009 My Confederate rose transplant,is about 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide.I need to move it,when is the best time and can I cut some of those small branches off and transplant them.It is a beautiful plant and I certainly don!t want it to die.Thanks for any help you can provide.
After CR has bloomed, can you actually make cuttings then?
Jim Horn
Propagate cuttings
Hi, I took some cuttings earlier this month, even though I heard spring and fall were best. I put them in a good sized jar with some willow water, and they formed roots in less than 2 weeks. I put the cuttings in 30% potting mix 30% peat and 30% perlite, gave it a good soaking, put it in some decent shade, and now it is the 25th and they have grown roots to the bottom of the container. This really is an easy plant to propagate. Compared to others that is. It has been really humid here in mid GA so maybe that helped. I think shade and humidity for the cuttings are the most important things.
Planting in hot weather
Hi I just bought a Confederate Rose about 2 ft tall in pot. can I plant in yard in this hot central Al weather?
I planted a Confederate Rose cutting that almost didn’t make through the past winter, I planted it around early May. My problem is it is in shade in the morning hours (til about 10 am) shade in late afternoon, full sun the rest of the day. The leaves get REAL droopy when in the sun, is this normal? The parent plant is in shade most of the day and is doing great! I’m in Northeast Mississippi (zone 7)
Our Confederate Rose is trying to bloom. It has several
buds and one bloom. It is June and usually doesn’t bloom
until October. We live in the Dallas area. Is it confused?
This past week has been very hot. It is in a sunny location.
It may be confused-the crazy weather will do that.
I have just rooted several cuttings from a Confederate Rose plant. I have enjoyed reading all of the comments and am looking forward to being able to share some of my rootings with my family.
We have a Confederate Rose tree in our backyard and it has suddenly gotten droopy and alot of yellow leaves. We haven’t done anything different to it. When it started to look like that I watered it but it didn’t help. It has been in the 90’s for the last few weeks but it was that hot last year and we had no problem. We didn’t even water it. Please help me, it makes some gorgeous flowers. I don’t want to lose it.
Plant rooted cuttings
I need help. Someone gave me some cuttings of a Confederate Rose. They are already rooted. He gave me 6 of them & they are all any where from 3 feet tall to 5 feet tall. They have new growth at the very top of the stick. My question is , can I plant these in the ground now & is there anything I need to do for them when I do & will they do ok planting them because they are such tall sticks w/ new growth at the top? I live in North east Alabama.
I need to plant some Cupressus semperviens’Glauca’ pencil pine along fence line the area between the concrete and the fence is only 1 foot do they have a large root ball.
had to cut back my confed.rose it was taking over walk way so my mother and husband finally talked me into
this past yr.it hasnt got a shred of life to it.at least i dont think.give it more time or dig it up?
Give it more time.
I planted three confederate roses last year in early fall. I am in zone 9 by the way. So far this year there is no growth at all. What did I do wrong? Is there any chance they will come back? Please help.
I planted a confederate rose sprig last spring. It lived all summer, bloomed a few blooms and was a healthy plant. I did not take it up in the winter. Is it dead now? Or do I have to be a little more patient? Thanks,
Lucy
A friend of mine gave me a confederate Rose last year & it never really bloomed. I got a few & then then dropped doff. I never cut it back & not real sure what to do with it. Right now it looks like a bunch of dead sticks sticking out of the ground.
Bought four confederate rose plants about two feet high and planted them in early last spring. Planted them on all 4 sides of my house. Ones on south, west and north did not do to good. One on west side had one bloom. The one on east side with half sun grew great with 6 blooms. Cut it back and cut off sprigs from all trees. Sprigs from east side tree are only ones that grew and have green leaves on the end of them. Kept them in garage in half way in water all winter. Gardening is a pure guess and a gamble. Don’t ever give up trying. If 25% come up good that is better then none at all.
Jim Horn
Bolivia, NC
My mother-n-law dug up a small Confederate rose bush/tree to give me but forgot about it and waited three weeks to give it to me. I planted it day before yesterday and have been giving it plenty of water ever since. I looks like three sticks sticking out of the ground. Do you think it can be saved or was it to late? Thanks.
Prune confederate rose
My confederate rose is huge and I am thinking about doing some drastic pruning. It has spread out to about 25 feet and is at least 15 feet tall. Should I wait for early spring, say April or May or can this be done in December or January. I live in south Georgia
I live in Arkansas, Zone 7a. I purchased a balled confederate rose (4″ ball, 10″ shoot)from a mail order nursery. Is it OK to plant in the ground now in mid December or should I possibly pot it & keep it indoors or in the cool garage to keep it out of the coldest part of the winter & plant it next spring?
Is confederate rose propagated using the woody stem or the green stem? Can the roses be used for cut flowers?
I llive in N. Florida and my father has just pruchased several Confederate Roses from a nursery for me. They have several buds are are 1Ft to 3 ft. tall. Should I kep them in the nursery pots until spring and perhaps keep them in the garage? Or is it possible to plant them now?
I do have one other question, when we moved into this home in March, the plant was cut back to the ground, it obviously thrived in spite of that, since its probably 20ft tall now..Should I cut it back again this winter? Or is it better left alone?
thanks
Jan
Yep thats it, thanks so much for your information on this flowering plant, in all my years in the south I have never before seen one. I definetly plan to try to produce new ones from this. As it is absolutely gorgeous, and over 2 weeks later from my first post, it is still blooming and still has tons of unopened blooms to go, What a treasure to find!
I have been told that the plant I have growing in the back yard maybe a confederate rose.
When we moved into the house (Mobile Alabama) this past spring it was cut to the ground. A friend claimed it it was a fig tree because of its broad flat leaves, & we almost dug it out as it is right at the edge of the patio, but just never got around to it. Now 7 months later it is abt 12 ft tall, and starting to bloom huge gorgeous pink flowers on the top of the canopy of the plant..the buds almost look like a peonies and there are hundreds of them, The flowers, when open are huge (abt 8″ accross) and look almost like tissue paper flowers.
Does this sound like a confederate rose?
I know it is hard to guess, but if so, I would love to know how to get it to produce more plants.
i have green worms on the leaves of my confederate rose bush. how can i get rid of them without damaging the flower buds
my confederate roses have little white mite looking bugs on them & they are eating the leaves , how can i get rid of them ? Thanks Glenda
Hi Glenda
Do the white bugs fly? If so they may be white fly.
To the people looking for Confederate Rose seeds – I bought seeds on Ebay about 2 years ago and I planted in a pot just a few weeks ago and they all sprouted. Today I moved them to their own pots (even though I’ve just read above that I should have waited until the stems were woody). Since it’s July and I live in Jacksonville Florida I think I’ll replant them all again (I have about 18 that sprouted out of about 20 seeds) into bigger pots (2 or 3 gallon) when they are much bigger and wait until next spring to plant outside. I figured this way I can still bring them in on the days we have a freeze warning until they’re nice and strong. So yes it is possible to grow Confederate rose from seeds and that’s a good place to find people selling seeds from their own stock 🙂 Good luck!
To follow-up on my question regarding twisting & curling leaves. I used the Sevin dust as a precautionary measure against mites or Aphids although I did not see any insects. Is there any thing else that you might suggest I do?
Our recent growth leaves on the Confederate roses has curled up and is tight and twisted.The plants do not appear to be dying but are strange looking. The earlier leaves were and are just fine. This did not happen last year!! What is going on?? I’ve just dusted them with Sevin, but…..
Any ideas?
Twisted and distorted leaves can be the result of insect damage such as aphids. You don’t mention what you used the Sevin for.
When I trimmed my Confederate Rose I kept a number of cuttings which I put in Root Tone and then into a flower pot with dirt. Two months later the leaves are as big as my hand. (Size 8 for reference)
Pruning Confederate rose
I have a Confederate Rose Tree that is at least 15 feet tall but is scraggley I think due to the whiteflies we had at the end of it’s blooming season last year. I live in Jacksonville Beach, Florida and want to know since it is May, is it too late to prune back. I read your other articles but you said early spring for pruning. This was a tree my Mother gave my Husband and she died in October. We already lost the original tree and this is a cutting that has prospered. Help.
I have gone from 8 flowers beds to having to learn to container garden and have just been given 2 healthy sprigs of confedrate rose. Great roots. Can I plant them in a container and where should I put them?
The small plant is a Confederate Rose also. I have 3 Star of Texas hibiscus and they aren’t the same. The leaves are different and so are the blooms. The tall Confederate Rose is about 10 feet tall and loaded with budding leaves and I know that the roots are tangled with the Crape Myrtle and the Cedar so how am I to cut it back to 6 inches.
Transplanting confederate rose
I have 2 Confederate Roses. One is about 10 ft. tall and is already leafing out. This is the one that I need to move. The other comes back from the roots. It only gets about 4 ft. tall. The tall Rose is a double flower and is so pretty when it opens up. The small Rose is a single bloom. Why is one so tall and the other so short? I really need to move the tall Rose but I don’t dare to cut it back since it is leafing out. I know that it is only the middle of February but in Texas the weather is crazy. So what can I do to move it?
Comment on Plant & Gardening Tips, for topic: Confederate Rose
I really need help. I have 2 Confederate Roses. One is about 7 to 10 feet tall and is planted next to a Cedar tree and a Crape Myrtle tree. I really need to move it but I don’t know if I need to trim it back before I move it or after I move it. Any help will be very useful to me.
Thank you. I forgot to say that I live in Texas about 50 miles north of Houston.
Thanks again.
Shirley
I recently brought home 4 Confederate Rose cuttings from my mother in South Carolina. They’re are in water and doing wonderful! Problem: I live in Idaho ( Zone 4), can I plant these anywhere outside or do I have keep them inside?
The cuttings that I’m rooting in a jar are smelling pretty bad right now. What can I do about the smell of stench? I was told not to change the water just add more as needed.
I live in zone 7 and have just put some cuttings in a quart of water. I don’t get full sun in any part of my trailer because it faces west. Where would be a good place to put them for the light?
i have a Confederate Rose i would like to move when is the best time to move?
I need to know If the roots will go to the sewer line are mess up the slab of the house. My rose is planted 2 ft. from the house and the sewer line runs close. If so how deep are the roots and what should I do about it. Thanks Nancy
My Confederate Rose tree is about three feet tall and I want to transplant it because I believe it is not blooming and looking unhealthy because it is in a shady location. What is the best way and time to do relocate it to a sunny spot. I live in North Florida.
I have clippings from a Confederate Rose that I got last October. I put them in a vase and they rooted very well over the winter. They have leaves on them and are ready for planting. I put them in the ground and they just wilted and now have a white powder around the edges of the leaves. I water it twice a day and it still will not come back. What do I need to do. I live in Middle Tennessee (zone 6)?
Pruning Confederate rose
I have read all of your comments,but none help. I live in Jax,Fl,My confederate rose is about 8 ft tall and straggly.I need to know when to prune.We don’t get much frost here,so I”m not sure when to prune.I also need to know how far down to cut it.It also
has a problem with whiteflies.Help.thanks
I lnow there is something that I am not doing right. I cut put it in sand, and some in water and still nothing. Either I have a rotten thumb or a stubborn plant. I want to know if I cut the new ones if I cut the ones with the rose’s on them or cut without? I just can not fiqure out what I am doing wrong? Thanks again for your help.
Propagate confederate rose tip
I know this comes a kind of late, but a pretty foolproof way to propagate a Confederate Rose is to cut a green stem in Fall and barry it sideways about 3-4″ in the ground outdoors, then simply forget about it and in spring, it will put out new growth on both ends of that stem.
PROPAGATE FROM CUTTINGS
I have tried to start a triming from my confederate rose only, to have the trimings died. I put them in water and they just wilted up. I left them outside but, I need some advice on what I could of done wrong . I am trying to get these started for friends. I would like to know can I dig the rose up and move it. Thank you…
Dawn Spiegelhoff
I have confederate rose trees and I want to start one for my mother, how do I do this from the trees I all ready have.
I found some confederate rose seeds, and am curious as to whether they will sprout easily from seed, or do they need some special care?
Not blooming
I am in zone 8.5 but have only had one bloom and yellow leaves. Mine has been planted for 3 years now and I have used Nursery Special to fertilizer each year. There must be a better fertilizer or pruning technique I need–mine hasn’t frozen back in 3 years. All advice appreciated!
My mother has a Confederate Rose tree. It was suppose to have pink, white and yellow flowers. This is the second year it has bloomed & has only bloomed in pink. Does the Conferate Rose tree ever bloom in the tri colors?
Hi, I would like some help on taking care of my husbands confederate rose It is still full of buds and blooms and the wheather man is calling for a freeze within the next week or two. I know he cut it back each year and covered it but it never bloomed or had buds this late in the fall. Can I go ahead and cut it back or do I wait and let it keep blooming and let the freeze finish it then cut it back. Sorry I’m so dumb about it and I never thought I would be caring for ir or it becoming so important to me. He died in August and it was full of buds then, he never got to see it so beautiful as it is this year can you help me save it? Thank You