Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

Hi Charlie,

  I know you mentioned in another thread that you have a Tahitian Princess and you like it... is it good enough to be offered up to the public by HVH?  What are its habits, and have you used it in hybridizing?

Thanks!
J

T. Princess is quite good in my opinion. The bush is upright and attractive and the flowers large and different. I like both the opening colors and the more faded colors it displays. It's probably not everyone's cup of tea colorwise but  I don't have anything else quite like it and do plan to offer it. First I am testing whether it will root but even if I have to graft it I will at least do a few. My impression is that it does not set seed but I have yet to try it.

Charlie

I like a lot Tah. Princess. In my conditions, it is a high quality cultivar. Here are the photos taken these days.

And another one

Wow, I really like the bloom.  Thanks for posting the pix, Nina, and thanks Charlie for your 2 cents on this one.  It's good to see multiple faces of blooms and find out more details before actually adding one to my collection.  I've been disappointed a couple of times.

My taste for "different" blooms strikes again!!  Charlie, if you have to graft them consider this a request!

By next year I'll have a huge house in the central valley and lots more room(hopefully).

Jordan,

I hope you are also planing on getting a greenhouse too :P  This is a very pretty cv, who was the hybridizer?

I am, actually.  I want to build my own.  Tah. Princess is from Richard Johnson in Tahiti

Oh thanks Jordan.  Good luck building the GH, make sure you make it big to accommodate all your cvs! lol

Anyone have Tahitian Cherry Blossom or a cv that looks like it? 

Haha, no, I'm going to built it twice the size I need... there's always room for more!

On that note, are there any other Tahitian cvs that make the HVH cut?

Beautiful photos, Nina!

I do have some other Tahitian varieties. One I like is T. Orange Rainbow. Another is a big purple flower that would make a great show bloom but I'm not too sure whether it will make a good plant to grow. One of these days I will organize them and show what I have.

Charlie

Here is T. cherry blossom I have seeds out of this cv

http://www.internationalhibiscussociety.org/SEArchive/cvdata1.php?search=Tahitian%20Cherry%20Blossom (http://www.internationalhibiscussociety.org/SEArchive/cvdata1.php?search=Tahitian%20Cherry%20Blossom)

Oh very cool pic kerry!  I would really like to see which of richard johnson's cvs you have growing.  Do you use any for hybridizing these days? 

Also going back to hybridizing, it looks like alot of your new ones are crosses of your old cvs.  Do you still use older ones like the path and high voltage for crossing these days or are you crossing the best of the hybrids you got from those crosses. 

Chris I have not started growing them yet I will probably plant them tonight , I am waiting for my stand to be built because I have no room to put the seed starter dome I have. ( I bought a 72 cell kit )

lol you need to get that stand, though the rubber maid tubs are pretty hilarious :P

I know I should have 1-2 stands done this week , My bf measured my balcony finally lol

here is another picture of Tahitian princess

My T.Princess :)

(http://i51.tinypic.com/dynf48.jpg)

hi kerry,

i have two plants of tahitian princess, anxious to see a bloom. what is the size of the flower.

louis

Louis, the ones I have had are about 8 inches, probably a 7 to 9 inch range. The colors are more variable, from washed out to absolutely gorgeous. It's a worthwhile variety and I plan to grow more of them in the future.

Charlie

thank you charlie,

louis

Charlie, are these in the pipeline?

Only a gleam in me eye at the moment. I saved the big plant I have to make crosses with but it did not bud up well this winter so I might as well cut it up and make some babies. I will do that this week, I think.

Charlie

What color category will this be under, so I know where to look? White? Blue & Purple?

I think Cindy will put it on the Blue and Purple page and the Multi-color page. When it first opens or in cool weather it has a lot of color but can fade as well. Lots of different looks for this one. Below is a photo of a bloom just after opening on an overcast day.

I like the colors but the reason I grow this one is that it also has a nice full bush and can bloom a lot. There are a lot of hibiscus out there with pretty flowers but awful bushes. Tahitian Princess is not one of those.

Charlie

Well Charlie, I was pretty much sold on this one and now you have helped move it to the top of my want list  :)

Does anyone have a wide shot of this one? I'd love to see the bush. :)

Here's mine.  :)

Thank you Darkhorse! Those are great pictures and that is a great looking plant. I hope to get my hands on one at some point!

Denise, Cindy has 1 small plant of T Princess available but not yet in the store. If you e-mail her at our office address I bet you can get hold of this one.

With all of our small grafted plants in 4 inch pots you have the option of having us transplant it to a 6 inch pot and grow it for you over winter for spring delivery or we can ship the small plant now for you to take care of over winter.

Charlie

Thank you Charlie!! I just sent her an email. You guys are awesome.

I placed my order today. Yay!! ;D

Hi Charlie!

I received my 4 inch Tahitian Princess yesterday. (Very excited about this one! Heck, I'm always very excited about all of them!)

I had a question about it. I see that there is growth below the graft. I know that on roses this would be a bad thing and would need to be removed. What about on hibiscus? Do I leave it or take it off? Pictures below.

Thank you!

Hi Denise,

Yes, cut the growth below the graft off so it does not hinder the growth of the scion above. At this stage when the plant is very young it is easy to see where the grafted scion ends and the rootstock begins. Later on it becomes harder to see as the 2 grow together but the leaves and growth habit of any shoots that come out of the rootstock are noticeably different than the leaves of scion. It's usually no trouble to spot and remove any "suckers" that try to grow.

Charlie

I hope your TP grows up fast! I would pinch the top and try and get those nodes just below the main stem to start branching.  You will have a much fuller and more prolific plant in the spring!

Helix-

Thanks for the tip. Can you tell me how exactly I do that? Pinching anything off that tiny little expensive plant scares me a little!! :) I haven't pruned or pinched any of my HVH's yet...

Denise

Hi Denise

all you do is just remove the top little bit of the cutting, just the part that is starting to grow.  This stimulates the plant to make more branches and it looks like you have some semi-dormant nodes at the base of that new growth (but above the graft) that will likely start growing when you pinch it.  Your other CVs (simple pleasures, High Voltage, and Confection Perfection) have already been pinched multiple times to get the bush you recieved.  Starting with the 4 inch pot size means you are getting young cuttings which havent been shaped very much as far as becoming a bush and you need to help them along.   Good luck and I am looking forward to seeing blooms from TP next year!

Thanks for the info! I might need to look at the section on the website about pruning as well. All of my hibiscus so far, besides Simple Pleasures, I have actually ordered in 4 inch size, and never pruned. I may need to get pruning on them! Thanks again!

The pruning section is a good place to start Denise! 

Your Simple Pleasures and High Voltage look great, luckily those CVs tend to branch naturally.  I am not sure about T Princess, but I am inclined to think that it does not form nice bushes with as little effort.  Keep us updated as it grows!

I just wanted to add that the T Princess I got this past spring was a tall two branched bean stalk (not HVH) that went into shipping shock and lost all it's leaves.  Since planting it in ground in a mostly shady spot it has doing extremely well.  Way beyond my expectations for a Tahitian hibiscus.  The bush is filling out very well and it really branches nicely leading to a lot of buds popping up constantly.  So far it has been really easy to grow and seems to tolerate a lot more water than other Tahitians.

Farmer D

So pretty! I hope I don't kill mine. So far both large leaves yellowed and fell off, but the newer growth is still green. I haven't pinched anything off like suggested further up because I am afraid there'd be nothing left! I hope it lives!

Denise, do not prune your T Princess at this stage. Something is wrong if it dropped its 2 large leaves and pruning would probably be too much strain for it. There is plenty of time for that once it is actively growing. For now what it needs more than anything is as much warmth as you can provide. Warmth is more important than light although it does need some light, too. If you have or can get a seedling heat pad then place the pot on that and leave it on all the time or at least all night. These come in all sizes from 12 inches x 12 inches to big ones 6 feet long. They are waterproof and provide a gentle heat that warms the roots and helps hibiscus that are wishing they were in the tropics but aren't! Don't buy a thermostat if you get one for this purpose because its not needed. Good luck!

Charlie

Thanks Charlie. I will give that a try. Could it be too much direct sun? I left it in a pretty sunny spot for the first couple of days after it arrived. Now I have been trying to make sure it gets shade once the hotter afternoon sun hits...

Yup Denise,  I would say it was the shock of going from a the warmer, more humid and probably less sunny greenhouse to the hot direct sun of your house.  Especially with these smaller sized plants, you need to keep them in a shadier spot when you first get them.  Morning or late afternoon sun is fine, but full sun is going to stress them out and cause them to drop their leaves. 

I agree with Charlie, I would hold off the pinch until you the leaves have grown back and it seems to be growing well.  With winter coming and your plant in shock, I would wait till spring until I do anything else to it.  Best thing to do now is keep it warm, also do not transplant this plant into a bigger pot for a few weeks, when you see new growth again, then it is safe to pot up.  Unless you see new growth, the stress of both sun and disturbing the roots might be too much for it. 

Tahitian Princess does not seem to be as fast of a grower as the other CVs you have (Simple Pleasures, High Voltage) so it might take a bit longer to get back on its feet.  Good luck!

Denise welcome to the wonderful world of hibiscus.  Everyday is something new to learn.  Any new plant I get no matter how big gets put in the shade at least a week before gradually introducing it to the sun.  I have a really big one that has to be over a year old and it has been in the shade a week and starting tomorrow when the weather here cools down I will put it in dappled sunlight for a few days as a start.
Good luck!

Here is a current plant shot of T Princess.  I also included one of Daisy Mae that I got as a 6" in late spring to compare bushes and growth.

Farmer D

Thanks everyone! I ordered a seedling heat pad and will start using that once it comes. This is my first purchase that was not on the Tried and True list, and I hope it pulls through!! (Except maybe Confection Perfection??) The small leaves still look super green and healthy, so I'm hopeful.

I have a 4" Pinot Noir coming tomorrow, so I will adopt the no direct sun for a week approach starting with that one! (And it can share the new heat mat!)

What was I thinking ordering this tricky Tahitian Princess at the beginning of Fall? ??? ;D

Thanks again everyone!

I just got my T. Princess and I am all ready loving it.  I don't think it will blooming any time soon since it was cut back upon arrival ( non HVH plant)
I also got T. Sophistication I will see how this one does. The Tahitians usually have bad bushes. I only want to buy the nice bushed Tahitians. T. Princess and Sophistication are pretty good bushes IMO. They are nice and up right.

Kerry- With any luck you and I will be sharing some nice bloom shots this Spring/Summer :)

I guess I'll update here too. (Also discussed my TP in another thread). I babied the heck out of this thing, including a seedling heat mat, HVH fertilizer and Supernova, but unfortunately it has now seen it's last days :( I think all of the special care was basically too little, too late. It's decline all started when I gave it too much sun when it first arrived, and then I think there was just too much change: from being outside, to going inside, trying different locations inside the house; and all of this during the change from Summer to Fall and finally to Winter. And the fertilizer and Supernova wasn't until it was on it's very last leg. This was a learning experience for me and I think I learned a lot about how tricky hibiscus can be!

I really, really hope I get the chance to purchase another one for Spring!!!! I want some Tahitian Princess blooms!!! If the wishlist didn't have to be in alphabetical order it would be at the top!

RIP Tahitian princess.

Oh sorry to hear you lost that beauty.  I have it on my wish list and really love love love T. Princess blooms.  How disappointed you must be.  Hope you get another one so you can see her bloom this summer.

Denise sorry to hear you lost t. Princess  :'( I just lost Winter lights so I am buying another. I hate it when you lose any cv I lost some due to spider mites so I am replacing them back slowly. Sigh  :'(. Creme de cacao met it's last day because of my puppy at the time ( she is almost 2 years now ) she has killed a bunch of my seedlings too she is now named hibbie killer lol.

I know how you all feel about losing plants. It is incredibly frustrating.  I've lost my share over the years and appear to have a few more casualties coming soon. My 4 year old Over the Rainbow and Fantasy Charm are both sticks with a green leaf or two. Both bloomed well this summer and I'm clueless on what's going on now. I started a regular Kontos program in late summer so spider mites shouldn't be the problem. I started growing these exotics in 2004 and still haven't totally figured out all their cultural needs.

Kerry sorry to hear some of your loses are puppy related. Hope she outgrows her destructive phase soon.

dave

Dave,

Are these two grafted CVs?  Ive heard of some grafted plants suddly dying or declining for no aparent reason due to the graft failing.  This is the big flaw with grafted CVs, which is why own root CVs are greatly emphasized :)

Chris, no these are both own root. Neither one has been a very vigorous grower. They've both had some nice blooms, but the bushes never really got going. I hope Charlie is still going to propagate a few in case they don't come back. I pulled both out of their pots last night for a look see. They're not pot bound and the few visible roots looked ok. The potting soil seems porous enough so who knows. I'm spraying them with Super Nova and occasionally Wake up spray so we'll see what happens.

dave

Denise hang in there.  It sucks but sometimes we lose a few of them.  I just do my best to learn what I did wrong and hopefully avoid repeating whatever mistakes I discovered I made.  Fortunately for you T Princess is probably the most grown Tahitian around so it is usually in supply somewhere.

Dave I hate it when they just continue to decline.  I have had little success once they go in the wrong direction when it is winter.  It's hard enough to bring them back under normal circumstances but with the added stress of winter....

Both my Apricot Cookie and Sizzle continue to decline too and they are solid 6" from spring.  I give them less than 10% chance to come back this summer even with little green leaves and nodes still showing on both.

Farmer D