Rose of Sharon is spreading horizontally not vertically. How to I prune it to make the branches more vertical

Hi, I was pruning my dahlias and noticed one had a stem with lots of galls in it (the stem had died, probably from chilly nights). This doesn't look like crown or leafy gall and I suspect an insect did this. I cut into the galls and it looks like plant tissue with no visible larvae, however, there are some holes that may indicate whatever grew in the gall has now escaped. None of my other dahlias had this and my other plants look fine. My dahlias are in growbags in full sun in a bed with other flowering plants. I haven't dug the tubers yet, so I'm unsure if they were affected by this as well. Do you know what species caused this issue?

I have canned beef before.......chunks as in stew meat......and watched my mother can numerous quarts every year. We always put the raw, small chunks loosely in the jar, added 1 tsp salt and added the lid for the canner. Process at 15 lbs pressure for 120 minutes. Should I add any liquid? Or, allow the meat juices to fill the jar?