ÿþ<html lang="en" xml:lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xmlns:cctd="http://www.constantcontact.com/cctd"> <head> <title>Hidden Valley Hibiscus</title> <style type="text/css"> body {background-image:url(../images/magicmomentsbg.jpg); } h1 { font-size: 28pt; font-family: georgia; color: #003033; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 600; text-align: center; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; } h2 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #003033; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800; margin: 0px 0px 10px 0px; } h3 { font size: 24pt; font-family: arial, sans serif; color: #003033; font-style: normal; font-weight: 800; margin: 20px 0px 10px 0px; } h4 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #000099; font-style: normal; font-weight: 800; text-align: center; margin: 40px 0px 10px 0px; } h5 { font-size: 18pt; font-family: Georgia, serif; color: #003033; font-style: oblique; font-weight: 800; margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px; } h6 { font-size: 12pt; font-family: arial, sans serif; 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float:right; margin-right:5; margin-top:3"></span> <font face="arial" size="2"><b>Free Newsletter</b><br />Your email address</font><br /> <input type="text" id="ea" size="25" value="" style="font-family:Verdana,Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:10px; border:1px solid #999999;" /><br /> <input type="submit" id="go" value="SUBSCRIBE" class="submit" style="font-family:Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size:10px;" /> <input type="hidden" id="m" value="1011283009173" /> <input type="hidden" id="p" value="oi" /></form> </div> </td> <!-- END: newsletter signup ------------------------------------> <td align="center" valign="bottom"><img src="../images/logosm.jpg" /><br /> <h5 align="center">Hidden Valley Hibiscus<br /> <font size="2">Growers & Hybridizers of Exotic, Tropical Hibiscus</font></h5></td> <td valign="top" align="right" width="25%"> <font face="arial" size="3"><b>Volume 12, Issue 10<br />October 2011</b></font></td> </tr> <tr><td colspan="3"> <!--------- END: header and navigation ----------------------------------> <br clear="all" /> <h1>News from Hidden Valley Hibiscus</h1> <table align="center" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/brown.htm"> <img src="../images/cranberrymuffintwins.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> HVH Hibiscus of the Year for 2010 ~ 'Cranberry Muffin'</a><br /> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/orange.htm">Hibiscus 'Magic Moments' in Page Border </a></font></td></tr></table><br clear="all" /> <!-------- <a href="../pages/directions.htm"><h2 align="center"><font color="ff0000">Last Open House for 2010</a><br /> Saturday, October 30<br /> 11:00-3:00</font></h2> ------> <br clear="all"> <!----------------------- BEGIN GREETING ---------> <table cellspacing="10" class="maintext"><tr> <td valign="top"> <table align="center" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/red.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/cherryglowt.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Cherry Glow' </a></td></tr></table><br clear="all" /> <table align="center" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/blue.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/nightmagict.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Night Magic' </a></td></tr></table><br clear="all" /> <table align="center" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/orange.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/venetianpeppert.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Venetian Pepper' </a></td></tr></table><br clear="all" /> </td> <td valign="top"> <p align="center">Happy October to Everyone!</p> <p> Fall is officially here and with it comes cooling temperatures and fantastic hibiscus flowers. After growing all summer, our hibiscus are ready to give their best performance in the moderate conditions of October. This means more flowers, larger flowers, and more intense colors that last longer. To get the most out of this time of year, be sure to keep up optimal nutrition for your plants. <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/fertilizer.htm" class="body">HVH Special-Blend Fertilizer</a> and <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/booster.htm" class="body">Booster</a> will do the job! </p> <p> Our first article this month is about a little known aspect of hibiscus - the nectar that the flowers produce. This is the stuff that attracts hummingbirds to your hibiscus flowers and fulfills another important function for hibiscus. Read <a href="#article1" class="body">Nectar ~ Drink of the Gods</a> below and learn all about hibiscus nectar! <p> Our second article <a href="#article2" class="body">Hibiscus in Winter</a> will help you find ways to keep your hibiscus plants toasty warm and happy over even the coldest winter. </p> <p> For something new this month, instead of a <i>Seedling of the Month</i> we are introducing our newest <a href="#seedling" class="body">HVH Hibiscus of the Year</a>. It's earlier than usual, but we already know which hibiscus has been our most spectacular new variety for 2011. 'Cranberry Muffin' was our first Hibiscus of the Year in 2010. Read below to see which one we consider our best hibiscus for 2011. <p align="center">Enjoy your autumn blooms!</p> <p align="center">Charles &amp Cindy Black</p> <br clear="all" /> </td> <td valign="top"> <table align="center" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/blue.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/winterlightst.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Winter Lights' </a></td></tr></table><br clear="all" /> <table align="center" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/brown.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/midnightdreamt.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Midnight Dream' </a></td></tr></table><br clear="all" /> <table align="center" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/yellow.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/brighthopet.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Bright Hope' </a></td></tr></table><br clear="all" /> </td></tr></table> <!----------------------- BEGIN ARTICLES -------------------------------------> <table class="maintext"><tr><td> <!----------------------- BEGIN ARTICLE 1 --------------------------------> <br clear="all" /> <hr class="line" width="70%"> <p>&nbsp</p> <a name="article1" /> <h2 align="center">Botany Made Easy</h2> <h1 align="center">Hibiscus Nectar ~ Drink of the Gods</h1> <p> <table align="right" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/nectarydiagram.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> Nectar is made deep inside the flower </td></tr></table> Hibiscus is one of the many flower species that produce nectar. This nectar attracts bees, hummingbirds, bats, and other potential pollinators to the flowers. If you are not equipped with a long thin beak similar to a hummingbird, you are not likely to experience the nectar from hibiscus flowers. However, every now and then when handling the blooms, a drop of nectar will escape a flower and land on your hand or arm. If you choose to taste it, you will find that it is a pleasantly sweet liquid. It is what bees use to make honey and hummingbirds use for their own nutrition. </p> <h6 align="left">Nectar for Reproduction</h6> <p> Hibiscus flowers make nectar in glands called <i>nectaries</i>, located just inside the <i>calyx</i> and under the <i>ovary</i> at the base of the flower. Nectar is mostly made up of natural sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose). It can also contain volatile chemicals that give it a scent which increases the attraction of pollinators to hibiscus flowers. We have seen several varieties of hibiscus that briefly have a scent when first opening (examples are Heaven Scent and Kona). Apparently scent never evolved as an important aspect of the attraction by pollinators to hibiscus. One reason seems obvious  the flowers themselves are big and bright enough to attract plenty of pollinators to the plants, so scent was not really needed. </p> <h6 align="left">Nectar for Protection</h6> <p> Similar to flower nectar, hibiscus leaves are able to produce another form of nectar. This is made by <i>extrafloral nectaries</i> (and is not to be confused with the sticky excretions of aphids or other sap-sucking insects). Extrafloral nectaries are located right at the point where the leaf stem (petiole) joins the leaf as well as along the edges of the leaves. Hibiscus leaves make this nectar to attract predatory insects to the plant. These predatory insects fight off plant-eating insect pests, and are the best defense our hibiscus have against the voracious sap suckers and mites that like to feed on hibiscus. </p> <p> Leaf nectar also inadvertently attracts an ugly, but harmless, black sooty mold that can be seen on the underside of leaves just at the base of the leaf. The same sooty mold grows in the excretions of sap-sucking insects, an observation that can be confusing to hibiscus growers. </p> <p> It is not always possible to tell whether the sooty mold is living on defensive nectar or on insect excretions. If the mold is seen at the junction of leaf and leaf stem on the underside of the leaf than it is living on defensive nectar. If you are able to keep a close watch on your plants and you see the sooty mold or feel a sticky substance on the leaves but do NOT see any aphids or other sap suckers than it is most likely defensive nectar and no further action is required to keep the plant safe from pests. If you notice the sticky substance on the leaves and spot insects on the leaves above, it is time to treat with a pesticide or use some other method to rid the hibiscus of the insects. </p> <p> Nectar is not much talked about in hibiscus circles. However, this pleasant substance plays a significant role in the lives of our plants and adds a dimension of enjoyment for us by attracting hummingbirds to the area. </p> <p>&nbsp</p> <!----------------------- BEGIN ARTICLE 2---------> <br clear="all" /> <hr class="line" width="70%"> <p>&nbsp</p> <h1 align="center">Hibiscus in Winter</h1><br /> <h2 align="center">Keeping Them Warm</h2> <a name="article2" /> <p> <table align="left" style="margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/yellow.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/tooprettyt.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Too Pretty' </a></td></tr></table> Above all else, hibiscus want and need to stay warm. At the most basic level, they need to be grown where the temperatures do not freeze. If possible, we want to do better than just keeping them above freezing. If there is any way you can grow your hibiscus in temperatures above 60&deg;F (15&deg;C), they will love you for it and show this by staying nice and green and healthy. They may not bloom much, but next spring they will be way ahead of hibiscus that have had to fend off winter chill. </p> <p> There are many ways to keep hibiscus warm. Greenhouses are excellent, garages aren t bad, but sometimes the best place is inside the house where they get to grow in the same temperatures that you live in yourself. </p> <h2 align="center">Some Light Please!</h2> <p> <table align="right" style="margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/pink.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/valentinesdayt.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Valentine's Day' </a></td></tr></table> Hibiscus need light to photosynthesize, but they don't need nearly as much as you might think. If you grow your hibiscus indoors, any type of light you can provide is better than no light. We have seen hibiscus overwintered inside a basement with nothing more than a shop type fluorescent light hung above them. They didn t bloom much, but they did stay nice and healthy until they could be moved outside the following spring. A friend in Sweden, where the winter nights are long and days are not much brighter than the nights, has grown her hibiscus inside her apartment using only the artificial lights that her family used to light the apartment. She said that even adding one additional fluorescent type light near the plants caused them to perk up noticeably. The point here is that you do not have to spend a lot of money to provide light for the hibiscus  any light will do as long as they have some. </p> <p> Hibiscus can be lighted 24 hours a day and will be glad for it. If the only available light is weak and does not appear to be sufficient, then try leaving it on all the time. Hibiscus can use every bit of light they get, so see what you can come up with that does not break the bank! </p> <h2 align="center">Feed Me!</h2> <p> <table align="left" style="margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px" class="pic"><tr><td align="center"> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/multi.htm"> <img src="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/images/splasht.jpg" class="frame" /><br /> 'Splash!' </a></td></tr></table> Hibiscus will appreciate fertilizing regularly throughout the winter. It's a myth that fertilizer should be stopped for hibiscus in the winter. The <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/houseplantformula.htm" class="body">HVH Houseplant Formula</a> is designed exactly for hibiscus living in the house, garage, or some other kind of shelter. It provides every possible nutrient that will help keep hibiscus healthy. If you use the <i>Houseplant Formula</i> every time you water all through the winter, your hibiscus will stay green and growing slowly, even in low-light conditions. </p> <p> Or if you prefer, you can use the <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/houseplantformula.htm" class="body">HVH Special-Blend Fertilizer</a> at least once per month. A weekly feeding is even better. Hibiscus won t grow much unless you have them in a warm place with lots of light, but the nutrients will keep them healthier and better prepared for renewed growth in spring. Supernova is another excellent nutrient to help counter the stresses of winter. We recommend it highly. </p> <p>&nbsp</p> <!----------------------- BEGIN SEEDLING OF THE MONTH ---------> <br clear="all" /> <hr class="line" width="70%"> <p>&nbsp</p> <table align="right" style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px;" class="pic"><tr><td> <a href="http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/blue.htm"> <img src="../images/pinotnoirsm.jpg" alt="Exotic Hibiscus 'Pinot Noir'" class="frame" /><br /> Best HVH Hibiscus of 2011 ~ 'Pinot Noir' </a></td></tr></table> <h1 align="center">2011<br /> Hibiscus of the Year!<br /><br /> 'Pinot Noir'</h1><br /> <a name="seedling" /> <p> <table align="left" style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px;" class="pic"><tr><td> <img src="../images/pinotnoiropeningsm.jpg" alt="Exotic Hibiscus 'Pinot Noir'" class="frame" /><br /> Hibiscus 'Pinot Noir' Just Opening</td></tr></table> After growing, observing, and propagating 'Pinot Noir' for several years, we have chosen it for our <i>2011 HVH Hibiscus of the Year</i> award. 'Pinot Noir' blooms abundantly with large 7-9", well-formed, deep burgundy, blue, and purple flowers. It's one of our <i>Fascinating Foliage</i> hybrids, and has all the vigor that these new hybrids seem to have. The vigorous bush takes after mother, 'Creme de Cacao,' while the flower derives more influence from dark blue and brown father, 'Moon Madness.' This hibiscus is beautiful, well-branched, lush, easy to grow, and a super bloomer. All the way around, 'Pinot Noir' has performed flawlessly for us, and the flowers are uniquely beautiful. </p> <table align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 10px;" class="pic"><tr><td> <img src="../images/pinotnoirbushsm.jpg" alt="Exotic Hibiscus 'Pinot Noir'" class="frame" /><br /> Hibiscus 'Pinot Noir' with its Unusual Leaves</td></tr></table> <br clear="all" /> <!----------------------- BEGIN FOOTER ---------> <br clear="all" /> <hr class="line" width="70%"> <script language="JavaScript" src="../footer.js" type="text/javascript"></script> <CopyRight></CopyRight> </td></tr></table> </div></td></tr></table> </body> </html>