The Rose of Sharon Blooms...Sorta

I've written a lot about the various surprise plants that we've been finding around our new property.  One in particular was this rather poorly maintained, overgrown tree that was annoyingly shooting runners up all over my garden areas.  Besides the runners, the entire tree is lop-sided because it was planted beneath a huge Japanese maple and it grew sideways desperately looking for sun.

I was just about to take a tree-saw to it when my neighbor commented, "Isn't that a Rose of Sharon?"

*Screetching halt on the saw.* (Imagine saw sounds followed by a cartoony peel-out stop right here.)

Looking it up online, it appeared that it was indeed a Rose of Sharon, a beautiful tree that flowers in mid to late summer.  Needless to say, I did not cut it down.  Instead, I cleaned-up around it, attempted to take off a few of the maple limbs that were shading it, and reshaped it so that it may one day grow straighter (or at least look like it).  Then, I waited...patiently for it to bloom.

Just this past week, one of the tiny buds appeared:

That's right, more purple.  The previous owner LOVED purple beyond anything I've ever seen.  Purple walls, purple plants of every shape and size.  It's beautiful, but often overkill.

In any event, we haven't gotten anymore open flowers yet.  I suspect it's a bit too hot out.  Crossing my fingers...  Just the one looks pretty.  The entire tree should be beautiful.