Before and After !

[Charlie]

Kerry, I sure appreciate your attempt to bring an Amethyst Heart back to California. It was a great idea and might have worked out. Winn Soldani's Fancy Hibiscus has been complained about in the hibiscus world for 20 years and he doesn't seem willing or able to change.  In my opinion, his longevity is mostly due to his good fortune in having the first online hibiscus store that has kept his search engine rating high. Before the internet became big he advertised in garden magazines. I think it would be very hard to maintain a business without many repeat customers but that seems to be his strategy. It bothers me because I wonder how many people have tried hibiscus from him and then never acquired another after having an experience like yours.

As you figured out, his responses to your objections were all false. Snow scale is all over Florida but it does not exist here in California (too cold and dry to survive outside in nature) and your plants will never get snow scale here in Ca unless you bring it in on other plants from Florida. Miracle Grow fertilizer is better than nothing but is made from cheap forms of the essential minerals and obviously you not using it was not the reason the plant was sick. His excuse that hibiscus change flower and leaf form is bogus as you know. Only seedlings change leaf form. Flowers get larger or some features are brought out or suppressed at times but they don't go though major changes. At least he did not tell you what he did another guy - "you are so lucky, your plant must be a sport (genetic mutation) of Amethyst Heart!"

Ah well, maybe a real Amethyst Heart will show up one of these days.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

It is really sad when people do not have good business practices and willing to do anything to make a buck.  This big hybrids appeal to everyone, but the majority of sales I would assume come from repeat hobbyist growers, so that having repeat customers is essential for maintaining the business.  I am glad that when I decided to get my first hibiscus, it was from HVH. (or maybe not, because now I have soo many ) 

At anyrate, AH seems like it was an awesome CV and its progeny are still around, perhaps there will be a new seedling that emerges that looks similar.  Black Cherry is one of its kids, so hopefully the genes of AH can be expressed if crossed to enough combination.  Maybe BC x Jewel of the Nile or Muffin Man, will give another plant with a purple center and orange/yellow spotting. 

[Nievesgirl]

Let me look for the pictures he sent me they where of the real AH

[Darkhorse]

That's what I wondered too... if someone had ordered a plant from him and gave up hibiscus because of such a bad experience.  That would be too bad.  I've ordered from a few different vendors in the past couple of years, and HVH definitely sets the standard.  I got my first exotic from HVH also, and remember getting another order from somewhere else and thinking "how can you pack them this way."

Chris, I like your idea about crossing BC with Muffin Man.  Maybe another Misfire x Kaleidoscope cross would produce something similar as well.

[helixturnhelix]

To repeat the cross would be interesting to do, I know that orchid hybridizers often do this.  Sadly I think that Kaliedoscope is extinct   Perhaps Foxy Lady could be a good substitute?

[stplong]

Hi Charlie,

I just wanted to let you know that I too ordered from him several years ago. You can quess the plants didn't make it. Since I lived in Florida for over 30 years but now was in Ohio I knew how to grow hibiscus so I guessed that it wasn't something I did. so the next year I ordered from another grower in Florida and didn't have any problems, since then I noticed all the bad feedback other hibiscus hobbiest have stated and I haven't ordered from him since.


Patrick

[Darkhorse]

Foxy Lady could be a good candidate.  What about Haute Couture x Misfire?  I'm not sure if either sets seed but if one does, that might produce something similar to AH.  Or Black Cherry x Haute Couture if one sets seed. 

[helixturnhelix]

Hi Jordan,

HC does set seed   BC x HC is something I could do   Since I will have BC and current have a healthy HC.  One note about HC is it is very compact, so a great space saver!   I was goign to cross it to Dragon's Heart, but the pollen on DH wasn't ripe yet   and I dont really have any "frozen stocks" atm either. 

BC x Vin Extraordinaire is one that I think would just be really interesting to see what color combination you could get with a cross like that

[Charlie]

Good creative ideas for crosses, you guys. As Chris said, Haute Couture does set seeds. Black Cherry is not so good about doing so, but in the right conditions might on occasion yield some seed. It does make plentiful flowers and pollen, however.

I think by compact Chris is describing the lack of side branching on Haute Couture. It will grow one or two stems straight up unless pruned aggressively. I am trying, but can't guarantee, that future plants will already have multiple stems when shipped so only the occasional pruning for shape will be needed.

Charlie

[Darkhorse]

That's good to know Charlie as I am planning on getting a HC -- if I can beat everyone else out.    I'm also trying to decide if I will get a Dragon's Heart or not.  I like the photos that have been shown of it lately, and now that I have more space..........



Chris, you should def. try that cross!  I thought I had remembered you had BC and almost typed "Chris could do that" in my last post but then thought better of it in case I was wrong! lol

[Nievesgirl]

HAHA Chris and Jordan I was planning to do these crosses once I get my BC.

I have a number of crosses I thought of to get an AH look alike.  I really loved this CV when I had it.  HC grows very slow and like Charlie said it does not branch well. I will do try my force branching on it to see what happens.