Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

Is it possible for me to request a BC graft? :D

Done. One Black Cherry with Chris's name on it, ready next spring.

Charlie

I want a dark angel ! I was about to ask the same thing let me know if its possible .  :D

Thanks alot charlie!  I look forward to seeing the blooms next spring  ;D

OK, this will help me decide what to graft. I won't graft cultivars that root but those that don't do so can be suggested here. No guarantees for when they will be done but I will use these requests to set up priorities for grafting. Just post the request onto this topic and I'll get back to you when it is about ready. Plan on 6 months to a year. Grafted plants are shipped as 6 inch pots.

Charlie

Charlie you are assume !
Dark angel for me :D

Any Chance I can get in on a " Black Cherry" Graft ?

Any Chance on Getting a "Blue Moon"  Graft ?

I really would like blue moon also ! I remember when Charlie used to offer it once in awhile be stated for experts only. Blue moon has always been that on cv I need to have badly lol

I think so. I better get busy! Blue Moon depends on the wood available from the stock plant. If it's good I will graft it, if not I will have to prune so as to get some good wood later in the fall. You guys are going to hate the bush, but the flowers are way cool when the temps are right for it.

Charlie

I know we will probably hate the bush lol I have read so many bad comments about it. Does this cv grow slow ?

Yes.  :D

I can definitely get over the bad bush and slow growing.

Thanks Charlie

I agree ! I just love this cv's look so much I think I put my self on the waiting list for some of blue moons offspring dark angel and indigo fire.

Charlie,

How would you describe indigo fire?  It looks like it is a really deep purple/blue

Hi Chris,

Welcome back!  Were you able to get a new place with some windows?

Indigo Fire is one of the darkest flowers I've grown, along with Black Cherry, Dark Angel, and sometimes Blue Moon. Indigo Fire and Dark Angel are offspring of Blue Moon but what they got from it was the darkest expression of Blue Moon color and not its occasional very blue appearance. Indigo Blue averages an inch or so larger than Dark Angle which is most often seen as a mini (under 5 inches). Dark Angel is probably the darker of the two but they are very close. Here is a recent photo of Indigo Blue taken with the new camera which does a better job with most colors than my older ones.

Charlie

Hi Charlie,

Glad to be back!  South facing windows, so I think that qualifies as sunny :)  Indigo fire is such a deep blue color, are u currently propagating it? 

I been thinking about it and I too want black cherry grafted if that is not too much to ask Charlie thanks

lol kerry, how many cvs you at now?  I just counted that I am at 17 O_o.  I dont even want to think about how many I will end up with after the store opens in January, I am already saving lol.  I love BC, I am really looking forward to getting one next year, I am also hoping for creme da la creme, vin extrodinaire, and silver dragon.  (Crossing fingers atm) :P

Hahahah Chris !

I have 22 and counting LOL ! plus the 17 seedlings  :-X and the new ones that started to sprount :-X I want creme da la creme, renaissance blue, some like it hot.

LOL wow, your collect has grown quite a bit!  Hopefully once you get some of those seedling to bloom you can get rid of the non keepers and make more room.  Uh oh for January :P

Charlie which would you say is better

Dark angel or Indigo fire ?

I would like one of the other. I said dark angel at first but I probably would not need both since I would like blue moon also.

I also like black cherry if you can manage to get them growing.

You're right - Indigo Fire looks a lot like Blue Moon. Dark Angel is the one that gets my attention because it is really very dark, heading toward black. Not truly black yet, but a very dark gray with a trace of blue in it. As a seedling it rooted, but all cuttings the last couple of years rotted before they rooted. It looks like it will need to be grafted if there will ever be any more of them.

Charlie

Thanks for a more detail description.

So Just put me down for dark angel and not indigo fire,black cherry  and bloom moon :D

Hey Charlie,

How is Black Cherry coming along?  I was also hoping I could request a creme de la creme, Its compact growth habit and unique color is quite something.  Let me know if this would be possible.  Thank you again for Black Cherry at least :)

-Chris

Hello Charlie,
can i put in a request for Indigo Fire, i would love to have one. can you tell me your process of the grafting requests, how do you do it?

thanks,

Louis

I will do my best to come up with all requests. We have another hurdle to cross, which is Cindy's Waiting List. She is a mother bear when it comes to me jumping the line for "my" friends, so it wouldn't hurt to use the Waiting List form she has on the HVH site. I know Chris has used it but if you have not Lou you will find it here: http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/pages/waitinglist.htm 

To complicate matters the Europeans have figured out various ways to buy US cultivars and the demand from that sector for many varieties is more than we can handle. I think the shortage for a lot of US cvs will continue for some time due to the amounts being ordered from Russia to Germany and elsewhere. Unlike other international customers who order 1 each of a lot of different varieties these new Euro orders can be for 20 Creme de la Creme for instance. We won't allow all the plants to go overseas by any means, but the supply is still going to be tight for many cvs. sigh....I'm glad the interest is there, but I wish production was better able to match it.

Charlie

Thank you Charlie, i did not know of the request form. i have filled one out.

thanks

louis

Charlie,
 I'm not sure if you are still taking graft requests. You mentioned you thought you might have Lora. If you do I would like one if you have the time. If not I understand.

Lora is a pretty blue toned flower that was popular awhile back. Did you have it before? I do have one still and it would be a good thing to get some more plants of it spread around. We're talking next spring or early summer before it could be ready but I'm happy to add it to the to-do list.

I have a lot of photos of Lora, and photos of offspring of Lora, many pretty ones but no longer with us. Here's a bush and flower close-up.

Charlie

Speaking of graft requests, Cindy asked me to add that she is putting together a custom grafting program using the suggestions of one of our customers. He uses a custom rose grafting service and ours will be  based more or less on what they do. She will put the full details on a special page in the online store fairly soon. I'm not the greatest at keeping such things organized, but she is and it will help keep everything on track.

Charlie

Yes, I did have it at one time. Remember the mystery purple topic:http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/forum/index.php/topic,495.0.html

A custom grafting program sounds awesome.

O this sounds good. I have a list of plants I want but did not get them because I was not online 24/7 when website was updated.

I want Black cherry BADLY again and R blue ( i think I been on this list for ever and still could not get one :( )

I would also still want the ones I listed in this thread I think I want blue moon and dark angel ? let me check lol

Oooh!  Can I add??  I really really really want Vin Extraordinaire!!!  And 5th dimension if possible... If that is possible, I understand if not?  Is that graft section on the website yet?

Hi Charlie,
Hoosiers please.

BTW, Jean and I enjoyed attending every open house, from our first in July through the last in 2010 and all of our plants have done exceptionally well and we have enjoyed many wonderful blooms!

Thank You!

Hal

welcome aboard Hal!!!  Good to see you!

More Cindy's Heart in the one gallon size. :)

John D, we're about to offer 90 plants of grafted varieties including Cindy's Heart in the 4 inch pots size. We could go ahead and transplant any to 6 inch pots and grow them to good size with buds if anyone wants us to. A greenhouse bench is a safer place for small plants to develop than most outdoor areas - ready late July or August I imagine. I've also grafted more Cindy's Heart this summer that would be ready in 6 inch next spring if that works better. Cindy has my list so I'm not entirely sure what other varieties are about to be offered - Vin Extraordinary is another for sure.

Anyway, let me know privately if you prefer 6 inch and I'll see what we can do.

Charlie

Breaks my heart to hear that, I have wanted Cindy's Heart for ages and as you probably know Vietnam Customs have said I can have no more plants. I am still fighting tooth and nail for the 8 you have sent, so its fingers crossed and I will just have to enjoy the photo's.

David,

Pardon my dumb question but why in the world would local customs make such a big issue out of hibiscus plants?

dave

Dave its not a dumb question, I cant really say to much on a Forum [using Facebook in Vietnam is now illegal and can result in a fine and even jail], but if you think police state  corruption and MONEY you will get my drift.
Fortunately with Cindy's help I have managed to build up a nice collection over the last 3 years and I will find a way to add to it somehow, I have a friend in Texas who will be visiting me next year and she has already offered to bring me 4 by 4inch cv's, i dont worry to much about it, I still have my garden.

David, as I've mentioned before your garden is spectacular and I think it's incredible what you have accomplished not only dealing with your climate there but other obstacles as well, if you know what I mean.

dave in AZ

Thanks Dave, hopefully I will have these 8 cv's next week, my friend Kim Anh is flying down to Saigon to collect from Customs, she is then going to transport them across the city in a cyclo to put them on the bus haha, she will have the camera so hopefully I will be able to show a photo.

David,

  Is there a school that does any type of horticulture nearby?  If so, maybe you could work it out with them to have them be the recipients of HVH for you?  I know it is a stretch, but just a silly idea.  Or a garden center? Who knows.

 Or, maybe you plan a trip to Cali with your friend Kim?  Little vaca?  Maybe Charlie will host a open house?  Im pretty sure Im gonna camp out on their lawn one weekend this summer, they don't know it yet.... ;)  Haha!

Those are good ideas, Kristen but the deal with international shipments of plants and seeds is that every country has a right to set their own rules for importation. There are a bunch of treaties between countries that set out all of these rules. Agriculture and Customs officials in every country have access to a database that sets out the rules and conditions that every other country has made.

When importing or exporting you are expected to follow those rules. If you don't and the plants, wood, or seeds are intercepted as they arrive they can be and often are destroyed. The main document that virtually all countries require to be attached to every box of plants, seeds, and wood is called a Phytosanitary certificate. That document is written by an inspector before the box is shipped and says that the contents were inspected and found to be free of pests and disease. Unfortunately, the inspectors charge a lot for this service - over $100 now here in California. That makes it impractical to order small amounts of plants for most people. If there is no phyto going with the box then the importing country can and most likely will destroy the shipment.

Then there can be further requirements like the USA has for importing hibiscus plants or wood. Any imports are required to be quarantined for 2 years while inspectors come by 4 times during the 2 years to check on them. That is very restrictive so some people engage in "smuggling" hibiscus to avoid these requirements. Most of the non-USA cultivars you hear about growing in the USA were smuggled into this country illegally, with big fines possible for those who do it. The exceptions are the Australian varieties that HVH legally brought into the country a decade ago and that went through the quarantine process.

There's no easy solution for David, but we'll continue to work on it and see what we can come up with.

Charlie

This might be a sign for David to start hybridizing his own CVs, select for heat tolerance and nice blooms.  You have enough HVH and local garden CVs to get going!

Yes, I would recommend that, too. I think David will say that he has tried and the heat prevents getting any pods. I've heard that about Malaysia, too - just too hot year round to hybridize.

Charlie