Another important flowering shrub that you could plant in your privacy screen is Rose of Sharon which is also known as althea. This shrub can reach a height of eight inches to ten inches with a spread of four inches to six inches. You should systematically prune these bushes in order to get maximum benefit out of it. The flowers of this plant could be red, pink, blue, purple or white. Some variety is having double blooms. Because of its upright form, Rose of Sharon works well in shrub borders. You could build up a colorful privacy screen with a row of these shrubs standing shoulder to shoulder. Most of the Rose of Sharon bushes are found to bear small, deeply lobed, light green leaves though it is found to vary according to cultivar. Many a building inspector Sydney home owners who wish to build a privacy screen have consulted has recommended the use of this flowering shrub.
Naturally Rose of Sharon is a multi stemmed shrub. Even then this plant could be trained through pruning to have simply one main trunk. Pruning is commonly done in late winter. Sometimes this shrub is referred by people as a tree. Pruning is very important with this shrub because by pruning accordingly during its first two seasons, you could give the desired shape to it. Also, this can be trained for espalier. This plant prefers full sun and well drained soil. And there is the danger of fungal damage to older rose of Sharon bushes if you grow them in areas without full sun.