TRADITIONAL HOME, May 2000, PAGES 52-57

KNOCK-YOUR-SOCKS-OFF HIBISCUS (1st page)
By Elvin McDonald

Imagine huge, dramatically colored flowers that can last up to four days, on or off the bush.

THE BREEDERS OF CHINESE HIBISCUS HAVE BEENbusy, turning out new varieties in metallic colors and combinations rarely seen in the plant kingdom. They have also managed to change the nature of the flowers, from blooms that last a single day to those with a shelf life, so to speak, of up to four days - on or off the bush.

Despite increased flower longevity and dazzling achievements in the color department public perception has continued to be of an everblooming tropical shrub with short-lived red, yellow, or pink flowers - the ones commonly available at nurseries. While firms large and, small have attempted to bring the more unusual colors into wider cultivation, one individual, Charles Black, has taken a giant step forward in making this possible. He has perfected a hibiscus-grafting method that improves plant performance and speeds production of new cultivars in relatively large quantities. Today, at his facility near Escondido, California, Black is evaluating over 1,000 cultivars. "No matter how spectacular or long-lasting the flower," he says, "we look for upright habit; attractive and abundant foliage; a bushing response to pinching; adequate vigor - but not too much so as to avoid soft, floppy wood; and general good health and ease of growing. After five years we have identified a hundred cultivars that are reasonably good, fewer than thirty that we believe are without major flaws, and around ten that meet our highest expectations."

Picture text: Top: 'Fifth Dimension' (with hibiscus tea) is one of the extravagantly beautiful Chinese hibiscus that Charles Black, above, fell in love with when he lived in Hawaii in the early 1990s. Top: 'Fifth Dimension' (with hibiscus tea) is one beautiful Chinese love with when he early 1990s.

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