November Blooms of the Day

[roadrunner]

Hi Kerry

That's a beautiful bloom.  Did this one bloom under the artificial light setup you mentioned several months ago?

dave

[Charlie]

I just received some photos taken by Luis Alfaro of his hibiscus blooming in Costa Rica. Luis and his wife Anita stop by the HVH Open Houses from time to time and pick out a few hibiscus for his family coffee plantation in Costa Rica. We are looking forward to featuring his extensive hibiscus garden in the World Garden section of the HVH web site the next time we update it. For now here are 2 photos that seem to me to capture the tropical nature of hibiscus very well indeed. Good enough to eat, eh?

Charlie

[roadrunner]

What a luscious table setting!  I'm looking forward to seeing his garden featured in World Gardens.

dave

[Nievesgirl]

Hi Kerry

That's a beautiful bloom.  Did this one bloom under the artificial light setup you mentioned several months ago?

dave

yes its developing buds and blooming under t5's

[roadrunner]

Wow, that is great. Glad to hear it is working out well.

dave

[Charlie]

I haven't kept up very well with showing new seedling flowers, so here are several that bloomed the last few days.

The Thunder Rolls x Remembrance - very heavy textured purple, about 6 inches, ghostly puppy GiGi
07-3316 Cinnamon Girl x Magic Carpet Ride - unusual soft colors that I like a lot - also 6 inches
Black Cherry cross - the parentage info is at the greenhouse but this strange and dramatic flower has features of parent Black Cherry, although it is larger at 7"
Nightfire x Midnight Flyer - simple form, mini bloom but I like the way the lighter gold rays shoot through the darker brown
07-1805 large double at 8", good strong colors and bush is great, like Standing Ovation

[Charlie]

Here are another 6 seedling blooms from recent days:

Sparkling Water - this one is a go for production. It's a 5" mini, P's Purple x Vin Extraordinaire
07-0609 Creme de Cacao x Moon Madness - about 7", good form and color
08-7178 Born To Be Wild x April Showers - first of a group of April Showers crosses, I was impressed that the bright edge did not fade over 3 days which is very rare for this type of edge
07-3114 The Color Purple x Creme de la Creme - 6", good form and color
07-0527 Creme CacaoxMidnight Blue - 7 inches, unusual colors
07-1803 don't have the cross info here - yummy colors!


Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Charlie

I really like thunder roll x remembrance seedling  I have heard that remembrance has been a good cv to  cross with.

here is Haute couture

[Charlie]

Very nice color on those Haute Couture blooms, Kerry!

Hybridizing with Remembrance has been good for color but there are a lot of other characteristics that go into making a good new variety. I consider crosses using Remembrance and other similar cvs as moving sidewise, not going forward or backward. I suppose most new cvs are in that category as it is not easy to create (and recognize) those cvs that move the species forward. It can take years and lots of varied experience with a cultivar to really know it.

Charlie

[Louis]

Hello everyone. I have been a customer of hidden valley for a long time. i would never buy my plants from anyone else.

back about 10 years ago, i had a greenhouse with many of hidden valley plants and unfortunately, i lost them one winter when a tree fell on the house and smashed it to bits.

i am located in connecticut, which is zone 4.5, where i live. i now have 6 of the hidden valley plants all very healthy and blooming in my bay windows.

please take a look at one of my web sites to see the various plants that i had years ago.  the link is here...  http://www.lousviews.com/hibiscus/hib_index1.htm

and here are some of the plants that i have in bloom, some are blooming now and a couple are from the summer time.

please enjoy,

Louis

A very large Bridal Path - bloom measured 10 3/4 inches wide.



A very pink belle du jour:



another belle:



Sleeping beauty:



Voodoo Magic:



And one more Voodoo Magic:

[Charlie]

Hi Louis,

Welcome to the forum! I love your photos and particularly hearing your experiences from what seems to be the "far North" from my perspective. We have shipped plants to Maine and even Alaska but I rarely get to see how they do once they arrive. Thanks again for sharing these!

Charlie

[Cindy]

Hi Lou!  It's so nice to see you here on our forum!  Thank you for sharing your gorgeous pictures from up there in the far north. I'm glad to see your hibiscus are thriving. :-)

Cindy

[Louis]

Hello Charlie and Cindy,
thanks for the warm welcome. from time to time, i would like to share my experiences with the hibiscus, from, "the far north"

most people's plants seem to slow down for the winter time, but i have found that, for me, they thrive very nicely in the short, glooms days of winter. all 6 of my plants are experiencing a lot of new growth and lots of new buds are forming. i have flowers every day from one or the other.

an interesting note on bridal path, i have been experiencing very large blooms, the one posted above measures 10- 3/4 inches and it has been open for an unbelievable 4 days, opening up last tues and just now is starting to close. this is the only plant that gives me a bloom for that long of a period.

my watering technique is as follows: i mix 1/2 teaspoon of your fertilizer, with 1/2 teaspoon of super nova and 1/2 teaspoon of fish emulsion per gallon of water. i use this for every watering. once a month i use your booster and a bit of liquid iron. i have had good luck with this formula.

since the house is closed now, and i occasionally use a wood stove, i take the plants into the shower and cleanse them with a pump sprayer with warm water and a little bit of detergent to clean them off. this makes the leaves shine like a new penny.


stay tuned for more news from the "far north"   

Lou