Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

First bloom on High Drama today. Also Bridal Path, Cinnamon Splendor, and probably the nicest bloom I've had on Silver Memories.

Erny

Midsummer Night, Acapulco Gold, Sizzle, and Delta Dawn.

Bright Hope, Scarlet Beauty, Riptide, Electric Orange, and Me Oh My Oh.

Blues In The Night, Flickering Flame, Cherry Glow, Andante, and Cindy's Heart.

High Voltage, Old Spice, Jeanette Elliff, Creole Belle, and Heartbreak Hotel.

Charlie - Thanks for the info on Crystal. What is the foliage like? My mystery purple has somewhat rounded crinkled leaves.

Erny - I really like Pepper Spray. Great Silver Memories (one of my big time favorites) and a really nice Delta Dawn.

I had another 9 inch bloom on Tahitian Royal Court today. Also, Marla's Song and 1st time bloom on Lone Wolf with great petaloids.

Thanks Gil for the info on reducing picture size before posting. I'll give it a whirl this coming week and see if enables me to post pictures. I did change my camera setting to the smallest bytes possible, so that may help also. It's just frustrating since I used to post occasionally with no problems at all.

Second bloom on High Drama today. Also Coy Beauty, Dream Catcher, and Wild Grape.

A small flower on Tahitian Pretty Boy. Also Luminescence, Secret Heart, Ay Caramba, and Sleeping Beauty.

Red Cadillac is a real eye-catching bloom. Also today Illuminati, Cindy's Heart, Silver Dragon, and Hollywood Starlet.

Two different looks of the same flower--Vin Electrique in full sun and shaded.  Also Acapulco Gold, Prosperity, Winter Lights, and Bridal Path.

Chariots of Fire, Dapple Dandy, Living Legend, Chads, and Persian Rug.

hmm pic?

ah - guess it goes automatically - that's my only blooming HVH hibiscus  :)

Erny - Beautiful High Drama (I'm a pink lover). Really great color on Coy Beauty and Hollywood Starlet.

Merkity - Nice Burnt Saffron.

Not a lot blooming here on Monday. Funny Voodoo, Miss Congeniality, Marla's Song and Lone Wolf.

Persian Rug, Robin Hood, an opening Creole Lady and a nameless garden variety hibiscus that looked great in the sun (I got it many years ago).

Still not much blooming here on Tuesday. Another interesting Creole Lady, Make A Wish, Persian Rug (day 2), Tradewinds (something chewed on it before opening), my mystery pink and a little Orange Marmalade.

Still not much blooming here on Wednesday. If it wasn't for Creole lady, I wouldn't have much at all (it's a large mature bush that I've had for a number of years). Creole Lady, my mystery pink (day 2) and Tres Bon.

Fiji Island White

First bloom in quite a while for Crinkle In Time. Also Vin Extraordinaire, Arabian Princess, Thanksgiving, and Heavy Metal.

Erny

Funny Voodoo, Flickering Flame, Rainbow Christie, Acapulco Gold, and Valentine's Day.

Secret Heart, Tahitian Taui, Over The Rainbow, and Black Rainbow.

Daisy Mae, Gentle On My Mind, High Voltage, and Samba Dancer.

African Princess had two blooms today that opened completely. Also Solar Soul, Butterscotch Bliss, and Rum Runner profusion.

Electric Pizzazz, Chads, Delta Dawn, and Tahitian Sophistication.

Erny - I really like Crinkle In Time. Fantastic color on Vin Extraordinaire!!! Samba Dancer is looking great.

Still not much blooming here on Thursday. Had my 1st bloom on Star of India this year, Enlightenment is showing great splotching and Golden Dust.

Today's blooms: A Creole Lady with an extra set of petals and a normal Creole Lady, 2nd bloom on Lone Wolf and a small Stolen Kiss.

Great pics everyone! I really haven't had much time to post until now. Its been a busy few weeks. This first set of pics is from the past week or so. Got my second bloom on Winter Wonderland. This is the day 2 pic. This little bugger likes to bloom when I am away so I can't catch the colors when it first opens. Still I love it!! Also Kilimanjaro, Burnt Saffron, first bloom on White Water ( less white and more water lol due to the cool temps I guess), and first bloom on Merlot Magic. MM was hard to capture the color in the bright sun. It was a beautiful dark burgundy. And Gentle On My Mind which I gave to my parents last year.

Now some pics from this morning. These all bloomed yesterday while I was at work, so they are all day 2 blooms. An awesome pair of Blue Opal blooms, another Burnt Saffron, Arabian Nights, and Renaissance Blue.

Blues In The Night is proving to be a prolific bloomer. Four new flowers today. Also Venetian Pepper, Ruby Tuesday, and Rocket's Red Glare.

Years ago one of the old time Florida growers said that if he could ever capture the true colors of Jason he wouldn't be able to grow enough to fill the demand. This is as close as I have come to getting one to look as good in the photo as it does in person. Also Cindy's heart, Melon Melange, Glitz & Glitter, and vein of Gold.

This photo of Rose Quartz captures the true colors better than any I have had before. Also Heavy Metal, Flickering Flame, Ay Caramba, and Island King.

Nice quads on Dapple Dandy. One is showing increasing spotting. Also nice twins on High Drama today showing a very intense color.

Chai Tea, Velvet Illusion, Grand Fiesta, Valentine's Day, and Rainbow Sherbert.

The nicest bloom I've had thus far on Cherry Blue. Also Vin Extraordinaire, Prosperity, Kilimanjaro, and Samba Dancer still looking good on day 2.

Concerto, Jeanette Elliff, Angel's Wings, Louise Bennett, Eye of Kali, and Nightfire.

Tahitian Princess, Marianne Charlton twins, a nice pink plumeria helping to shade them, and Plumeria 'Pips'--the best red plumeria.

Night Runner, Bright Horizon, Rim of Fire, and Gator Pride.

great pics erny. here's one of mine heartbeat.

Erny - Nice to see multiple blooms on Blues In The Night. Great color on Ruby Tuesday, Rose Quartz, Vin Extraordinaire and Bright Horizon.

Jonathan - Nice Heartbeat.

Blooms today: Erika Nicole, Tammy Faye and Louisiana Flash.

Tahitian Red Leopard and Caribbean Magic Jewel.

Lone Wolf (day 2), Hot Bikini and a nameless hibiscus.

Bill, Erica Nicole is always pretty. It was Hibiscus of the year several years ago before the explosion of new hybrids. It probably wouldn't have much of a chance today.
My relatively new Fifi plant produced its first bloom today and it is an interesting one with the two tone color pattern on the petals. Another huge flower on Dragon Moon and a new one on Carmel Dawn.

Erny

Black Dragon, Pinot Noir, and Thanksgiving.

Funny Voodoo, California Beauty, Palm Springs, Rainbow Christie, and Rocket's Red Glare.

Sea of Tranquility, Angel's Wings, African Princess,  Fifth Dimension, and Electric Orange.

Inner Compass, Black Dream, Curt's Gift, and for plumeria lovers an inflorescence on Plumeria Siam Ruby.

Erny - Nice to see a bloom on Fifi. I got one from HVH last month but no blooms yet. Great blooms on Rainbow Christie and Carmel Dawn. Funny Voodoo is quickly becoming my favorite brown.

Still not much blooming here. Lots of bud drop and yellow leaves. Likely due to thrips and maybe some spider mite and possibly a delayed reaction to the heat wave we had. I'll have to start spraying with Spinosad and Bayer 3-1 and see if that helps. Blooms today: Lone Wolf bloomed again, Banana Republic, Erika Nicole (day 2), Hot Bikini (day 2) and a Hawaiian Orange Kokio with a cat guardian.

Thought I might share our "jungle".

Ed

Ed - Thanks for sharing your yard photos. I always enjoy seeing how others have their plants arranged.

Erny - I forgot to give kudos to your Dragon Moon. It's one I really like. How long do the blooms last and does it fade much?

Monday's blooms: Best bloom so far on Enlightenment. Some really good splotching on this one. Lone Wolf day 2 and the two of them together.

1st bloom on Caribbean Silver Sophistication (looks a bit like Thunder Egg to me)   . My mystery pink with its summer colors.

Bill, I love the bright colors on your Enlightenment. Dragon Moon flowers last about three days. They are some of the largest blooms in my collection and they fade to a really nice pattern on days 2 & 3. I posted the faded pattern a week or two ago and will do it again with the next bloom I get.
I was absolutely stunned today when I saw the second bloom on Serenity. This is a relatively new plant so still a little small. There is, however, nothing small about the flower--a good 8-9 inches. The photo doesn't fully capture the beauty of the flower. In my opinion any conversation about Hibiscus of the Year must include this cv. Congratulations Charlie! Others worth sharing today include Silver Dragon, Ruby Tuesday, Fire & Ice, and Swamp Music.

Erny

Red Cadillac consistently delivers very large deep red flowers that really catch the eye. Chai Tea is another cv that seems to be under appreciated. Another nice bloom on Rose Quartz today along with Acapulco Gold and Cosmic Dancer.

Bill, I share your opinion on Funny Voodoo. Another brown that deserves your attention is Cinnamon Splendor. It is a prolific bloomer. Other consistent bloomers today are Vin Beaujolais, Rainbow Christie, Rocket's Red Glare, and Black Rainbow.

Scarlet Beauty, Rainbow Sherbert, Angel's Wings, Rosalind, Creole Belle, and Inner Compass.

Miss Congeniality, Hot Pepper, Bon Temps, Brassy Blonde, Tahitian Sophistication, and an inflorescence on Plumeria Thai Pink.

Fifth Dimension with several second day blooms. Also Tahitian Orange Rainbow, Solar Soul, and  Heartbreak Hotel. Most of my plumerias are also in full bloom and I can't resist showing some. Here are plumerias My valentine and J105 (a Thai cv).

Erny - Thanks for the info on Dragon Moon. Your Serenity bloom is awesome!!! I got a small one from HVH and can't wait for it to bloom. I've already added Cinnamon Splendor to my list of browns to get. Fire & Ice and Ruby Tuesday are looking great. Also enjoyed seeing your plumeria blooms.

Not much here on Tuesday. Johnny Reb always blooms with perfectly formed flowers and my mystery pink on day 2.

Red Cadillac is one of the more substantial blooms in terms of size and the thickness of the petals. Here it is holding up well on day 3. Also Luminescence twins, Raku, and pocahontas.

Erny

Serenity on day 2 still measures 9 1/4". Also Blues In The Night, Over The Rainbow, Fire & Ice, and Hollywood Starlet.

First bloom in a while on Princess Ka'iulani. Also Island King,Tahitian Pink Princess, and Polar Bear.

Another first bloom in a long time for Really Red. Also Bon Temps and Rainbow Sherbert.

California Beauty, Valentine's day, Flickering Flame, Acapulco Gold, and Heartbreak Hotel.

Night Magic, Glitz & Glitter, Velvet Illusion, and Tahitian Princess.

Tahitian Sophistication, Persian Rug, Me Oh My Oh, and Gator Pride.

Butterscotch Bliss, Solar Soul, Tahitian Burning Sands, and Magic crystal.

Erny - Great color on Over The Rainbow and Fire & Ice. Pocahontas has always been one of my favorites.

Still not much blooming here on Wednesday. Had my 1st bloom on Cosmic Gold (a bit chewed by some insect), Bold Idea, Creole Lady and my old garden variety hibiscus that always looks good when its facing the sun.

Great pics everyone!

I got my first bloom on Chianti Classico! The bloom was huge and it almost had a metallic sheen which wasn't captured in the photo. Beautiful!! The second picture is from day 2.

Paul, that Chianti Classico is really nice. I just added it to my Wish List about a week ago and now I'm sure glad I did.
Got my first good bloom on Merry-Go-Round today. Also Wild Grape, Space Oddity, and Midsummer Night.

Erny

I really like this first bloom on a seedling--Tahitian Little Darling X Tahitian Queen. It's a full 8 1/2" which is big for a first bloom and the color banding is distinctive. Also from today Tahitian Sophistication, Rainbow Christie, Prosperity, and High Drama.

Dapple Dandy is showing more spotting. Also Cinnamon Splendor, Chai Tea, Living Legend, and Daisy Mae.

Bon Temps, Pocahontas, Red Cadillac, and Creme de la Creme.

Funny Voodoo growing right next to Plumeria Lani. Also Carmel Dawn, Fire & Ice, Blues In The Night, and Titian Venus.

Electric Pizzazz, Old Spice, Concerto, Georgia's Pearl, Bessie, and Lady In Waiting.

Dragon's Breath, Illuminati, Cindy's Heart, California Beauty, Chariots of Fire, and Rainbow Sherbert.

Bridal Path, Vin Magnifique, Acapulco Gold, Creole Belle, Inner Compass, and Fifth Dimension.

Paul - Great Chianti Classico!!! I'm with Erny about adding it to my wish list.

Erny - Great color on Space Oddity and Midsummer Night. Loved the photo of Funny Voodoo with the plumeria and nice to see Vin Magnifique.

A few blooms here over the last four days. Bold Idea (day 2), 1st bloom on a small Jeanette Elliff plant (doesn't have the depth of color yet), Tylene, 1st bloom on Blueberry Thrill and Norman Lee.

Black Dream, Robin Hood and Goin' Steady twins.

Space Oddity 1st bloom, stigma is staying bunched up as this cv is stressed from last weeks transplant and going through acclimation.       

Kyle - Really nice Space Oddity!!!

Monday's blooms here: Lone Wolf, my mystery pink blooms are more reflexed in the summer months and my little Hawaiian Orange Kokio.

Still not much blooming here on Tuesday. 1st bloom on Time Shift in awhile, day 2 blooms on my mystery pink and Lone Wolf and another bloom on my nameless hibiscus (I just like the bright color when it's in the sun).

I would venture to say that your nameless red is called brilliant if you got it from a big box store...

Best color I have got on my Rocket's red Glare. Also Tiger Cub, Burnt Saffron, and Inner Compass.

Vin Beaujolais, Funny Voodoo, Pocahontas, and Really Red.

Solar Soul, Midsummer Night, Wild Grape, Bon Temps, and Daisy Mae.

two of mine, Snowfire, enlightenment.

Great blooms everyone! A quick post before work. An amazing Red Snapper bloom! Holy petaloids Batman! :)
Also James Bond, 5th Dimension, and Lone Wolf.

Super photos from all over!

Here's a new one named Midnight Tryst, probably available at the next update the last Saturday in June. It's a cross of Magic Crystal x Pinot Noir and has very pronounced Fascinating Foliage leaf style.

Charlie

Great new CV Charlie! I'm a sucker for the fascinating foliage, so I'm sure it will end up in my collection one day!

Today I had blooms on White Water, Blue Opal, and a stunning pair of Merlot Magic blooms! The MM blooms were hard to capture their true color in a photo. They definitely have a much darker wine color in person. Beautiful!

Appassionata is a recent arrival and put out its first bloom yesterday. I like what I see there. A second bloom on Serenity--it has already moved into my top five favorites list. Merry-Go-Round is showing its very distinctive color pattern after  its first couple of undistinguished blooms. Also a nice flower on Dragon's Breath.

Erny

Another nice bloom for Fifi. Also Togetherness, Arabian Princess, and White Hot.

While it is probably impossible to pick my most favorite hibiscus, there is no question about my favorite blue. My Blue Heaven is the hands down winner in my book.  Also Cindy's Heart, Melon melange, and Acapulco Gold.

Three more of my favorites that bloomed today are Bright Hope, Burnt Saffron, and Confection Perfection. Also Rose Quartz.

Cosmic Dancer has to be one of the brightest of all blooms. Also Electric Pizzazz and Carmel Dawn.

Pocahontas is one of those that consistently puts out perfectly formed flowers. Also Ay Caramba, Sleeping Beauty and California Beauty.

Dapple Dandy, Pinot Noir, Rocket's Red Glare, and the prolific Blue Ballerina.

Hot Pepper, Tiger Cub, Voodoo Queen, and Gentle On My Mind.

Chariots of Fire, Inner Compass, Cherry Blue, Cherry Ice, Midsummer Night, and Solar soul.

Silver Memories, Strawberry Fields Forever, Bessie, Black Rainbow, Cinnamon Splendor, and Curt's Gift.

I haven't been on the forum the last few days, so it's time to get caught up with everyone.

Merkity - Thanks for the suggestion on my nameless hibiscus. I got it at a little neighborhood market that had a flower vendor many years ago. It's a little different than the red hibiscus Brilliant (a little smaller and not as deep a red color).

Jonathan - Nice Enlightenment twins.

Paul - Great James Bond and I loved your Merlot Magic twins. If I'm not mistaken, Merlot Magic is out of the same cross that produced Charlie's Midnight Tryst.

Erny - I can see why My Blue Heaven is your favorite blue. It's absolutely stunning!!! Nice to see Appassionata and some great blooms on Rocket's Red Glare and Pocahontas.

Still not much blooming here. Sweet Caramel and Goin' Steady.

It has been a joy viewing everyone's blooms while away.  Funny how in Hawaii there is nothing like these flowers being grown there.

Now the marathon of cleaning and feeding everything...14 hours straight yesterday.  Here are some blooms from then

Farmer D

Dapple Dandy looking insane

Farmer D

Farmer D

Farmer D

Darren, welcome back home. It doesn't look like your plants suffered too much in your absence. Your Dapple Dandy is certainly well ahead of mine in terms of spotting. Also Brassy Blonde and Melon Melange today.

Erny

Dappled Shade, Bon Temps, Really Red, and Tahitian Sophistication.

Heavy Metal, Palm Springs, Burnt Saffron, California Beauty, and Rainbow Sherbert.

Wild Grape, Night Magic, Rose Quartz, Cherry Blue, and Glitz & Glitter.

Electric Orange, Velvet Illusion, Gentle On My Mind, Scarlet Beauty, and Angel's Wings.

Erny your blooms are looking better by the day.  Your Palm Springs and Dappled Shade are very nice.  Wow that was a long stretch to be gone - over 3 weeks but minus my fert tank being out of fert things are pretty good.

Fortunately the weather cooperated while away and I know to make sure I recharge my fert tank before going even though it is a 2 gallon.

Farmer D

Farmer D

Farmer D

TLM trips & first bloom of Tangerine Fusion while here - it's first blooms were while I was away of course...

Farmer D

Hi Everyone
Here are a few close up pictures of Flickering Flame , It's full of buds an blooming a lot now . Also some pictures of some vary large bushes almost 6 feet tall .

Farmer D

Farmer D

Farmer D

Ernie and Bill what a difference a month makes to your flowers,  Farmer D nice to leave and have your set up take care of things.
Not much blooming here.
2nd bloom on Space Oddity and 5th Dim hiding some Olive tones today.

Kyle that is a gorgeous Space Oddity. 

Yeah it is nice when a lot of hard work pays off - but still learning new things everyday!

Farmer D

1st Appassionata bloom

Farmer D

Darren - Welcome back!!! Nice to see your babies held together nicely while you were gone. Your Rocket Fuel is out of this world. Interesting bloom on Tahitian Tracvermont and an outstanding Unforgettable. Appassionata looks great (I can't wait for mine to start blooming).

Erny - Fantastic Dappled Shade twins!!! I've always liked Melon Melange but have never been able to get one. Charlie, is Melon Melange going to be available  anytime in the future?

Mike - Nice Flickering Flame and those are some really healthy looking bushes.

Kyle - Great Space Oddity.

Blooms from the last few days: Black Dream, my mystery pink and Time Shift.

Today's blooms: Lone Wolf and the little Hawaiian Orange Kokio.

Tahitian Princess's 11am,3pm   

Bill your Time Shift bloom is really impressive - I love that red zone edged in brown then going to yellow.  I know Erny is a big fan of his as well.

Kyle lovely T Princess - it is a classic and I never get tired of her blooms!

Things are starting to get back into shape here and some fantastic first blooms too.

First is Contemplation
My camera did not pick up the large pink eye zone too much.  Talk about bright colors and I just love the thick orange coloring instead of thin veining going up the petals.  Gorgeous!

Farmer D

Next up is Out of the Ashes and this one just blew me away today.  These two blooms were in the box so you're seeing them as I did when I first opened it up today.

I am speechless except for cursing at myself for not getting this one sooner.  I have been looking at it since last year and finally pulled the trigger which looks to be fortunate as it is not available all of a sudden.

Wowzers!

Farmer D

Third 1st time bloomer is Tony the Tiger.  I saw this at the HVH greenhouse last summer and was very impressed with how big it was and the striking yellow-orange veining it had.  This first bloom is over about 8" so good start and I look forward to seeing the blooms gain in size and color.  Lots of buds already!

Farmer D

King Kamehameha getting better by the bloom with petaloids showing up.  This one should continue to improve her colors and it already is quite pretty!

Tahitian Pink Princess gaining some lavender color now.  I pruned back my plumeria even more to give her more room and light.  Promising future.

Farmer D

What can you say about Some Like It Hot when it looks like this?  Speaks for itself!

Farmer D

1st bloom in a very long time for my Island Queen.  I added a set of sprinkler heads to my sidewalk planter after noticing some extreme dryout from the two heat waves in April.  All the plants in that planter are responding magnificently so good things to come...

Farmer D

Farmer D

farmer d

Kyle - Great Tahitian Princess!!! One of my all time favorites.

Darren - You must have brought back some island karma. Great King Kamehameha and Island Queen. I too was completely blown away the first time I saw a bloom on my Out of The Ashes (absolutely stunning). All I can say for Contemplation is WOW!!!

The last couple of days' blooms: Lone Wolf (day 2), Goin' Steady and the little Hawaiian Orange Kokio

Thanks Bill for the kind words!

3rd bloom for Tangerine Fusion and it is just beautiful!  I can't wait to see this as a 10" bloom - I might pass out to see something so big and pretty...

Farmer D

Charlie sent me one heck of a fantastic Bright Hope bush this past week.  Lots of buds on this one...

SLIH so striking!

Farmer D

First bloom for me on Sincerity though I can tell it started blooming while I was away.  Pretty!  I can see some spotting and the orange/pink play on colors is nice.  I hope those two colors contrast more for a dramatic look.

Farmer D

Farmer D

Dapple Dandy is one of my favorites - there is really nothing it can't do!  Twins today.

Farmer D

I have been waiting for about 3 years for my Deep Waters to put out a bloom like it did when I first got it long ago.  I have uprooted it three times finally deciding on a really shady spot so the blooms don't fade much.  I was worried it would not produce good colors - today it showed it can do it no problem in the shade!!

Farmer D

Inner Compass is a very vigorous plant with large colorful blooms.  I find it very easy to grow.  Of course nothing is easier to grow than Valentine's Day...

Farmer D

Oh oh!  OOTA went into shipping shock...and is still blooming.

Farmer D

Farmer D

Farmer D

Twin TLMs

Farmer D

Splash - HVH 2014 HOTY - really something to see in person!

Farmer D

Darren - Fantastic Dapple Dandy twins and that Rocket Fuel bloom is amazing!!!

Blooms from the last couple of days: Robin Hood after it just opened in the morning and it's almost a perfect square and the same bloom in the early evening when I got home from work. Two huge blooms today on Goin' Steady and American Maid. Also, a fragrant white Hawaiian hibiscus (a native plant). Kind of smells like lemons to me. Hawaiian name is Koki'o Ke'oke'o.

Ernie,
I love the Dapple Shade.

Darren,
Sea of Tranquility and Out of the Ashes are ones that have taken notice. We have run out of room (over 100 plants), so I must wait till we move.

Kyle,
We recently got Space Oddity, and your pic confirms our decision.

Bill,
We are suckers for purples and blues, so Lone Wolf will be on future lists.

Below are Black Dragon, Lyrical at opening and later in the day, Rocket Fuel, Night Runner, and Pinot Noir. Black Dragon was inside after a mite scare, so the colors have a purple similar to Purple Magic.

Ed

Ed you are right - that is a different color for Black Dragon.  I love purple so it is nice to see if that way!  Your NR is looking really good!  Fun bush...huh?

You know it seems not too many other people have Simple Pleasures which for me is just an absolute must have HVH stand by.  Or at least not too many take pics of it and post.

Farmer D

Farmer D

Farmer D

Great photos every body rocket fuel will be one I will need to purchase what a unique shade of orange not much blooms here in sunshine state do to to much rain been moving all around so they dont get drowned got some photos finally creole lady an solar soul