Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

Who says you can't grow Hibiscus in the snow!  ;)  It's 15 below with 2 feet of snow outside, but I woke up this morning to this beautiful flower. It is definitely a pick me up during the winter months.
Cheers and Happy new Year!
Pam

Happy New Year back to you, Pam!  It's so fun to see all the hibiscus blooming against snowy window scenes! :-)

Hello Pam and welcome to the forum. Great enthusiasts here. Great first flower for 2011..

louis

Happy New Year Pam & Forum Members,

I woke up this morning to the same weather conditions that you did, Pam.  I live in the mountains of New Mexico. The difference is my High Voltage.  I wonder what that says about 2011?

Oh so pretty! New Mexico. Yes I'm in the mountains of Idaho- Ski Resort. I have a couple of "lolly pop" Hibiscus trees that have finished blooming and I pruned them back, by summer they start up again. But the photo I took yesterday is a special one to me and it has 5 more buds on it. Yahoo! I have gotten some lovely flowers from Hidden Valley, but they are young, so not blooming a lot yet. I still have a lot to learn. Spider mites become a problem and one of my "trees" has droopy leaves. It blooms but never looks really vibrant. hmmm?

Thank You!   I'm still learning!  ;)

(http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x377/mphquicksilver/SPcopy.png)
Hi folks Here is twins the one on the left is a two day old bloom & the other is today. So I bought a few new ones today I got Midsummer Night & flickering flame.

Mike, I had Midsummer night in my cart like 5 times!!  And wanted to get Flickering Flame too!  Great picks!~  It is so hard when the store stocks up, its so much pressure.  You miss a lot.  I need to marinate for a bit before I can pick the ones I really want, and by then, they are usually gone.  Im such a girl sometimes! >:/

Pam, beautiful new year flower!!  What is it called?

Haha Kristen you could just do what I do and buy them all.  lol  I've rarely had buyer's remorse, unusual for me!

LOL Its hard to pick them isnt it Kristen?  Sometimes you need a plan going into the store opening. The night before I looked at all the seedlings that Charlie posted over the summer and picked out which ones I would definitely get if they were for sale.  It worked really well because Corazon and Dress Blues were two that I picked out the night before.  Painted Pony and Princess K were two that Ive been drooling over for months, so that was a quick pick.  In case you havent realized it I am really analytical and did a bit a triage before the store even opened :P   

Midsummer night is one that I also keep looking at, same with Periwinkle and Am I blue.  But then I have to remember that Charlie and Cindy update the store even before shipping with more varieties so I am trying to save some room for those other new beauties we havent even seen yet!

AND really, have you ever regretted buying a hibiscus?   

I forgot... a new year's day Blue Ballerina.  She blooms for me with more of a hint of pink with less sunlight and cooler temps.

Blue Ballerina is pretty with the pink, too! Thanks for showing that look to us.

Chris, I think you will like the ones you chose. The big blue/gray ones like Am I Blue, Johnny Reb, Ephemeral, and Silver Dollar are really lovely when seen in person. The eye seems able to see more blue shades than the camera and monitors show.

As for selections, our goal is to select varieties to offer that are all good enough so that you could shop blindfolded and still enjoy the ones you receive. Tastes vary quite a lot, though, and everybody has ones they favor more than others. Some people push the edge while others like to stick with what they know and love. Doesn't matter since our preference is to grow as wide a variety or colors and forms as we can and see what happens.

Charlie

Hi Kristin

I'm so bad I don't remember the name of this flower and I didn't keep the tag.
 LOL about not being able to choose! Are you in a warm climate? 

Those are beautiful! I'm jealous, looks like thay are outside in pleasant weather. :-)

PC, no... I am in the cold North East.  Connecticut.  But my big sunny south facing windows are doing my babies justice!  Here are 4 from today.  And I crossed them all!  CB with CH.  And VM with SP.  Should be interesting.  Charlie, keep your fingers crossed.

Great Kristen!  I am hoping that my plants will take pity on me and produce some buds and blooms during this gloomy weather.

Hi Chris!  I will send you some good luck wishes!!  Mine seem to have adapted to the indoor life and gave up being stubborn.  Hopefully yours will too!

Think Pink today with a few garden pinks for show, the garden hibs have been cut and placed on my Dark of Night bush so it looks attractive by the door.

david... kristen...beautiful blooms...kristen I love cindys heart...I hopefully will have one some day...my weather has been horrible the last couple of weeks rain wind ...really low temps for my area in the 30's at night and only 50 during the day...I had to cover all my hibs with frost cloth but even still I have a few that are not happy..its stressing me out. :'(.they really need sunshine,,,farmer d I am in sanbernardino area..how are your hibs doing..mine too are outside..oh well here are some of my blooms...hopefully more if this weather ever calms down..CHARLIE how are your outside hibs doing???..Lynette

Wow Lynette!  The colors on that Heavy Metal!!  I hope for some break in that weather for you!!

David, I don't know how you do it!... I love the look, but can never bring myself to actually pick one of my flowers.  Very pretty though!

Lynett your heavy metal is stunning. I am about 4 days away from my first High Voltage bloom, I doubt with the weather here it will show pink like yours but we will see.

Kristen I am not as brave as you think cutting my blooms, it took me a long time before I got used to doing  it, and if you look at the garden hib in the picture the blooms I cut today came from the back against the wall which I could not see anyway.

Hi Lynette,

I don't blame you for being stressed.  We're used to getting breaks of  a couple weeks at a time between winter weather systems - not this season so far...but your blooms are exquisite.  Kristen was right about your Heavy Metal - magnificent colors.  Don't feel too bad!

Maybe you should change your handle from mother of 4 to a much larger number to include all the parental weight of handling your hibs.  We're all parents in this respect?!

My plants are hanging in there, though my buds are taking forever to open.  I recently sprayed my plants with some Wilt Pruf in hopes of a natural way to kill off spider mites and since then my flowers are opening kind of half way.  You would think the mites would be dormant by now with this colder weather but I got several plants showing more yellow leaves (or maybe its coincidentally too much rain water?).  This time of year there is a lot of possibilities to contend with.

One interesting thing I've observed is that the plants really have a mind of their own and seem to almost know when to stop a bloom from opening for days at a time when the weather is bad.  I've got 5 blooms on the verge of opening on my Bridal Path for over a week now and each day I'd swear this is the day but with this weather the plant just won't open them.  Charlie - I'm not a botanist but where again is the plant's brain located? ;)

Cheers!
Farmer D

Yes farmer d i know what you mean..mine are taking forever to open also..I was going to uncover mine this morning but it still only around 45.....Charlie do you think its best to leave them covered during the day...it shoud be around 55 today or just leave them covered?...its funny most of my hibs look fine..but I have around 5-6 that are looking bad...and I think mostly it is from all the rain we had last week...I should have covered them sooner...the ones that are looking sick are..rebel rouser..fabulous..song sung blue..georgias thunder..allure..purple magic..And I really do not want to lose any of them  :(........the good thing  is it is suppose to clear up after today and be in the 60's and sunny the rest of the week... ;D :D..and yes the store opening was great....9 more to add to the bunch..lynette

Such gorgeous flower photos in the January photos topic! You'd think we are in summertime.

Lynette, winter is hard on hibiscus in inland California areas. You probably won't lose too many (unless we get unusual deep freezes) but expect some setbacks and damage. Tips will die back mostly but in spring you prune off all the bad wood and then new growth starts with new stems and leaves and by mid summer things are looking pretty good again. I haven't used frost cloth much but Dwayne, who I believe you met at an Open House, uses it over his big collection of hibiscus in Menifee which must be fairly close to you. If I can reach him I'll ask if he takes the covers on and off. The plants do get light and water through the frost cloth.

Farmer D, hibiscus do seem unusually reactive to what we do around them. Leave them alone for a couple of weeks and they seem to get depressed and perform badly. They like us around, fussing with them, very much like pets. Many people have observed that flower opening is affected by sun vs clouds and for sure temperatures. It can be a benefit in that the biggest flowers are often observed when a cloudy day or two prevents the bud from opening. Instead it grows larger and then opens when temps and/or sun are right.

Have to get back to you on the "where is the brain?" question. We'll get Chris to research that one.  :)

Charlie

The brain is obviously in the flowers, thats why they change all the time :P

This is a first for me, second day blooms, the Cranberry Muffin in the middle is a first day the other and Chariots of Fire a second.

You may be on to something, Chris!

David, thanks for this latest photo. I find it interesting how often Cranberry Muffin blooms in multiples. Almost all the varieties do it sometimes but C Muffin seems to do it more often than not.

Charlie

So true...up until yesterday nothing but clouds, rain and wind for 2 weeks.  I think we're in for a nice stretch of weather for a little while in So Cal as my weather friends are seeing the arctic oscillation high pressure weakening some what so that the jet stream will head more north again.

Here are some pics of three plants that have all had these same buds ready to open since around xmas.  Talk about slow torture.

The Bridal Path has had 7 buds on the verge forever now.  As you said, the longer they wait the bigger they can get...maybe some summer sized blooms here in the heart of winter.  Thank you as always for the great info - I learn so much reading here.

Enjoy the anticipation!

Farmer D

Another gorgeous bloom from Black Dream.  This time it has no pigmentation towards the eye so there are these beautiful white stretches.  This plant is so awesome - every month it blooms in ways I wouldn't have anticipated.

I'm wondering if down the road a cross with Black Dream and something that could produce such a contrast in colors would be quite amazing.  I've been reading a lot in the seedlings/hybridization forum lately.  Oh-oh!

Also the Venetian Brick bloom isn't the prettiest but it first bloomed on 12-30 and is still here even with all the rain and wind.  6 days and counting...cool temps have there upside too.

Farmer D

farmer d, your plants are georgeous, with lots of nice new growth.

lots of envy here. i have to rethink living in the northeast

louis

Louis,

I guess sometimes beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.  I was totally blown away by your pic of Moonstruck and the frozen lake background.  Talk about the ultimate color contrast shot, those colors just jumped out of my screen.  Definite envy on my part.

This might sound crazy but if I lived in a climate like the northeast I'd be interested in looking into an indoor garden just for the hibiscus.  When I say indoor I wonder if you can really plant them in planters, not pots.  Raised bed planters maybe in a south facing, well windowed area.  A crazy but exciting idea for a small add-on to a home...for me it would be my hang out 24/7.  Imagine a winter garden party - now that would be different.  I'd be wearing my Foster Grants for sure!

Add a few ceiling fans for air circulation and mist often with water to avoid indoor dry air issues.  Other than that Charlie was right about daily fussing over the plants to keep them happy.

Just an idea from a creatively irrational mind. 
Farmer D

Hi Farmer D!

You might want to re-think the whole "planters in the house" idea...
Pots are sooo much easier to carry to the tub when it's bathtime
(Winter heating + drier air = spider mites).  :P

Even with all my plants in a single room with their own humidifier (with humidistat at 60%) and an oscillating fan, I still have to bathe them (in rotating sets of ten, over a two week period) all winter to keep the little beasts at bay. Too bad there isn't a "mite collar" for plants like flea/tick collars for pets!

Deb  ;D

I hear you regarding those @$@!? mites.  Keep your fingers crossed regarding the Wilt Pruf.  I sprayed all of my plants and so far so good.  Not too mention the natural barrier it seems to create to really reduce moisture loss which is another time killer indoors.

Again I'm really against chemicals if at all possible.  I don't want anything messing with my nervous system except the stress of growing my hibs.

I'll keep you posted with how the WP project is progressing.

Farmer D

Unfortunately, Wilt-Pruffing has to wait until spring... I believe plants need to be sprayed outside (to avoid windows/walls/carpet), and it's still a bit too chilly for an outting here in Michigan (23ºF Brrrr!!!). Hopefully soon, I can afford all the Kontos I need to start treating from the inside-out (Come on tax refund!)  :D

Farmer D, I agree about the chemicals and recommend that anyone who uses them do so correctly. Most exposure can be eliminated by wearing gloves and a respirator that are put on before the bottle is touched and not removed until everything is done, cleaned up, and put away. For spraying and outdoor jobs with wind swirling around a disposable Tyvek coverall is also needed. That is why systemics that are not sprayed are so desirable - much less risk of exposure but I still recommend gloves and a respirator just to be as safe as possible. Todays pesticides are much more targeted toward insects and not the type of broad spectrum poisons as were used in the past. Even so, as close to zero exposure as possible is still the way to go.

Organic type sprays such as soap and oil are not without their own risks. People assume they are safe and don't take as many precautions. Breathing tiny soap and oil particles into your lungs is not good for them, and will make you feel sick for an hour or so after doing so. Spraying anything should be done with a respirator and gloves for maximum safety.

Beneficial insects that feed on pest insects is the way Mother Nature does it and the best way to go for gardeners, too. However, adding them to a growing situation is iffy if that situation does not support their normal life needs.

Water sprays and baths are still the safest but too time consuming for many people. Not introducing pests into a growing situation is one of the best precautions one can take. My job is to ship plants that are as clean as we can make them - a big challenge with a high priority at HVH.

Charlie

Kristin, Those are beautiful! Obviously you know what you are doing.  :) Crossing flowers etc. Wow.

Pam

I can see from reading all these posts that I can learn a lot from all of you experts!!!! Beautiful flowers. Thank you
Pam

A few January blooms from connecticut.

I have a plant that i have had for a long time give me its first bloom. It called Howard Hine. The bloom is very nice. color in the photos is accurate, its a deep red and heavily crinkled, which i like.

the bloom measures 8 inch. this is a small plant and i think as it gets bigger, the blooms might reach 9 inches or more.
also giving me pleasure today are twin valentine's day, and stolen kiss. i crossed howard with the valentine twins and stolen kiss. i could not get any pollen from stolen kiss. dont know if this is normal.

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-06/howard-1.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-06/howard-2.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-06/stolen%20kiss.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-06/valentine-twins.jpg)

Happy Thursday!

Louis - your Stolen Kiss is very pretty.  Your blooms all hint towards upcoming Valentines Day with that color spread.  Also helps that you have the Vday hibiscus too.  Very nice.

A handsome Acapulco Gold and my Black Dream with the Hollywood snowmen patrol.

Farmer D

Louis and Farmer D, great photos!  Farmer D your Black Dream is making me want to get one more and more...


I just got back from a three day ski trip to South Lake Tahoe.  Space Oddity was open x2 when I got home today.  :)  SO is another CV that is doing really, really well in my winter conditions.  I almost prefer her winter colors, actually.  The brighter the better!  I know it's not hibiscus related, but I attached a couple of snow pictures too for Cindy (or anyone else who might enjoy them).  They were taken on a chairlift on the top of the mountain.

Premature on the "post" button...  forgot pix!  Duh

Awesome photos everyone!!  Jordan, I am jealous of your beautiful ski trip!  nice space oddity shot!

Hi everyone,

first bloom on Black Dragon. there are quite a few plants in the "dragon" series. i am not sure who developed these plants.

this is a nice bloom about 7 inches in diameter. i crossed it with moonstruck and rockets red glare.

let see what happens.

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-07/black%20dragon.jpg)

I second that, Kristen, all the recent photos are awesome indeed!

Louis, the Dragons trace back to Dragon's Breath, hybridized by Dale Dubin about the same time I got involved with hibiscus - early 90's. Dale named it for a friend (I forget the name) and gave away his only plant to that friend. When later blooms turned out to be better than Dale realized he asked for the plant back or at least a cutting and was refused. Unhappy with his one-time friend he changed the official name to Dragon's Breath. It went on to win a lot of hibiscus show awards and is truly one of the outstanding blooms in the hibiscus world. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the bush and many people found this variety hard to keep alive and flourishing. We still graft or root some each year and they are snapped up quickly when available. The Dragons are characterized by either one of or both qualities of deep dark red color sometimes bordering on black or white swirls within the red color. Black Dragon, Burnt Saffron, and Black Dream are the best of the Dragons that I have grown although there are other good ones, too.

Charlie

hello charlie, thanks for the info.

i also have a black knight that will bloom in a couple of weeks. somewhere in the forums, i think you said that you had not seen one for some time. i look forward to its flowers.

i don't know who the hybridizer was for this one.

louis

At some point I am going to have to bite the bullet and prune this branch on Magnifique, if I don't I think it will soon topple over,it keeps having nice blooms though so its hard.

Louis, Black Knight is one I imported from Australia but it's not related to the Dragons. It's a nice red with yellow spots. I don't grow it any longer but a grower in Fl is or was offering a misidentified variety that he called Black Knight.

This was discussed in the forum awhile back. You can see those posts and photos on pages 3 and 4 of this topic: http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/forum/index.php/topic,212.30.html  or do a search using "Knight".

When you get blooms if you want to post a photo we can compare yours to what they grow in Australia. This same source sold Kerry a plant he called Amethyst Heart (one I'm trying to find again) last year but it wasn't. Ah well.

Charlie

hi charlie,


i know of whom you speak. i got this plant from the grower in connecticut.

i will post photos in a week or so when it blooms.

louis
i

David, that Magnifique branch is seeking its own sun, looks like. I wouldn't cut it while it is blooming but no doubt a time will come when it needs to be cut back. With luck, multiple stems will grow back and result in even more blooms!

Charlie

Magnifique again today, but very proud to show this one, its my one and only successful graft.
And if the top of my finger ever grows back I will try another one.

hello david,

great plant, the more i see of your plant area, the more i admire your tastes.

as for the plant, this says it all:

Main Entry:  magnifique 
Part of Speech:  adj 
Definition:  wonderful, splendid, glorious, excellent 
Etymology:  French 


louis

Nice of you to say Loise and thank you. I would certainly be lost without it.

So I got some winners today!  My Gabriel and Moonstruck bloomed for the first time.  Saffron, Cindy's Heart, Cajun Blue, & Simple Pleasures were in bloom as well.  Good winter for me so far!! ;D

That was Gabriel now for Moonstruck.  I also have a Voodoo Magic on its way!  Moonstruck and Gabriel are both very recessed on day one.  I will take photos of them tomorrow to see the change.  Their colors are sooooo dark! 

Cindy, the last photo is for you!!  This is what I woke up to yesterday.

I really like that Cindy's Heart, I will now put myself on the waiting list. That Gabriel is a beauty.

hi kristen,

great photos of great plants. your moonstruck does what mine does. first thing opening it is recessed with very dark colors and as the day goes by, it gets lighter. they stay an average of 3 days in bloom.

louis

Great colors, Kristen! I love the addition of the black and white snow photo at the end, what a super contrast to the tropical flowers you have indoors. I like to begin the day with a smile and your photos brought me an enduring one...

Charlie

Thanks everyone!  They made me smile for sure.

Hello from the frozen north.

Here are three from today. Here you have Flameball, Black Dream and Wild Grape.

I left flameball cropped to the side so you can see the frozen lake behind the house. the lake froze over on december 17 and the ice is now over a foot thick. it should get to 3 feet thick by mid february.

the temp outside today had a high of 20 and the temp in the greenhouse was a very comfortable 100 degrees.

cheers to all,

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-10-2011/black%20dream.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-10-2011/flameball.jpg)


(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-10-2011/wild%20grape.jpg)

Kristen & Louis - your pictures are breath taking!  Gabriel twins are like paintings with those colors.  Thank you for sharing all of your blooms.

Two new Acapulco Gold blooms from today...enjoy.

Farmer D

Louis - your Black Dream is beautiful.  Mine have never had those colors together before.  

Here is what mine looks like today.  I am addicted to these very dark colors with the brighter red veins.  I'll be sad when the warm temps return and the blooms go back to red.  

If anyone has the ability to grow this particular hibiscus outside you'll never be bored as every week it is changing it's look dramatically.

Farmer D

Come on...come on...come on...come on....

These two plants are still waiting to open a ridiculous amount of buds since before New Years.  Worried the buds will go bad before they open if ever.

12 on Vday, 8 on Bridal Path

Pure torture.  

Farmer D

farmer d, first of all, what is your name, so i can address you properly  ;D

your black dream is extremely glossy, why is that. looks great. again your plants look so healthy.

what fertlizer program do you have and when do you do it.

if i had plants like yours here, they would be gone overnight with the deer. they eat anything that does not bite them first.

louis

Hi Louis,

I use the HVH special blend fertilizer around once a week, maybe more if I see a need for it. 

I can't say why the blooms have become so glossy - maybe Charlie has some insights on this.  I can say that this plant is in the shade of my strawberry guava tree for a good portion of the day and temps have not been much above 60 for about a month now.  Also during summer the blooms were not glossy at all except the eye. 

I do notice during this winter that when many of my other hib blooms first open they are mostly glossy and then seem to dry out to what we are used to seeing.  I'm guessing the temps possibly.

Farmer D
Darren

Louis, your photography is spectacular!  I love your natural lighting. You are not using a flash right?  We need to get together sometime in the spring and compare notes! 

Darren, love love love your garden.... STRAWBERRY GUAVA tree???? come on... your killin us Connecticut folk!  We are scheduled for a couple more feet of snow tomorrow night!

Well Darren, I hope you know you have ruined the Premier opening of High Voltage in my garden, ha ha only joking, what a lovely display, and  I dont think you will be waiting much longer for all them buds to open, maybe the ''day after tomorow'' and will be looking forward to seeing it.

David,
That's a picture perfect High Voltage.  And again your pots are just wonderful. 

You know if I ever get outside early enough or right at sunset I have a hummingbird that feeds on my hibiscus blooms and would make an amazing pic.

Any such feedings occurring in your garden?

Farmer D

Very few buterflies and hardly any birds, the birds I have seen are very small, I would imagine bigger birds get eaten by the locals, they seem to eat everything else.

Aweeee  David!  That is such a cute lil high voltage!  Hahaha!  Don't worry, it will be big and strong soon enough just like Darren's plants!  ::) 

Darren, I caught this this summer.... 

hi krinsten,

its a date. lets get together in the spring and go plant shopping.

your photos of the hummer are spectacular, really nice.

and i do not use flash on my bloom photos. i use available light, using a tripod if necessary.

louis

Great bushes Darren,  its really nice to see what the bushes of these varieties look like.  I predict a really great spring and summer coming up!

Chris!! Your back!!!  taking a study break?

LOL, luckily no tests this quarter, lots of reading and projects... :(  If anyone thought policy would be interesting, it really isnt.

Ha ha very good, I am not a good photographer, the plant and pot are quite big its just I need to show some sort of scale[have added an orange], very pleased to see I have a second day bloom, quite unusual for me.

Have a P's Purple today with that lovely 2 tone color.

Delayed reaction but everyone has amazing photos.  I LOVE Gabriel's winter colors Kristen!  How does this cv grow for you?  Might be one for my list if the bush is nice.  I almost need a bigger backyard already...!

Jordan, the bush is branching nicely due to pinching early.  The branches are somewhat lateral... Bush is still small, so we shall see.  I do love the colors so far! 

David, I actually like them that size, (all of mine are pretty close to that).  Makes me feel like I don't actually live in a jungle.  Now next year on the other hand will be a different story.

a big noreaster just went through, left 3 feet of snow. i am stuck in the house till july  ???

however i have 8 blooms in the greenhouse today. here is the first bloom for me on a plant called "Molten Lava", pretty bloom. bloom is about 7 inches, bush is small at 2 feet. i am going to cross it with valentine day and rockets red glare.

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-12-11/molten%20lava.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-12-11/molten%20lava-2.jpg)

Trio of beauties from the greenhouse today. T. Antique Purple on the left, a new and as yet unnamed seedling in the middle, and Sea of Tranquility on the right.

Charlie

hello charlie,

they indeed are beauties. i like the new seedling.

louis

Kristen, Louis, hope you and all the nor-easterners are doing ok with the snow!  At least you have pretty plants to look at inside.  :)

Charlie are those Sea of Tranquility's winter colors?  Very pretty.  This winter is driving me crazy with hardly any blooms.  And I think I might lose my Sunkissed Blonde....

Wow Charlie those are pretty!  Louis, that molten Lava is great!  Jordan, the cleanup crews were on top of things yesterday.  I stayed inside all day playing with my new camera!!!  Wait till you see what photos I get!  I can once again use my macro lens!!!

Very nice pics!  

I was very surprised today to find a bloom on my robin hood plant, today.  When I got back from vacation, I didnt leave the heater on in my apartment, and there was a very deep freeze on new years.  I came home to cold damaged plants, and I thought I was going to lose them.  Luckily Cindy gave me her remedy to help them beat the cold and with the exception of Cosmic Gold (completely defoliated), it looks like there are a few yellowing leaves on the other varieties.  Pretty interesting that the two that showed no stress were "Sea of Tranquility" "Confection Perfection" "My Blue Heaven" and "Cindy's Heart"  It looks like CH is great for the heat and cold!

Enjoy today's Robin hood, it will probably be the last for a while!

Charles - that trio of blooms are beautiful.  Antique Purple & the unnamed ones are stunning.  Sea of Tranquility sure seems to change a lot from opening (which I'm guessing is when you took the pic) to the other pic on the online store for it.  I ordered it so I'll be prepared.

I hope that unnamed one comes through cause that will be on my wish list.

OK - today I was forced to manually open up the blooms on my Bridal Path as I lost two today and I could see no progress for weeks now.

Good thing I did since a few were already beginning to wither.  But the others...yeah they are color dynamos!  And they're mostly doubles too.

I'll include a second set of the not so good ones just to show what crazy things happen during winter.

Farmer D

Here's the ones that had issues...but I still love them too.

Farmer D

Louis,

I totally forgot to mention on your inquiry regarding what I use for fertilizers.  One other thing I do, especially for the plants not doing as well is I give them 4 or 5 earthworms each or more.  Usually after it rains here I see a lot of earthworms being washed away in the street gutters so I go fish them out and then put them right next to the root ball of the plant.

I think my record for one day was over 40 worms rescued.  I already mix in earthworm castings into my soil every 6 months but I want the interaction of the worms with the root systems of the plants.  Right microbes, better aeration of the soil for drainage and a naturally beneficial symbiotic relationship.

I even put them in my potted plants as well, though none are hibiscus yet (until I run out of room on my property).

Hope it helps - Farmer D

hi darren,

worms are one of the treasures of nature. i am lucky to have a commercial mushroom farm near and they also raise worms. i get buckets of worm casings and mix that in my potting soil and dress the top of the pots with it also. i have found that it gets rid of gnats. i had a bad infestation of them and when i added about one inch in the pots, they all died. R.I.P gnats

louis

First bloom of Bon Temps for me. I have had this plant since last fall and just as it was ready to bloom last summer, the deer had it for lunch. they ate it down to the base. however it came back stronger than before.

i did not realize that a leaf was blocking part of the bloom. next one will be sans shadows :)

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-06/bon%20temps.jpg)

Louis and Darren if you have looked in the World Gardens on this site there is a bit about me, there is also a picture of Kim An, she is my help in Vietnam and does all my shopping and gets me things because I cant speak the language. How she is going to react later when I tel her I want a bucket of worms is anybodies guess ha ha.

Anyway a nice Pochanontas today which I have brought indoors.

Louis, sometimes we might think you are at a disadvantage growing hibiscus way up there in Connecticut but lots of hibiscus blooms do better with less intense sunlight. In our southern CA climate Bon Temps can be bleached almost white by a couple hours in the sun and the colors are never as deep and nice as yours show today. Same could be said for Creole Lady and quite a few others. As long as you have a heated place to put the plants in the winter you can have fantastic blooms in the northern states! Thanks for sharing all these.

Charlie

David, love that pot of Pocahontas - classic!

Charlie

Louis - I love the softer colors of the Bon Temps.  I have some twins that should be picture ready tomorrow, a sneak peak for tonight.  Mine have lost all pink during the winter and are warm yellow with orange blushy streaks.

David - that Pocahontas is remarkable.  Looks like some more blooms heading your way.  I regret not getting it back on 1/1 when avail.

Here's to the worms!

Farmer D

Farmer D and all, nice Bon Temp blooms. It's striking the difference the seasons make. I went looking for a mid-summer bloom photo but did not find any. I did find an April bush and bloom photo that shows OK color before the full sun hit later in the year. Even so you can see the difference as compared to winter - lighter colors the more sun it gets for this variety. The attractive bush is also showing in this photo.

Charlie

I missed the last half of P6 of this thread - some good stuff there!

Chris, I'm so glad to hear that you did not lose any plants to the surprise cold snap. You've had more than your share of environmental crisis moving around the country the way you have the last couple of years. As Cindy likes to point out, Supernova was originally formulated as an anti-cold stress product for farmers. It does seem to help. Oh yeah - those Robin Hood photos rock! We may have to borrow one for the store.

Farmer D, thanks for sharing your earthworm strategy. That's an excellent idea and no doubt helps the hibiscus in ways we don't fully realize as well as ways we do understand. I wondered if you would see the buds open on Bridal Path in this colder weather we've been having. Great colors after you helped them through the final opening. In summer they will be very large flowers. You seem to have an excellent location for hibiscus and are making the most of it, too. I would wager that your outdoor hibiscus garden is one of very few in the entire continental USA that is still blooming right now.

Lou, I'm sure it is a relief to get rid of those pesky gnats, and doing it without chemicals is very satisfying.

Charlie

Here is a quick time progression of my Bon Temps blooms from July - Current.  You can easily see the effects of the seasons

We got lucky here in LA this summer as it stayed very cool all the way till end of Sept so the colors on these blooms were rather vibrant.

Farmer D

Seasonal timeline continued....

Thanks for the progression. Bon Temps is quite variable. The inner zone of color, more or less pink in summer, turns into a darker color and shrinks in size. The yellow is really brought out. None of that was predictable based on the behavior of most other hibiscus flowers where the general rule is that oranges and purples are more accentuated during cooler weather.

Charlie

Charlie, knock on wood that I dont lose any, :) I really think adding two grow lights to my growing area really helped out alot.  It gives them an additional 5 hours a light, and it does seem to make a difference. 

Feel free to use those pics, very orange and ruffly blooms on Robin Hood!

Really liking those pics of Bon Temps!  It makes me want to get "Compassion" even more :)

Chris, our first web  master lived in Sweden and she reported that even a small increase in artificial light helped her indoor hibiscus.

And I agree that 'Compassion' is a good addition to any life.
 :)

Charlie

Compassion below.

With the days being overcast here in the valley most of the time, some of my cvs weren't doing so well.  Namely my Heartbreak Hotel and Island Girl.  I def. don't want to lose either of these so I did an experiment and set up two small end table lamps without shades and stuck the plants in the middle of them.  The lamps have those energy saving florescent bulbs in them and I leave them on 24/7.  Not only have the plants begun to recover, they are actually growing rapidly now.  HBH even has buds!  A small change really does make a big difference.  There hasn't been a big increase on my electric bill either.

Hi all,

a few from today. outside temp never got over 10 degrees today. if not for the greenhouse, i might have gone mad.  :o

Charlie, take note. the plant that i have labeled as Black Knight bloomed today for the first time. i don't think it is the real thing, it has a dark throat. if not, who do you think it is.

there are two photos, a close up and the entire plant.

also a nice shot of wild grape. i cannot get the intense color that others have, nevertheless, i really like it. makes lots of pollen. i have several pods maturing from various crosses.


and i wanted to share a snow scene for those of us who live in the warm clime. hopefully this will make you feel a tad bit sorry for us. this is a 3 foot snowfall from this week. to the right is an 6 foot drift that will not thaw till may  >:(
louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-14-11/knight.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-14-11/knight-2.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-14-11/wild%20grape.jpg)


(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib%201-14-11/snow-1-13.jpg)

Wow Louis!  Your indoor garden is really nice :)

Charlie, love that compassion, any other photos of it? 

Jordan, its pretty interesting the difference that light makes!

Check out what a big difference it makes!  Vin and Sea of Tranquility in photo 1, Heaven's Scent, Cindy's Heart and Raku in photo 2, all happily soaking up the light.

Compared to what I came home to after New Years...

The second photo is what Heaven's Scent looked like... I am shocked at how good it looks today!

hi helix,
your plants look really healthy and this is just from one of the curly fluorescent bulb?

louis

Louis & Chris,

We're covering three of the four corners of the country here.

Chris, I'm sure you know if we're getting the sunshine you're getting the rain & snow.   Wow, your plants are really looking much improved!!  That is worth celebrating for...

Louis, that is a LOT of snow.  I can't imagine trying to get around too much without fearing for my car and life.  Are you prisoner in your homes for the next week?  Thank God for our plants and the forum.

How about a hibiscus growers exchange program (plants included).  I won't tell you that it was 79 today with low humidity...a little extra fertilizer for the plants today to take advantage of good growing opps and start to repair the damage from all the rain and cold of December.

Here are some shots to warm you up and put some green back into our lives.

If you're interested I post all of my hibiscus photos on facebook for all to see.  Feel free to check out the album, now over 200 pics.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=54538&id=100000228182440

Farmer D

If I were a hibiscus bloom what would the world look like to me?

Just a different perspective when it comes to being a hibiscus...

Farmer D

oh farmer, you are killing me. good grief.....palm trees.

i am only confined to the house during the storms. i dig myself out as quick as i can. i may not have anywhere to go, but i want to be able to go there if it moves me.

an exchange would be great, i have thought about it several times.

louis

Beautiful Black Dream bloom for today.  Several different perspectives.

This plant just now measures 42" and keeps growing as if it is still summer.  Got it as a 2 gallon plant back in June.

Farmer D

A couple more blooms from today...

Farmer D

OK, reaching the post limit for one day.

Bridal Path blooms from yesterday didn't even make it past the 12 hour mark.  Even winter here in So Cal is hard on these plants as it shows through the lack of longevity in the blooms.  Usually BP blooms last me 4 to 5 days and it is in a somewhat shady spot.

Farmer D

Hi Louis, Yup, only one bulb, 7 bucks.  I got it from a grow shop, it peaks in the red and blue range of the color spectrum, so it promotes growth and flowering (so they say)  pretty cheap set up :)

Darren, great blooms!  And nice neighborhood, reminds me of larchmont:)  Hopefully someday I can have a nice tropical garden like you!  My next plan is to move to HI :)   

Chris,

You're a genius, this is Larchmont.  You didn't by chance live in this area previously?  That would be quite the coincidence.

Yeah, let's talk Hawaii.  That is my plan some day...God knows me and Mrs Farmer D go there often enough.  Talking to the transplants there the consensus is to stay there for several months then back to original home for a month or two and repeat cycle.

Just got to figure out how to achieve that financially.

If it wasn't for Hawaii and all the hibiscus there I wouldn't be here on the forum today.

Sounds like karma to me...sunglasses for sure!

Farmer D

Haha, your pics definitely looked familiar:P.  My grandma lives near there, we walk to village pizza every time we visit her :)

Hawaii would be awesome, people worry about Island fever, but anything I could possibly want is there: scuba, hiking, surfing, warm, asian food, and of course hibiscus :)  Now if I can just find a position there...

The Hollywood hibiscus never gets old, haha

Gorgeous photos Farmer D and Louis.  Drastic difference between your environments lol.

Chris, the bulb was only $7?  Did you have to buy the ballast (isn't that what it's called) as well?  I might invest in another light or two having seen the difference it makes.

Hi Jordan, yeah the bulb was only 7 and the reflector was only 8,so it was pretty inexpensive.  Only downside is these lights can only illuminate around 2 feet from the center of the bulb. 

Valentines Day torture.  Been over 2 weeks w/ all these buds and still no change.  Next four days in the 80s so lets see if the heat is what's needed.

Farmer D

helllllllllloo,

a few from today. first bloom on tsunami, real neat bloom, nice and crinkly and super color. the colors are accurate, maybe a little bold being in the morning light.

also a nice bon temps.

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib-1-15-11/Tsunami-1.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib-1-15-11/tsunami-2.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib-1-15-11/bon%20temps.jpg)

Thanks Chris!  I will have to look into getting a couple light I think.  Looking at my T. Princess, she's not too happy right now in low light.  :(

Even though my hibiscus are doing all sorts of weird things, they keep hanging in there though, more blooms on the way.  Flowers don't open all the way, dieback disease, brown spots destroying leaves, fungus on blooms, effects of Wilt Pruf, and spider mites still.

Yet almost all plants show lots of new growth and the colors are ridiculously beautiful.

Today's lone offering...

Farmer D

At least you have blooms Darren! Ah to live somewhere tropical...

Good luck Jordan!  My goal is just to keep mine looking good so when the sun comes back in June, they will be ready to go :)

I guess semi-arid can be turned into man-made tropical if you don't mind the utility bill...

I was wrong in my assumption of one lone offering today.  

Lets have some fun and see who can tell me which bloom on my Black Dream plant this came from...

Farmer D

Re: Which Black Dream bloom is it?

Inside bush - middle front (from photo perspective)  ;D

Great job!
I missed this bloom until late afternoon when that little glob of red caught my eye deep in the bush.

I bet this bloom last a long time as it is hidden from the sun.

Farmer D

Hi,

this bloom is called Rum Runner. it opened this morning in its normal tannish colors and by mid day the tan turned to yellow with a large gray eye.

i have never seen this happen. this is the first bloom in a couple of months since i cut it back.

nevertheless, its a pretty flower.

(EDIT) - based on the comments on this plant, i researched the grower that i purchased it from this past spring and it looks to be creole lady, mislabeled maybe charlie will chime in.

i will take one more photo tomorrow morning. what ever, its a nice bloom. i'll keep it, will not send her to the dump  :o

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib-misc/rum%20runner.jpg)

(http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x377/mphquicksilver/RumRunner.png)
Hi Louis !!!! I hate to break the news to you but thats not Rum Runner this is what Rum Runner looks like I don't know what that is but it's pretty . Rum Runner is also a color changer this is the color in the morning and it turns yellow buy the end of the day. I wish I had a picture of it at the end of the day but I never took one.

Louis - that yellow/greyish-white combo is very soothing.  Enjoying it with the wintry background.

Uli - that Rum Runner is picture perfect.  Is that your plant - if so WOW!

Here's today's bloom offerings...

Farmer D

More unusual pad placements on my blooms.

I've got to find out if these plants are drinking something else behind my back...you know this is Hollywood...

Farmer D

Valentine's Day - one of my best bloomers.
(http://i54.tinypic.com/qs4en5.jpg)

(http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x377/mphquicksilver/Picture8.png)
Yes that is a picture of my Rum Runner , thanks . Here is a picture of a baby Heavy Metal that bloomed today it's only about 3 inches across but vary colorful

thanks guys about your info on rum runner. i have another bud about to open. the petals that are exposed are the typical rum color.

i will get an early shot tomorrow.

louis

hi darren,

love the hollywood flower.

how do you keep the glasses on her without bending everything

louis

I would agree Louis, that looks like Creole Lady in the post that you modified.  Still very pretty!!!!

Always a pleasure to see Heavy Metal. Even has summer spots, nice!

Charlie

Everyone, great bloom photos.  Im working on mine to post.  Had a bump in the road... got my new camera, but my software to change the photo from a RAW file to a smaller Jpeg is ancient!!  So I am downloading new stuff  IE: relearning everything!!! Ugh!  and will have some great photos to share with you prolly by the end of the day.  Its another snow day, so plenty of time to play and learn!

greetings from snowy connecticut.
this is the plant, tsunami. i have been having a hard time getting the color right. this is the accurate color for the bloom. its a stunning flower.

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/hib-misc/tsunami.jpg)

That Tsunami bloom looks quite nice, Louis. I grew a few dozen of them several years ago but stopped because in strong sunlight the color changes to a rather drab appearance. The bushes were not very upright either which made them too much work to grow to full size in a nursery setting. You can probably train it properly and northern sun may never become strong enough to affect it the way it does here. Dupont is no longer offering it, for similar reasons I suppose.

Charlie

So I manually opened up half a dozen Vday blooms yesterday as I could see they were about to go bad.  I got two worms and two earwigs living inside those blooms.

But today when I went outside magically the other blooms started to open on my plant.

Seems like this sent some sort of signal to the plant to go back into blooming mode?  Curious what anyone's thoughts are on this.

Enjoy today's pretty colors...

Farmer D

My Acapulco Gold has been winterized to the point where it looks exactly like Rise and Shine.  I wouldn't recognize this as AG anymore.  Still pretty especially overlooking my daisy planter.

Farmer D

PS - Louis, with the right angle on a bloom the sunglasses just naturally leverage themselves with gravity in a direction that doesn't causes the flower to fall over.  Kind of like the bloom starts to fall backwards but it's not enough weight to go completely backwards and fall over.

You know with that bright glare from the snow outside I bet your flowers would love a little shade for their eyes...

great idea, do you have an extra pair of Foster Grants :)

louis

Hey Lou!  I sent you 3 emails, check your spam box, I think they are going there...

just sent you another email using a different addy, lets see if it goes through. dont post an email addy here.

loluis

I got 2 from the first addy, and 1 just now.  I responded, hope it works.  

Did you check your spam folder?  The first email you sent me went there.  Then I added you to my addresses and since then, you go to my inbox.  This is so weird!

Several pretty blooms for today.  Valentines Day has such amazing colorings when pic is enlarged, and the patterns on Chariots of Fire are really neat too when enlarged.

Farmer D

Acapulco Gold with such gentle white veins.

Hot Pepper with some pretty yellow blush.

Farmer D

P's Purple and Cranberry Muffin blooming in the rain.
                 Help please.
Does any one know what the name of the plant is below. I bought them at the local shop. If I know what it is then I can research on the Internet as to the best way to look after them. Thanks.

Darren... That is such a yellow AG.  Are you sure that is what it is?

David,
  Pretty rain display!  Sorry I cant help with the other plant. 

Kristen - I totally agree, it looks nothing like AG.  No doubt it is (the white tag from HVH is still on the plant).

I never expected to get so much enjoyment from these plants as the seasons bring out such differing looks.  Never a dull week!

Having these hibiscus outside is more work but I love the variations.  AG is definitely handling winter quite well with more blooms coming soon

Farmer D

Darren, it is surprising that Acapulco Gold would lose its orange in winter since normally we see an intensification of that range of color. Thinking what else it could be, since apparently you did not see any summer blooms on this plant?, I could not come up with anything that is a good match. Cashmere Yellow is similar, Pineapple Sundae kind of, but neither is a perfect match. We'll just have to wait for summer and see what it does then. If it is Acapulco Gold it will be one of the more fascinating winter changes to be shown. If not, we'll get you the real deal pronto because, frankly, I want to see what you can do with it in your garden!

Charlie

This must be one of the more fascinating changes you have seen then cause this is AG for sure.

It had plenty of summer blooms starting in July- pics are below.

Here's a chronological sequence of what the blooms have done up to now.

Farmer D

A big change suddenly occurred in mid Dec when the blooms just went yellow with red eye only.  That was after two weeks of cold nights the coldest of which was 39 several times.

Farmer D

That's Acapulco Gold all right. One other question - did the change in season and sun position also bring a change in the light that Acapulco Gold receives? I mean a dramatic change, like it's in shade most of the time now? That type of change causes Saffron's color to change from deep orange to yellow so maybe something similar is at work with the Acapulco Gold. Very interesting to see, whatever the cause. Perhaps next we will see what conditions bring the orange back into the flower.

Charlie

Lou, Over the Rainbow is one of my favorite blooms. We don't see it much since its not the easiest of varieties to propagate. One of these years I'm going to try to remedy that by grafting all the wood I can find.

Your winter bloom is a beauty. Summer should bring a more intense yellow to the edge - adds nice contrast to the bloom. Hibiscus have this great ability to adapt to conditions so when they are warm and well fed but the light is low the leaves can expand to gather more light. When you move a large leaved variety like Over The Rainbow into intense direct sun the new leaves will grow in much smaller because they don't need as much leaf and the larger leaves lose moisture too fast in hot, sunny conditions.

"The weather outside is frightful" - I bet it is! Did the winter weather have anything to do with your getting involved with growing flowering tropical plants? What got you started in the first place?

Charlie

Hello Charlie,

Yes the weather is frightful, as we speak its 12 below zero. it makes your nose hairs freeze together.

I have always been interested in gardening. i used to have a large greenhouse here that i would grow orchids and hibiscus. it kept me sane in the long winters. during the summer, i raise tropical waterlilies. i have been propagating waterlilies for many years. I have 6 creations of my own, named and registered with the International Waterlily Society.

I tried to grow the waterlilies during the winters in the greenhouse, but was never successful. about 10 years ago, i worked out a deal with a friend who lives in hawaii to overwinter my plants. every september, i take the lilies out of the ponds, wash off the dirt, prune the roots and pads and send them overnight to     her to plant in her ponds. they bloom for her all winter and in june, she ships them back to me. i get them for 3 months and she gets them for 9.  shipping is expensive, but lots of time i get free shipping because the post office claims to get them overnight and times does not, hence the refund.

attached are a few of my creations:


have a great day,

louis

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/raspberry.jpg)
(http://www.imagesct.com/web/peach%20hybrid.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/lilies/pink%20candy.jpg)

(http://www.imagesct.com/web/lilies%207%2015%2008/peach%20yellow.jpg)

(http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x377/mphquicksilver/Picture2-2.png)
Here is another small Heavy Metal that bloomed for my today

Louis, those are beautiful!  Why do you need to send them off for the winter?  Do they do better if they were in bloom all the time?

Heavy Metal ROCKS!

David that plant looks like Mussaenda philippica :)

Great pics everyone, love those water lilies!

Thanks Chris, spot on, I checked on the Internet and thats what it is, it has a little orange star flower which is not on the photo I showed you, but I sometimes have it and after seeing it I new for certain you where right. Looks like I need to start pruning.

Beautiful water lilies and I like those Mussaenda, too. Cindy and I are about to move into a new house 20 miles north and 10 miles further inland. The further inland part means temperatures 5-10 degrees colder in winter and 5-10 degrees hotter in summer. So, we are looking into a whole new bunch of plant species to landscape with. We were a little reluctant to move into a more extreme climate zone but when we found 5 flat, totally useable acres (it was a horse property) we had to go for it. Eventually it will house the HVH greenhouses but for now we are just looking to landscape the area around the house. The previous owner planted a few trees and a grass lawn but we have a different vision for the yard area. I'm sure we'll have photos by and by.

Lou, your story of shipping the water lilies off to HI for the winter reminded me of our favorite orchid greenhouse here in San Diego. They set aside a large amount of space to serve as a "room and board" growing area for orchid collector's plants to live in when not in bloom. From the looks of it this is a popular alternative for people who like their orchids best when in bloom. It makes me wonder if heated greenhouse space in winter might be an attractive choice for some hibiscus enthusiasts whose plants struggle through the winter outdoors. Hibiscus tend to be a lot larger than orchids though, so the boarding fee might not pay for the heat. One of these days I'll do the calculations to see if it could be viable.

Charlie

hi kristen,

there are two kinds of waterlilies, hardy and tropical. hardy lilies will overwinter in a frozen pond. they actually develop an anti freeze in their tubers to prevent them from being killed by the cold.

tropicals are native to australia, south america and africa. they will die if temps drop below 50 degrees.

a lot of people treat tropicals like annuals and let them die in the fall. they are much too expensive to do that.

lou

This AG gets sun all day summer or winter, only a few palm tree shadows for maybe an hour of the day.  I wonder if the age also has anything to do with it being it is probably around a year old (came as a 4 incher in April).

One other question:
Since my plants are outside and they all now seem to want to drop their leaves as they turn yellow with brown patches, is this normal behavior for the seasons?

I know trees lose their leaves, so do hibiscus qualify as plants or more like trees with their woody branches?

I'm trying to figure out if this is natural or if the Wilt Pruf and/or fertilizing in winter could be a problem I need to address.

Hopefully more blooms to come but a lot are falling off before opening.

Farmer D

Charlie will you still have open houses this year at your new place??...lynette...

Farmer D, that is a good question. Hibiscus are not trees and do not lose their leaves seasonally in the tropics. They do drop leaves when stressed and winter cold is the worst stress of all.

I just went outside to our hibiscus garden that has about 90 hibiscus in it and looked things over. Almost all the plants have lost some leaves and many are showing a few more that are yellow. Only 6 have lost most of their leaves but are hanging on to top leaves and I don't expect to see more leaf loss on those unless the temperatures freeze unexpectedly. One plant has lost all leaves but it is a very old plant that was struggling last summer and I think it is likely not going to survive. The others I do expect to survive but how fast they leaf out again will depend on what kind of spring we have. Last year was awful with little sun or heat until July, but that was the worst I have seen in this area. Normally, we will see significant improvement in May and by June all plants are coming back well.

We have always noticed a difference in outdoor garden performance between very young hibiscus and those that are older, woodier, and more conditioned to the cool to cold winters. Our very best performers have been the 5 year plus year old plants that we transplanted from big pots to the garden back in 2006. They are all still doing very well as they reach the 10 year age mark. Actually, the very best is a 20 year old hibiscus that was already here when we moved in. It takes winter totally in stride.

Worst performance is seen in those that have never been through a winter and spend their first winter outside in the garden. I think that  is the case with most of your hibiscus, right? This is why I have been so impressed with how well they've been doing their first winter outdoors. Those that survive and come back well this summer will be better equipped to take the winter cold next year.

I don't think Wilt-Pruf has caused any problems but could be wrong. Fertilizing is not the problem. Winter causes most setbacks for hibiscus. Please keep us informed and good luck during February.

Charlie

Lynette,

We haven't settled the question of Open Houses yet. Since we are moving in late February we will be in our new house during the normal Open House season. It is easier to get to than the current house but is closer to Los Angeles than San Diego, being outside Hemet between Hemet and Menifee. We hope more visitors from the LA area will find their way down in future years.

But, for 2011 getting the plants from our greenhouse to the new house for Open House days poses a big challenge. In the past we could just run them over since each trip only took 5 minutes but now each trip will take an hour one way so that makes it a lot harder to do. What we have talked about is having one big Open House in August this year. That will be announced in the newsletter and the web site when we make a definite decision about it.

As new greenhouses are built on the property we will be able to have the Open Houses at the new place. Those should be great because we will once again be able to open up the greenhouses to Open House visitors the way we did in Valley Center back before 2006. Everybody loved that  - being able to wander about and select their own plants off the tables and to view new varieties before they are even named. We hope that will happen by 2012 but building big greenhouses is a big job and costs a lot so we shall see how fast it can be done. I know I'm going to hate the commute and being spread between 2 plant growing locations. Big motivation to get it done asap!

Hope to see you at the next Open House, whenever that will be!

Charlie

Charlie, congrats on the new place!  I agree, that would be great to come to an HVH open house and be able to see the greenhouses as well.  I'm planning on coming down at some point-- maybe next summer. 

As a commuter myself, it's no fun!  The house I bought is 1 hr and 45 min from the stable where I teach lessons.  I'm down to one day a week there now for that very reason and have gotten a "supplemental just for now" job closer to home until my business gets going.  I thought I could do it indefinitely, nope!!! 

Wow Charlie, the new place sounds great!  Closer to LA is always a plus (since that is where the parents are)  I would really like to see the greenhouses, that would be really cool!

I was thinking about how you are going to have cooler winters and hotter summers, very similar to my parents in Santa Clarita.  You would be happy to know that it snowed a few weeks ago there and the hibiscus planted in the yard seem to be doing fine.  AND they got snowed on!  Granted it was a wet and warmish snow, but still pretty amazing.  According to the parents the varieties that are in the yard include:

First Love
Young at Heart
Long tall sally
Rainbow Sherbet
Chariots of Fire
June's Dragon
Fantasy Charm
Diamond Head

Perhaps more cold tolerant varieties!

When I had my cold snap over winter (30s in the apt) the varieties that looked as if nothing happened:

Sea of Tranquility
Confection Perfection
Raku
Cindy's Heart
Shockwave

These varieties might be good to plant in the yard at the new place this summer, plus you could play around with landscaping now that you have the FF plants! Good luck with the move

 

Can't wait charlie....I luv the open houses....It will all work out and be even better..lynette

Charlie,

Wow, that was exactly the information I needed.  Thank you so much for taking the time and care to address my questions.

I have learned so much this past year and feel bad that my hibiscus sometimes take the brunt of my learning curve but that is how we all improve. 

I look forward to seeing my plants improve and hope they all make it.  One thing I did change is any new plants I purchase I get at least the 6" since they will be living outside.  Obviously the more sturdy the plant the better it will survive the first winter.

Can't wait to visit the new house when things are all ready.  Congratulations!

Farmer D

This is my unknown cv from Charlie, with all the talk of Blue Hibiscus it has shown this colour today. It does have a very blueish look  but I think that is more to do with light [very overcast] today. I have named it Grey Dawn, its usually more gray and its allways the first bud to open.

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Here is my flower for today this is a real small Beavinue doesn't have the normal color but it's still nice looking .

I have been a little pre-occupied lately... Don't think I have forgotten about all of you!  This is what I woke up to again this morning!  6 storms this year so far!  We beat the record of snowfall since they started keeping records!!!

Wow Kristen, so pretty!  Although I wouldn't want to shovel all that out of the driveway.  :)

Jordan, we are sick of it... Well... I know Matt is... we own one shovel.  It looked heavy from inside with my warm cup of coffee and pj's!

Kristen, that heavy shovel comment made Cindy laugh. Poor dear needed a smile, not feeling too good after hernia surgery on Wednesday. I'm trying to keep her in bed but she's not one to lay around doing nothing.

Charlie

Glad to have made her smile!  Hope you recover quickly! 

Ugh so sorry to hear about the surgery.  My dad had hernia surgery twice, not fun, but old injuries as a street cop come back to bite you.  I hope she gets better soon!

Hernia, that's no fun...had an inguinal hernia surgery in 2005.  Doctor says are you pain tolerant?  I think I'm all manly so of course I say yeah.  He says on a pain scale of 1 to 10 people often rate the pain during recovery as a 10.  I think well that is them, I've had my share of pain before so...

Yep, it really rated a 10, maybe even 11.  Good part is your body won't let you do anything you shouldn't because it just hurts too much.  Cindy, give it a couple of weeks and you'll start to feel much better.

Hang in there!  Now you're part of the bionic woman club.

Here is some hibiscus sunshine to cheer you up from today.

Farmer D

Good Morning Cindy et al,
Heal quickly, good lady. Maybe a few hibiscus photos might make you smile.

Here are two blooms from today, a very intense Moonstruck and a lovely plant called Jolanda Gommer.
I did a cross pollination on them, so lets see what happens. Moonstruck has been an outstanding seed setter for me.

Louis

Thank you for all the kind wishes!  I'm back among the living today, moving slowly, but much better. Yesterday definitely hit a 10 on the pain scale. I thought I was pretty tough too, but yesterday I got my behind kicked!  So now I'm behaving, taking my pain meds, and staying quiet like a good little girl.

The hibiscus pics do make me smile!!!!  Thank you!!!! :-)

Louis - some excellent blooms.  Keep them coming!

Here are a few blooms from this morning.  Bon Temps again has some beautiful orangy blushes but now the eye is starting to pick up some pink again with the warm temps this month.

Farmer D

My Dianthus plants are starting to bloom, in case you're not familiar with them here are a few pics.  One looks like a mini double hibiscus but it is a super mini as it is the size of a quarter (the other a dime).

Here is a confused All That Jazz bloom showing the effects of winter.  You can see the seed pod fully showing as well as only half the petals formed.  Had to manually open as it was starting to grow mold.

Check out my Bonnie Lass, lost all leaves due to severe Spider Mites infestation but it is on the comeback now.

Farmer D

That Moonstruck looks very nice, difficult to tell from the photo but is the bloom a little smaller than usual, if it is it would maybe explain why the colour looks so much richer.

hello david,

the moonstruck bloom is a little smaller than normal, i attribute it to the lower winter light. we have been having a lot of cloudy, snowy days lately.

the intense color, i cant explain this. it all started at the beginning of winter, again might be lower light.

the sun is getting higher in the southern quadrant and by mid February the sun will be as strong as it is in mid august.

thanks,

louis

Darren, its good to see you are getting outdoor blooms still. Your Dianthus flowers are quite beautiful, too. That was a problem for us in the earlier days with hibiscus. People would see the photos and think they were the smaller blooms of species like Dianthus. Nobody imagined such great colors AND 8 inch wide blooms until they saw them!

Lou, someday we will have a better understanding of the changes in hibiscus colors. Clearly there is a relationship between seasons and color. Since your greenhouse is kept very warm temperature does not seem to be an important factor. Light is an obvious influence but it may not be the only influence. We know little about the effect of the non-visible parts of the light spectrum, cosmic rays, sun spot activity, and so forth on on flower colors.

About the intensity of sun based on closeness to the winter solstice - being the date when nights are longest and days are shortest, that is in late December, right? So by late Feb we will be 2 months out from the solstice. If we look at 2 months before the solstice as being equivalent in terms of directness of sun that would take us to late-October. October is a great month for hibiscus blooms, so why not February? I think Feb will be a good month for those with greenhouses that are adequately heated, the main difference between Oct and Feb is that in Oct the hibiscus have been growing all summer and have all that stored up energy ready to put into blooms.

Charlie

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Here are some flowers that are blooming today , Today it's in the 60's outside very nice, my plants are enjoying the nice weather .

Great blooms mike, darren and louis!

Geez im a bit jealous, as I haven't seen any blooms (or sun) in a while...  I do have a very interesting primrose blooming in my windowsill garden that I wanted to share.  If charlie could get a hibiscus with this color pattern it would be a grand slam!

Is it ironic that Rain Drop seems to love the rainy weather here?  Its budding up like crazy, its been frozen and hasn't had any sun in going on a month and half?  Charlie you can expect lots of crosses with Rain Drop in the future, it blooms well indoors and seems to be really hardy!  Another that keeps on making buds, despite the far from ideal weather is Snowy Sky.  For some reason it never opens buds, just makes them and when they get close to opening they fall off.  Very bizarre since there are no thrips inside...  I think this problem will correct itself when it gets some size, its trying to bloom and its only 6 inches tall. :) 

hello mike,

love the two larger blooms, who are they?

louis

hello darren,

great looking gaggle of blooms. this is what gets us through the doldrums :)

louis

Hello charlie,

i agree what you said about light and temps, however you have to also look at the geographical location during the winter.

for example, i am at 41 deg north and -72 deg west, the higher latitudes will have weaker sunlight than the lower ones, i am in the higher.

looking at your location, you are approx 35 deg north and -119 west, a choice spot, i may add :)

louis