Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

My 3 favorite varieties

Here are some blooms from today, Fantasy Charm and Pocahontas



Patrick

A few more from today

Here are some more blooms from today, Midsummer night.


Thanks, Patrick

I was fortunate enough today to spend a pleasant couple of hours at Erny's hibiscus paradise.  He has done so much work removing the old CVs and putting in dozens of new ones.  My hats off to you and it is going to look more awesome by the month. 

I truly appreciate everyone's efforts to post their beautiful pictures on here as often as they can.  Something so nice to look forward to and enjoy each day!

Farmer D

Got Your Back had it's 3rd bloom today and I must say it is really starting to impress me.  Unusual eye color as it is a red-burgundy.  Of course the bush is awesome already - got it as a 6"

Farmer D

Jolie is also growing more beautiful by the week.  I should post a photo of all the buds it has - very impressive!

Farmer D

White Hot is finally blooming again since I got it in June - sensational!!! My vote for HOTY

Farmer D

Prosperity is so special with that eye zone and rich colors - one of my favs!

Farmer D

Some blooms from yesterday. Dragon Heart, Electric red, Energy Blast, Glitz n Glitter, day 2 Magnum Opus, and day 2 Too Hot To Handle.

Also my first bloom on Tahitian Antique Purple and a group shot of Ingenue, Carnelian, Noche Buena, and Apricot Cookie

First Cloud Soft bloom

A few more

Here are blooms out today. If anyone knows the name of the second picture, please let me know. I purchased it from Armstrong Nursery last year, but it did not have a label on it.

The Herm Geller picture shows how the bloom fades with age. The middle bloom, which is starting to close is on its 2nd or 3rd day - not sure.

The Surfrider seems more yellow than usual. Usually it is in the orange shades.

I thought the names would go through under the pictures I just sent, but they did not. The blooms are:

Unknown from the 80s
Unknown - purchased from Armstrong with no tag
Herm Geller
Anna Elizabeth - 3rd day bloom
Surfrider twins

Paul your blooms are all looking great with Energy Blast & THTH being stand outs for me.

John I think this is the best day of blooms you've had in a very long time.  They are all looking great and your CH is blooming like crazy.  That Ms President is something!

Ken you'r mixing in a lot of interesting blooms there.  Quite educational for me as I am not too familiar with those CVs so good to learn...

Farmer D

Dream Catcher living up to the hype!

Farmer D

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Day 2 of Time For Love really was a stunner today

Farmer D

Darren, my hibiscus are enjoying the milder temps.

John send some of that good weather our way - tomorrow very windy and 90F by Wednesday raining and cold...October can be a roller coaster of weather.

Farmer D

Best of Times is getting better and bigger by the bloom.  Unfortunately my camera struggles capturing the pretty colors.

Farmer D

Satsuma looking darker...

Farmer D

Venetian Brick out of nowhere with quads today - fantastic

Farmer D

Darren, I'm not looking forward to those Santa Ana winds. Hibiscus definitely dislike those hot winds.
I had my best bloom thus far on Island King today. Also Quasar, Attitude of Gratitude, and Red Cadillac.

Venetian Brick, Coy Beauty, Illuminati, Vin Magnifique, Cherry Appaloosa, and Voodoo Magic.

Scarlet Beauty, Vin Extraordinaire, Hollywood Starlet, Over the Rainbow, and Slapstick.

A nice Yellow Fellow today

Here are some picture from today and one of Creme de la Creme day one and day two, also Creme de Cacao, Heartbreak Hotel which lack the spotting and Fantasy Charm.


Patrick

Here are some more, Rain Drop, Sky (I tried to get it to show the purple veining, it shows a little but you can't see it as well as in person) , safe harbor day 2 and Creme de la Creme.

Patrick

Erny, John & Patrick great blooms.  This time of year is just awesome for blooms!

Farmer D

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First really nice Splash bloom for me

Farmer D

TV getting better by the bloom - this one is quite striking

Farmer D

Nice shots of Scintillating in sun and shade

Farmer D

See everyone in a little while...Mahalo!

Farmer D

Today's blooms

Today's blooms

Looking good everyone. Have the majority of plants inside now, and the environmental change is producing unusual results. Below is Erin Rachael.  More to come.
Ed

Great Photos everyone!! It looks like the cooler fall temps are starting to affect the colors of everyone's blooms. I have just a week or two left before I have to bring in all of my plants for the season. :( I'm going to miss the blooms, but they are putting on a heck of a show before the relocation! The cooler temps have definitely been changing the way my blooms look, and I'm loving it.

Magnum Opus twins (well one day 1 bloom and one day 2), Crème de Cacao, a very soft Tahitian Princess, a very red Strawberry Fields Forever, and Night Magic.

Also a gorgeous Blue Opal, first bloom on Jujube, Ingenue, and a very very red White Hot! :)

And finally a very stunning Space Oddity! The colors on this fall bloom are unreal! :)

Also thought I would share this. I didn't notice this Pride Of Hankins branch growing from the root stock of one of my CV's. The leaves look very similar. Well anyways, it produced a Siamese twin bloom which I found very interesting! Anyways, enjoy! Hope to squeeze in a few more blooms before moving the herd indoors for the season.

Today's blooms

Nice photos everyone. Love that Space Oddity, Paul.

Here a couple of Blue Opal photos from summer.

Charlie

Today's blooms

I spent most of the week cleaning up after very strong winds last weekend--worst I've seen in over 40 years here. Hibiscus definitely dislike hot winds gusting over 60 MPH. Now starting to get some decent looking flowers over the past few days.
Andante, Tahitian Pretty Boy, Vin Beaujolais, Rocket's Red Glare, Island King, and Night Runner.

Tahitian Orange Rainbow, Solar Soul, My Blue Heaven, Tahitian Sophistication, and Living Legend.

Kilimanjaro, Cinnamon Splendor, Miss Congeniality, Over the Rainbow, Tahitian Sunset Splendor, and Burnt Saffron.

Today's blooms

Today's blooms

Hot Southern Nights hasn't opened a flower for almost a year but popped a nice one today. Also Chai Tea, Attitude of Gratitude, and Tahitian Pretty Boy.

Erny

Coy Beauty, Vin Extraordinaire, Bright Hope on day 2, California Beauty, and Ay Caramba with Chads poking in from the side.

Illuminati, Flickering Flame, Butterscotch Bliss, Pocahontas, and Rosalind.

Silver Dragon, Hollywood Starlet, Heartbreak Hotel, Crimson kiss, and Dragon's Breath.

A Deep Waters mutant with 7 petals, Splash, Bright Horizon.

Here's our first long awaited bloom from Cosmic Gold and a photo of Amethyst Crystal

Thanks, Patrick

A nice display of Rainbow Sherbet and Acapulco Gold

Since almost all my plants are in the ground, most are in full sun most of the day. I like to take photos with the flowers shaded as the bright sun tends to wash out some colors and they show best when shaded. Sometimes the difference between the pictures in full sun and shade are quite dramatic as I noted in a few today.
Cinnamon Splendor, Vin Magnifique, and Magic Crystal.

Erny

More sun and shade shots--not quite as different as those above: Chai Tea, Secret Heart.

Melon Melange, Blushing Bride, California Beauty, and My Blue Heaven.

Wild Grape, Raku, Brassy Blonde, High Voltage, Tahitian Sophistication, and Persian Rug.

Midsummer Night, Summer Fun, Sea Spray, Cindy's Heart, Polar Bear, and White Hot.

Daddy's Angel, Raging Bull.

Sizzle, Peanut Butter, Sleeping Beaut.

Red Cadillac, Cherry Glow, Vin Beaujolais, Slapstick, Rainbow Christie, and Rainbow Sherbert.

Erny, your Slapstick is awesome.

Erny, those examples of shade/sun are very interesting to see.

John D, is your Ms. President a large flower?

Below are a few of the many varieties blooming at HVH in recent days. Dynamo and Vein of Gold are 2 superb varieties that do not have a great photo in the store. These are both very strong upright bushes with 8 inch flowers that get all sorts of spots and markings in the summer. Expect Miracles is another super colorful variety that we enjoy a lot. And last but not least - Tarzan - a real beauty that should be available in January.

Charlie

Charlie, so far all the blooms I've had on Ms. President have been around 7 inches.

Thanks, John. We saw it get bigger in the greenhouse this summer 8 inch plus so I was wondering.

Below is My Little Angel, my favorite new double.Its about 7 inches but seems bigger the way double flowers do because of all the petals.

Charlie

Today's blooms

My first Blue Opal bloom that wasn't scratched up (presumably by thrips). Also Corazon with a large petaloid, Creme de la Creme, and Old Spice.

Polar Bear keeps producing very large well formed flowers that last 3 or 4 days. Also Pinot Noir, Love Story, Ay Caramba, Melon Melange, and Tahitian Sophistication.

Wow, Erny, those are really nice. Corazon is wild and fantastic looking!

John, you've added a lot of varieties this year. Any standout favorites?

Charlie

Below is a special photo of Sea Spray at sunset. Check out the FF foliage surrounding this attractive bloom.

Charlie, I just love Corazon. The blooms are large and the petals have the same heavy texture that we see with Bright Horizon. The color patterns are variable but always interesting and the contrast between the red and white is striking. It has only been in the ground since July but the bush is starting to shape up nicely with four or five vertically growing branches. I would rate it as one of my top five favorites.

Erny

Hi everyone here is a few for today , everything is in for the winter now ! but different this year not in the house . Their staying in the garage , thy actually do better out there as long as I keep the temp. around 45 to 50 deg .

Charlie, my favorite new ones are:
Blushing Peach
Garden Pleasure
Cloud Soft
Bright Hope
Ms President
Expect Miracles

Heavy Metal opened its first bloom in quite a while. Also Valentine's Day, Attitude of Gratitude, Vin Extraordinaire, My Blue Heaven, and High Voltage.

Erny

Corazon continues to look big and beautiful on days 2 and 3. Also Burnt Saffron, Silver Memories, Peanut Butter, and Electric Orange.

A heavily speckled Butterscotch Bliss. Also Magnifique, Tahitian Pretty Boy, Deep Waters, Queen Victoria.

Super blooms everyone!  Mike good to see you posting your usual high quality blooms!  Erny your blooms are looking the best the have all year.

Well I got home late last night so this morning was the moment of truth after 2 1/2 weeks.  I had high expectations as to what I would come home to and I am very pleased with how everything is.  No problems at all and everything looks great!  Whew!

Here are shots of what things looked like before I even touched a hair on anything.

Farmer D

Darren,

Your yard looks wonderful.  I think I'll go away for 2 1/2 weeks if mine ends up looking that good. I see you've added more hibiscus plants to your front planter. Looks great!

Tropicalken

Thanks Ken, all the hard work and effort in figuring out how best to manage my plants and the entire set up seems to be paying off.  The thing that has me most excited is that I came back to no yellow leaves at all.  

I had some first time blooms while away - most are not fresh first day blooms so these are probably not as nice looking as when they originally bloomed.  The exception being Cosmic Energy which timed it perfectly!

Farmer D

Venetian Brick is blooming away - I find the colors very rich and striking

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Darren, glad to see you back.

Darren, welcome back and your plants sure put on a nice homecoming show for you. It's great that they fared so well while you were gone.
John, I love your new tag line at the bottom.
Nice blooms today on Pocahontas, Pinot Noir, and Silver Dragon. Corazon popped another huge bloom today and the previous one is still going strong on day 4.

Erny

Two different sets of twins on Over the Rainbow. Also Out of the Ashes, African Princess, Winter Lights.

Vin Extraordinaire after a sprinkler shower. Also Cinnamon Splendor, Creole Lady.

Blushing Bride, Confection Perfection, Burnt Saffron, and Palm Springs.

Thank you John & Erny for the welcome backs!  Both of your sets of blooms look great.  I see the same with mine as a little less heat seems to be just what they need currently.

Farmer D

Scarlet Beauty is just something special - lush lush colors

Farmer D

Blush of Youth on day 2 and WOW the amount of colors are very impressive.  There is some sort of grey/brown thing going on in there.  This is a very special bloom and it is very big too

Farmer D

Awesome Meteor Shower blooms - even without any speckling they are still stand outs and huge

Farmer D

Driveway perspective - bushes getting bigger

Farmer D

Some really impressive blooms today starting with Joy.  On the smaller side but this plant is just getting started.  The bush is really nice and full and close to 5 ft already.

Dapple Dandy is awesome - 10" blooms already

Vin Beaujolais hasn't bloomed in ages for me and seems happier now that I've pruned back the plumeria tree above it so it can get some sun again.  Seems to have paid off.

Farmer D

Blush of Youth continues to impress me with it's first bloom which has now lasted three days and continues to get prettier in my opinion showing quite a bit of grey now

Farmer D

Scarlet Beauty twins on day 2 and now fully opened to 10"

Farmer D

Awesome Surf City bloom

Farmer D

Farmer D

Darren, your bushes are looking fantastic.

Darren, I was just wondering if you get a lot of humming birds since you have so many blooms.

Patrick

Hi Patrick: Yes there are at least 3 to 4 with one being the alpha hummingbird that is constantly chasing the others away.  I enjoy watching the other's distraction techniques as one is the decoy and the others then go in for the nectar.  I think the alpha h-bird uses up more energy chasing them off then the others that take turns sneaking in.

Farmer D

Wow = OK Corral is looking rather stunning with the cooler weather.  I wasn't a fan to start with her but now I think I am pretty happy with.  Which is good as the bush is just great!

Farmer D

First bloom on my second go around plant for Expect Miracles - hard to show it as I see it.  Also really enjoying the cooler weather bloom on Tropical Sherbet.  A lot more going on to see...

Farmer D

A nice big bloom on Palm Springs today. Also My Blue Heaven, Valentine's Day, High Voltage, and two slightly different looks for Love Story.

Erny

Slapstick, Daisy Mae, Glitz & Glitter, Cinnamon Splendor, Hot Southern Nights, and Magic Crystal.

Rainbow Christie, Burnt Saffron, Rocket's Red Glare, Eye of Kali, and Vin Beaujolais.

Blue Opal, Tahitian Pretty Boy, Attitude of Gratitude, Red Cadillac, Really Red, and Titian Venus.

Swamp Music, Solar Soul, Sea of Tranquility, Persian Rug, Summer Shore, and Bayou Irene.

Erny I forgot to thank you yesterday for the nice compliment on by bushes.  They asked me yesterday about when are you going to come by and visit them...

Insane FF today and EM looks just gorgeous on day 2 as the colors really are coming out.  Also SS is in perfect form for the first time.

Farmer D

Farmer D

IQ twins

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Finally Ay Caramba is blooming again after over a year and a move to the backyard!

Farmer D

Hi all.
All 50+ tropicals are inside now and adjusting to the change. Many of the blue flowers like Amethyst Crystal, Sea Spray, and Rain Drop have more pink to them. Others like Thunder Egg have some very unique color.
Below is Creole Lady, and the colors are amazing.
Ed

Nicest Radiant bloom I've had so far.

More interesting in-door blooms. Another nicely striped Creole Lady. And a unique Rain Drop.
Ed

Some of today's blooms: African Princess, Chai Tea, Vin Magnifique, Island King, and Midsummer Night.

Andante, Dappled Shade, Melon Melange, Electric Orange, Rosalind, and Climax.

Bridal Path, Fuchsia Delight, Creme de la Creme, Funny Voodoo, and Peanut Butter.

Tahitian Sunset Splendor, Gabriel, High Voltage, Creole Belle, and Chads.

Hot Pepper, Pocahontas, Winter Lights, Jeanette Elliff, and Curt's Gift.

Ed, John & Erny your blooms are looking great!  Definitely some great colors this time of year!  Erny that Gabriel bloom is so different - very pretty!

Farmer D

I got my first look today at Luminescence just opening.  Definitely takes after AG - let's see what day 2 brings for it

Farmer D

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Dapple Dandy is impressing the daylights out of me.  This bloom is easily 10" with stand out colors and large petaloid action.  Wow this is one heck of a CV!!!

Farmer D

First Sunny Day bloom

Rainbow Christe bloomed finally all other plants are experiencing bud drop over here inFL 

Luminescence is now on day 2 of the first bloom I've seen (missed the first few when out of town).  Yesterday it looked a lot like it's parent Acapulco Gold.  Today it is really showing it's colors and I am loving it!  This is one sharp bloom!

Farmer D

This Luck Be A Lady bloom really shows a neon pink color upon opening today - devastating!

Farmer D

Surf City with perfect form and Sea of Tranquility doing it's thing...

Farmer D

Bright Hope

Spin the bottle twins

John your Bright Hope bloom looks great!  Rebecca those are two bright and fun twins!

Farmer D

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