Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

Deb, I love Bryon Metts. I am going to add it to my wish list.

High Voltage twins

Heck of a shot there John - they're mirror images of each other...

What a glorious day today - overcast, sprinkling occasionally, cool, no wind - perfect for spraying thrips and other pains in the garden!  June gloom is definitely here for So Cal.  At least the nights stay overcast so it never gets cooler than mid 50sF at worst and no dew on the leaves!

Another stunning Palm Springs and a unique Bienvenue.  Prosperity just doesn't ever stop blooming, truly an amazing cv.

Farmer D

some more...Vin Beaujolais: the old and the new

Farmer D

The star of my garden is Simple Pleasures for sure :)

Mystery Flower (answer tomorrow when I have more time)

Charlie

Wow that is an amazing bloom Charlie!  It looks just like T imperial topaz, but I am guessing it's Smolder or maybe Navajo Mountain?

Charlie, I don't know what that is but I want one.

Darren, the overcast weather seems to bring out the more vivid colors
             Me Oh My Oh--definitely the nicest one I have had.
             Unusual colors on Haut Coutere with a faded HC and Velvet Illusion in the background
             Heavy Metal
             Black Dream profusion--16 open blooms
             Velvet Illusion with one bright bloom trying to become part of an orange Banksia

Erny

The mystery bloom is a new seedling that bloomed for the first time yesterday. It's a real eye catcher and one of those that made my heart beat faster when I first spotted it. Big flower and quite striking when seen in person. It's a cross of It's A Wonderful Life x Zulu Warrior. No name yet and it hasn't been propagated so it'll be awhile before we know if it is a viable new variety. Here's hoping!

Below are a couple more photos of it.

Charlie

Ernie, congrats on that Velvet Illusion - when the weather is right that variety can make some of the biggest, finest red/pink colored flowers around. But the bush just didn't cut it for garden center sales. Yours may not be perfectly shaped but at least it seems functional and has enough stems to bloom multiples.

Charlie

Charlie- great, interesting colors on that one!

Wow it sure is a winner in my eyes Charlie, I really like this cross alot too! Have you used Its a Wonderful Life alot?

Charlie, that is beautiful.

Chris, I should have used IAWLife more in making crosses, but I haven't had many available that were blooming in the right season. Must be some more seeds of this cross growing in the seedlings that will probably bloom this summer. IAWLife has excellent size, texture, and form but features softer colors that, though pretty, are not as eye catching. Perhaps it will serve as a sort of blank palette as far as color is concerned - have to explore that some more!

Several photos of it are in the HVH Gallery, on this page: http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/itsawonderfullifeinfo.html

Charlie

Charlie, I too really like new bloom.  I loved my It's a Wonderful Life.  I lost it last winter.  The flowers were enormous and had excellent texture!  Sounds like it sets seeds too.

A few blooms on another overcast day:

                             The Path
                             Double Date
                             Lady in Waiting
                             Georgia's Pearl
                             Mandevilla Crimson Sun

Erny
                     
                         

I wish I had more knowledge and experience with photography. I tried to take some more panoramic pictures of some of my bushes but they never come out looking like they do in real life. The first is a line of bushes along the east front of the house and includes Velvet Illusion, Haut Coutere, Night Fire, Simple Pleasures, Love Story, Ross Estey, and Living Legend. Most of these are 5-6" tall. The second is that same collection from the front looking through plumeria that are just starting to leaf out. Third is a line of bushes planted along the east property line. These were planted last fall and are mostly 2-3" tall. Next a view of Sun Shower standing next to a plumeria and a tangerine tree. Finally Night Fire and Living Legend bushes.

Erny

Denise congratulations on your first blooms this season.  Your Simple Pleasures plant looks like it is in great shape.  That cv is a winner in many ways - can't wait for more pics.

Erny thank you for sharing such great bush shots.  It really helps to see and compare for me what is going on with our plants.  I guess our climates are really similar as everything seems to be about the same right down to the extent of new leaf growth our plumeria trees are producing currently.  

For me with all my Supernova spraying you've provided me with a good baseline to know that our plants seem to be responding similarly so far this season.  Even the amount of yellow leaves seems about the same.  I have clipped off all of mine in hopes that since the plants are now producing their first sets of new leaves this spring they will replace those I've cut.

Another shot of Acapulco Gold's branches and how there is still more buds than leaves on them - amazing!

Farmer D

First bloom of Summer Fun that stayed on (the eerwigs just love living in the blooms on this one) showing winter colors still.  That has now ended...

Farmer D

Darren, love your Acapulco Gold bud fest. I needed to selsct a starter hibiscus to send to my youngest daughter. I picked AG based on your experience with it.

Erny

It sounds like a great choice.  I know John in Texas mentioned recently that his was slower growing in a pot until he planted it in the ground.  I don't know where your daughter lives as I wonder if her's will be potted or not.

I wish others who have AG can chime in with their experiences with it.  Be nice to know how it behaves elsewhere and in ground vs potted.

Farmer D

AG gets tall and doesn't have the most lush bush in a pot.  It is also vigorous in my experience and isn't happy in a small pot for long.

I suggest Rainbow Sherbet and Cosmic Gold for well behaved potted CVs.  Simple pleasures is also an oldie but goodie.  All of these CVs branch a lot and bud up on more compact sized plants that look nicer in pots than AG and have large bright flowers, ready to seduce any newbie.  In fact Rainbow Sherbet was my first Exotic :)

Very interesting to see your yard layout, Ernie. I really want to get over there one of these days - do you still have that Ross Estey? Just wondering what the variety is in the photos that is yellow and is showing about 10 blooms. Looks to be the middle plant in the second photo. I'm glad to see your new plants from last year are doing so well this early in the spring. I hadn't realized until now the bloom count you are getting is basically on ALL the plants. Interesting to hear the comparison with your garden, Darren.

Also, anyone who skipped enlarging Darren's first photo above of Acapulco Gold should click it and take a look at those buds. AG is a good bloomer but that kind of bud count is amazing!

Charlie

I wish I could leave mine in the ground year round. It's really great to see how beautiful they are when they reach their full potential.

Hi, firends.
I want to show the first bloom of Gypsy Rom

Darren, my daughter lives in Rocklin just east of Sacramento in the Sierra foothills so she will probably have to keep hibiscus in a pot and keep it as an indoor plant in the winter.

Chris, thanks for the suggestion. Rainbow Sherbert sounds like a good candidate.

Charlie, I have two Ross Esteys to choose from. For some reason they both decided to defoliate about two weeks ago. I wonder if it is because they are both still in the pots from the nursery because there has been no defoliation on the three I have in the ground. But they are both showing lots of new leaves so I will probably just watch them for now. The bush with the yellow flower in the second photo is Simple Pleasures. It is the bush that has required the most pruning in order to keep it from taking over the whole yard.

Erny

Erny, your daughter and I are pretty close.  I live just south of Stockton.

Erny- I'm certainly no photography expert! BUT I have found that I get much better and more accurate colors when I photograph in overcast weather, or early morning, late evening or in the shade. Basically, it's better without bright, harsh sunlight. Maybe Kristen can chime in :)

Anyway, thanks for all the wide shots of your yard. Love them!

Denise

Very nice Marina, I cant remember my first photo but for sure it wasn't as good as that.
Amazing AG Darren and love the rose's.
Denise is right about overcast weather, that's when I find I take my best photo's, hopefully I will have some soon, at the moment my Hibs are competing to see how small they can be haha, its just so hot.

It's always nice when you open up the plants you ordered and there is a full bloom staring back at you.  Charlie I have to say the packing job on the plants I received today was very impressive.  It seems every year it just gets better...

Farmer D

Nice Darren! I received an order today too. No blooms but a nice healthy 4 inch San Diego Sun plant :)

Very nice Gypsy Rom bloom, Marina! Do you grow inside your house now? I think Marina is one of the hibiscus growers collecting many varieties in Russia now. I am looking forward to seeing more of the HVH varieties blooming at your place!

Charlie

Hi Marina, I forgot to mention in my post to thank you for sharing a picture of that bloom.  It has very strong colors and nice form, I think that is a good one too for crossing.

I'm curious if you are from Russia if you have the ability to purchase hibiscus from Europe as well?  Seems to be a good location to have access to hibiscus from several areas of the world I hope.  

Look forward to more posts from you soon.

Farmer D

Hi Charlie,
I grow up all my hibiscuses indoors. I have many your types, which flowering I very much wait.

Hi Darren,
thanks for pleasant words.
I have hibiscuses from Europe and America. However, not always because of big distance it is possible to receive those grades which very much it would be desirable.

Welcome to the forum Marina.

Hot Pepper is a must have for anyone living in a hot climate.

The weather in southern California has been great for photos lately, with overcast mornings providing good light for capturing the full colors of newly opened flowers. Below are some shots I took the last few days.

Still Water - all dressed up with white markings along the edge
Hot Southern Nights - one of our all time great bloomers
Swamp Music - big flower from the swamp. Sometimes gorgeous, sometimes muddy
Abracadabra - first bloomed on a 2ft seedling in a 4 inch pot, rarely stopped since
Wild Thing - rare variety that was the source of the colors in Heartbreak Hotel
Magic Crystal - especially pretty as opened on this day

Charlie

6 more photos taken recently:


Arabian Princess - incredible and big flower on Fascinating Foliage bush
James Bond - this flower blew me away
Painted Pony - lots of paint showing on this one
Happily Ever After - Cherry Appaloosa look alike on a better bush
Itsy Bitsy - another exciting flower from Born To Be Wild x Allure
True Love - pretty offspring of Moonstruck x Saffron

Charlie

Wow Fantastic pictures.  That James Bond is an eye catcher, anymore in the pipeline?

Denise it is an exciting time of year when we start receiving our orders.  Any others coming your way soon? 

Charlie those are all some sweet bloom pics.  Man those HSN blooms are looking fierce!  My little 4" is growing nicely all the way through winter even.  It is a little over a foot tall but it is already got buds coming up on all branches.

I agree with Chris on James Bond - and the blooms are so big.  I can't wait to see my Meteor Shower bloom, nice that it kept the size on a descendant's blooms. 

And that True Love bloom is just so pretty.  My plant is doing really well again after replanting it last month.  It's got buds coming up all over now which means it will produce it first blooms when I'm out of town shortly.  This one has a heck of a bush too.  It is branching like crazy and really strong ones too.  I should know better than to keep leaving this time of year.

Farmer D

I have received everything I ordered over the winter. I think I'm done....for now ;)

Chris and Darren, yes, there are more James Bond plants coming. I needed to save some this year to be stock for the future as this one deserves to be available in larger numbers. It makes an excellent bush, too, the way you would hope that Rainbow Christie x Simple Pleasures would grow. In fact, that is a cross I want to make again as there is great potential there. Speaking of Rainbow Christie, I got down to 1 healthy plant of it a couple of years ago and then started bringing it back. We are now able to sell them again in small numbers - huge flowers, lush bush, well worth growing!

Darren, I'm really happy to hear about the progress of True Love and Hot Southern Nights at your place. We'll sorely miss your photos while you're gone but when you get back the garden should be in full swing with blooms and new growth.

Charlie

Thats great to hear Charlie,

Funny enough I was in San Diego earlier in the week and I saw a mature and heavily budded plant of Rainbow Christie planted in Old Town.  It has such a distinct flower, I didnt know what else it could be.  

On the plants that need to be propagated, I would say cinnamon girl is one that needs to be.  It has been a crazy winter in the high dessert, so the plants outside look really beat up.  Cinnamon girl is one that is growing back quickly and is just covered in buds, truely one of your best!

My first Cranberry Muffin bloom today.

Lots of awesome blooms everyone! :o

I had a busy bloom week, but only enough time (after I finally got home from work) each night to snap a few pics (and then collapse into bed).  So, here's a recap of this week...

H. Storckii
Love Story (first bloom)
Sleeping Beauty
Cindy's Heart
Rodeo Drive

and the rest...

Bienvenue
Nightfire
Saffron
My Blue Heaven
Rosalind (my best bloom & photo ever!)

Deb  ;)

Deb just beautiful blooms all the way around!!!  That Bienvenue is looking just maahvelous...

Killer Confection Perfection and Miss Congeniality today.  AG looking perfecto and first Summer Romance bloom - very nice!

Farmer D

Great pics Deb.
Darren, is Summer Romance one of your new arrivals? Sure is a nice bright bloom.

Doll- Nice bold colors on that Rainbow Sherbert! I like it.

Yes, I like Darren's first Summer Romance, too. I bet it's going to do well at his place. And Doll, love that bright, crisp Rainbow Sherbet. I hope you are all set for a big arrival next Friday!

Charlie

John that is ONE amazing Rainbow Sherbet.  That is the first one I've seen that is on the same plane as David's of Vietnam.  Wow those colors are to die for!!!!  That is what should have been on Apple's ad for the new iPad.  Great show!

Today was a nice day here in good ol' Hollywood for the blooms.

Farmer D

more yummies including super pretty Prosperity Triplets and some fab Flickering Flames....Farmer D

a few more including super thrips ravaged TLM & Silver Memories.  Looks like I'll need a round two spraying - Farmer D

Hi All!  I missed you.  Been real busy.  April / May is a death trap for my hibiscus.  The temps are mildish outside and keeps the heat from kicking on inside.  So my hib's stay moist for a week, if not more, and cool.... Im loosing a lot of my leaves, and lost a few hib's as well.  Hopefully in the next week or two I can get them outside.

I got my first Splash on a really small cutting.  And I got a Vin Electrique, looks much like its parent (which is good for me because Vin Extraordinaire is among those who are loosing its leaves....) and very different look from my blooms of it this winter.

Darren, Awesome bud shot from AG!!!  Wow! 
Erny, Love the yard shots.  I wish I had a yard I could plant mine in.  Its nice to get the whole picture sometimes. 

Kristen- That Vin Electrique is SO BEAUTIFUL!

Wow Kristen - VE is just mind blowing!!  Now that is a unique and just awesome array of colors.  I really like that light purple edge and then the red bleed.  That is really amazing - I just planted mine in a shady spot so hopefully not too far away from some action.

I think you'll find that Splash is a really spunky and extremely hardy cv.  Mine just wants to grow and grow with a good number of buds to go along.  Anyone interested in getting this cv will not be disappointed at all.  I'm hoping w/ mine it will start to show some fuchsia at some point this summer but it is in a rather shady and moist spot so we'll see.

All right - we got our first blooms profusion of Flickering Flame and Chariots of Fire today and that works out well as they're right next to each other.  Very pretty.  
Also my first Picante bloom in ages and it is in peak winter form being very dark red.  Just watch over the coming months how much this one will change.  I don't know about you but I've been super enjoying all the AG blooms too.

Farmer D

I thought this 3rd day Silver Memories bloom is interesting even if it is ratty looking compliments of the thrips.  I like the yellow border with the big white/grey zone. 

These are the best SLIH blooms I've had yet as they are mixing in some orange pigmentation with the rich red.  Very pretty.

Also VB produced another good sized bloom today.  This plant is really starting to bud up so I'm more curious than ever as to it's long term profusion potential.

Farmer D

Whoa, Kristen - what a fabulous Vin Electrique!!!

Darren, great photos of Flickering Flame and Chariots together blooming so well. I can't remember if your Some Like It Hot was in bloom last summer but this summer it should show you its true colors - nothing like what you've posted photos of so far. Those are just the warm-ups to what can be a very showy flower when it gets hot enough.

Charlie

I have been using Picasa3 program to process and share photos but they have now discontinued the "Picnik" part of the program which was where the photos could be downsized to less than 400 KB. Picasa directs me to Google+ to process the photos. I was able to transfer my photo file to Google+ but can't see how to access the photos in order to post them. Has anyone else encountered this problem?  There must be other photo programs available. Can anyone suggest one that is easy to use for those of us with extremely limited computer skills? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Erny

Erny, are you using a Mac or PC?
Denise, Darren, Charlie... I was blown away with the colors of this VE.  Especially in comparison to this winters blooms I was getting!  Love it!

Nice colors on Simple Pleasures today.

Outstanding blooms, everyone!  I hope you all know that each and every one of your photos kept me going this winter when buds and blooms were out of the question.

It's really warming up here now, and hopefully that trend will continue.  It has been hot, cold, hot, cold...  but my plants are really starting to bud up now.  One of the first blooms of the year was this Summer Shore today.

If anyone is on the fence about this cultivar, I very much recommend it.  Summer Shore blooms a LOT.  I've attached another photo of my plant last year.  7 or 8 blooms on a small bush is a fairly regular thing for her.  This was a 5 bloom day last October.

Kristen, PC and that's about the limit of my computer knowledge.

Erny rather than usuing a program to downsize your picture cant you just take a smaller picture.
Trust me I know little of cameras or computers but I just post the picture I take, I have a setting on my camera for email [about 58bits I think] and that works fine, no program or downsizing needed. If on the odd ocasion I take a bigger size picture I use http://www.shrinkpictures.com/ , thats below 400 bits and works fine.

Erny, I upload my pics to flicker. Then I go to the page where you can choose different sizes. I always choose 640x480. Then I save that size to my computer.

Basement bloomers. I missed my first Silver Dragon and Dancin Dragon when I was on Vacation.  Everyone is budding well, including four seedlings out of 7 (the rest are at the greenhouse).  They were planted on October 23, 2011, so are just over 6 months old.  It seems as though 14 hour photo-period and increased potassium application can speed up time to first bloom significantly.

  

Thanks John and David. I should be able to make one of those work.

Erny

So many great blooms!

Darkhorse, just loved the "Summer Shore"!  Wow,....

Denise, you are so right about Simple Pleasures it's color are so fine! I received mine last week and it is giving me 1-2 blooms a day!

Erny, I use photobucket to post my photos. I do not have a lot of blooms to share, so I usually do them large. Would be glad to tell you how I use it, if interested.

Hot Southern Nights (http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/jimharv11/HotSouthernNightscopy.jpg)

Topaz Glory(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/jimharv11/TopazG2.jpg)

Saffron(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/jimharv11/Staffoncopy.jpg)

Jim, that Saffron photo is so bright!  I can't wait until mine gets going.  BTW, my name is Jordan.  :)

Chris, awesome setup you've got going there in your basement.  How much do your lights effect your electricity bill, if you don't mind me asking?  I may invest in some this winter.  I may turn my 2 car garage into a 50 hibiscus garage.  Haha.

Creme de la Creme, Illuminati, and a soft Jason B today.  It's a hot day here in the valley.  Creme de la Creme's blooms seem to be holding their own, while Illuminati is a little scorched.

Hey Jordan,

Its about 4 dollars more a month to run them.  Our power here in WA is pretty cheap though, coming mainly from hydroelectric plants, so I am not sure how much more it would be in CA.

I highly recommend them, but you will have to change your basic nutrient regime to get lots of blooms. 

What a pleasure to be able to share in the appreciation of all these great blooms.

Chris, that Area 51 is a real winner. Big enough for cuttings?

Jim, thanks for the tip on photobucket. Those are three fabulous flowers you posted. I think that's the nicest Topaz Glory I have seen.

Jordan, it looks like your plants are repaying you for the meager winter output. I really like Summer Shore and Creme de la Creme but that Illuminati is positively off the charts.

Erny

Chris that is so impressive what you've been able to accomplish with your seedlings.  I don't know anyone else who has been able to produce buds in so short a period of time.  Can't wait to see what the blooms look like.

Jordan those are some beautiful blooms there.  That Illuminati is crisp and pretty and that Summer Shore is just breath-taking.  Glad the bloom parade is making it's way to you - you've hung in there for quite some time.

Jim nice blooms for sure - alive with colors bursting out of the screen.

Denise always awesome to see Simple Pleasures.  I love how the blooms on that one last several days and have so much color in them.

Farmer D

Flickering Flame bloom that is just awesome.  This one never opened more than in the pic.  Love the orange edges...

Farmer D

AG doing it's thing which is every day...

Farmer D

Wow, Darren, just something else!  So nice,.....

Jim, your blooms are beautiful.

Chris, 4 dollars a month isn't bad at all.  I'll have to give artificial lighting a try this winter.  Although you're right--  with PG&E I'll probably be paying 3x that.


Darren, awesome Acapulco Gold!  Hopefully mine will get going like that when I pot it up.

Some photos from today.  Everything is still thrip-ravaged, but at least now I'm getting some blooms.  Silver Memories, Blonde Ambition, and FINALLY a mystery solved!  For two years I haven't seen this plant bloom.  Its first year with me it was too small, and last year it lost each and every bud because of a horrible thrip infestation.  It's Cranberry Muffin!  It was part of a group of about 10 plants I ordered as 4" pots and lost track of after removing their tags.  I had a hunch it was CM due to its growth habit and reddish bark, but could never be 100% sure.

Also, a picture of my seed pod.  It seems to have been staying the same size for the past few weeks.  I'm worried it will fall off.  This is a Vin Extraordinaire x Creme de la Creme cross that I did in mid to late March.  What do you guys think? 

Some stunning photos over the last few days Jordan, the highlight for me being Illuminati. Think the seed pod is a goner sorry to say.

The wrinkled skin on this one is a good sign that there are seeds forming.  I would gently press the center of the pod, it should give way in a star like pattern and you could peak inside.  If you see brown seeds, you can just pick it and it will crack open in a few days.  If the seeds are still soft you can plant them directly.  If they get hard, nick them for best chance to germinate. 

What if I peek inside and the seeds aren't even close to ready?  I'm afraid of killing them...

Jordan,you should never crack the pod open forcefully but if it is ready to open with the slightest squeeze you can take a peek inside without hurting anything. Don't break it wide open but just take a small peak to see the progress and then let the seeds finish ripening naturally.

The other "rule" is that if a pod stays on a bush for 10 weeks without opening you can go ahead and force it open. Usually these are empty pods but occasionally there will be one with seeds inside. The seeds will be ripe after 10 weeks - at least I have never found one where they weren't black and ready after that length of time.

Charlie

High everyone
I have quiet a few blooms today , Your pictures look great !
Belle De jour , High Voltage , Cosmic Gold , Vin Electrique , & Brassy Blond

  great pics MP . I was trying to decide between bountiful and brassy blonde but after seeing your picture I think it will be brassy blonde.  The amount of shading in the center of the bloom is amazing
Norm

Hi Norm
I really like Brassy blond , I like the chocolate brown with the yellow border one of my favorite ones .

Here are some more pictures of Brassy Blond a little larger .

Wow Mike - some incredible blooms you have going there!!!  I agree with Brassy Blonde and that is one I would never have considered before.  The contrast in colors is hard to believe and those are not colors you would think can occur together.  Amazing!  Also that VE is looking fierce - again that light purple and then this time a magenta bleed (Kristen's had red) is really a killer combo.  Great show Mike!!!

A really nice variety of blooms today - enjoy!

Farmer D

This has got to be the all time best Palm Springs I've had yet.  The colors are like someone colored it with hi-liter markers.  Wow!

TLR showing more color - I'm still hoping...

Ruffles now on VB - this cv is full of surprises!

Farmer D

SLIH is getting more amazing by the day.  Charlie of course you were right on about where this bloom is heading.  The gold is starting to show up now and the eye is getting darker.  Again this one has a bush that grows like a weed.  Very exciting.

Farmer D

Below are a few more photos of blooms from recent days:

Delicious Fantasy - huge, delicious double flowered hibiscus
Denim Revolution - just opening, this is a graft only variety
Double Cappuccino - very unusual mini double flower, offspring of Magic Moments
Expect Miracles - nice bright full size single
Fire & Ice - dramatic reflex when first opening, flattened out later
Hot Buttered Rum - offspring of Muffin Man

Charlie

Charlie, Expect Miracles is my favorite in that batch. My shipment arrived yesterday. Everything looked great as always.

Delicious fantasy is looking tasty

Great blooms mike,  Gator pride has some potential for sure.  Also digging the brassy blonde

I have a few today:
.  

The hibiscus jungle :P

Chris, I love your setup!!!  Area 51 seems awesome. 

Darren, nice to see Some Like It Hot.  Mine came in about a month ago as a 4" pot.  It is growing like a weed for me too.

And a blanket "beautiful blooms" for everyone else! 

Also, Chris and Charlie, thanks for your advice on the seed pod.  I squeezed it a little and it didn't want to open, so I didn't force the issue.  I will try again at around 10 weeks.

Cranberry Muffin bloomed for me again today. 

Doll, I love the colors you get on Cranberry Muffin in TX conditions. David has had some good ones in Vietnam, too - both are more striking than what we see in our cooler southern CA climate with this variety. Ours are full 8 inches though, not sure if you get the large size in hotter situations.

I'm glad to hear your shipment arrived in good condition. Erny should also have received a bunch of plants yesterday. I always worry about UPS when we send out a lot of plants in one shipment. So far, so good this spring.

Charlie

It was David's pics that convinced me to get Cranberry Muffin. So far my blooms have been in the 8" range.

Here is a pic of the same bloom at 3pm. Holds it's color very well.

Charlie could you expand more on Expect Miracles.  I thought I had seen that one before yet I don't see it in the online catalog.  I'd love to know the parents and bloom size if you could provide that it would be awesome - like the bloom!

Farmer D

Chris your Area 51 is a knockout today, just a beautiful combination of colors.  And John your CM is also intricate like Chris' - one can spend a long time looking at their patterns.  Just great stuff!!!

Jordan your CM is so bright and peppy = I like bright and peppy a lot hence the cvs I choose to get.

VB is really doing the ruffly thing now.  The petals are getting thicker and stronger so I'm liking that.  Also loving the depth of color on FF.

Farmer D

Darren, your Flickering Flame is heating up! One of my favorites for sure.

I can't locate the info on Expect Miracles right now. I know I have the original seedling with the info written on it but somehow it did not get it into our data yet. In any case, the stock plants of it have been blooming quite a lot recently, sort of like Hot Southern Nights which it resembles in size (7 inch average) and color although perhaps EM is lighter and brighter. I wouldn't be surprised if they are the same cross of Living Legend and Saffron. When I locate the original I'll get back to you on what I find. Many of the varieties that were new last fall and winter will be available later this summer. We plan at least monthly major updates to the store for the rest of the year and many of these newer cvs will be placed in the store then.

Charlie

Charlie thank you for the super fast update.  I look forward to seeing that one available sometime soon I hope.  Exciting to hear there will be monthly store updates going forward.  Can't wait!

Sounds like Prosperity to me....Denise I think you'll like this shot

Farmer D

Very fine photo, Darren. Nice eye for composition on that top one!

Friday is my current day off - back to work tomorrow. We have to ship the entire country east of TX on Mondays which means the biggest shipping day of the week. This will ease up sometime in June when all early orders should be out the door and only current orders remain to be shipped.

Charlie

Thats quite alot of work you have lined up! I usually work on the weekends too, at least when you take time off during the weekdays, its not crowded to run errands :)

I just checked Silver Dragon and its going to bloom either tomorrow or Sunday, that one is a bud machine!  I have some Dancin' Dragon pollen, does Silver Dragon set seeds? :)

A few more...enjoy!
Norm

Charlie, my shipment arrived yesterday. About 35 plants and all looking vibrant and healthy--not so much as a broken leaf. Hopefully I'll be able to find a way to start posting pictures again. As of now I can't seem to get anything to work. All of these will be going into the ground in the two areas I have "liberated" in my front yard--a half circular area of lawn with a diameter of 52' was removed and a rectangular strip of about 75' X 10' along my driveway.

Erny

Erny my simple minded approach to downsizing my pics that I post is that I use an iMac.  The default photo previewer let's you diminish the photo to any size kb you want.  No need to go into any program or other website.  Shouldn't that be the way it is with all computers or you would think...

Food for thought for all those pc users out there.

Farmer D

Ernie, I'm glad to learn that the plants all arrived safely. I look forward to seeing the planting after it is done and as they grow.

There are several free photo editor programs you can download to your windows based PC. One that some people like is called Photoscape and you can download it from this page http://www.photoscape.org/ps/main/index.php
It's pretty straight forward to use the photo editor to resize a file. Most of these programs start the same way - click on File, choose the photo file located on your hard drive, click Open. Once you have your photo file opened in the photo editor program, you can experiment with the features such as file resizing and compressing. That last is often a feature that is offered when you click "save as".

Please feel free to write to Cindy or me privately if you want to discuss photo resizing details.

Charlie

Darren, what variety of geraniums are those? I doubt they will grow in the heat here.

Beautiful blooms everyone!

Here's a recap of my indoor spring bloomers for the week...

Black Dream
Cindy's Heart
Heaven Scent
Love Story
Princess Ka'iulani

and the rest...

Rosalind
Saffron
Simple Pleasures
My Blue Heaven, Nightfire & Rocket's Red Glare
White Wings

Deb  :D

Wow great blooms!  Loving the indoor garden Deb ;)

I finally got to see Silver Dragon bloom, and it looks unreal.  Geez what an amazing amazing bloom!  The plant is covered in buds, so I think I am in for a good show!

Crossed it to Dancin Dragon :)

Great photo's at the moment. Very nice Prosperity photo Darren and I think the best Cranberry Muffin I have seen Jordan. So jealous of your Rosalind Deb and what a great picture of the blues.

I am still getting blooms but its difficult to get nice pictures with the strong sun, did capture Saffron before the sun hit it and I have a nice new double red Andenium.
The garden itself is looking lovely and lush for May so I am very pleased.

Beautiful blooms, everyone!

Chris, I'm glad you finally got the real deal with Silver Dragon. Looks like an excellent bloom under your indoor lights.

Darren, I finally was there when T. Charley opened a flower. It was much prettier than expected. Besides the good form, I particularly like the way the yellow eye matches the yellow markings around the edge. I've got a few yellow eyed varieties now but would like to hybridize some more of them. The bush is still an open question - it is big and upright but only has 3 widely spaced branches. I'll propagate it soon and see what the next generation looks like. Here's a photo.

Charlie

Charlie, I can really see why it is one of your favorite CVs, the bloom is really beautiful.  Excellent firm texture, man I love it.  I should be having blooms on it pretty regularly now, so I am interested to see how they differ. :)

I really like T. Charley.  If anything else you could use it to make some yellow eyes :)  Perhaps crossing it to those seedlings of mine you showed last year! 

Wow! Everyone is having such beautiful blooms.

A few from today.

Charlie thank you for sharing the latest photo of T Charley.  I am floored by that yellow eye - I really like that look as it is the first time I've ever seen a yellow eyed bloom with such a bright and colorful flower.

The limited info on this cv is no known parents, 8-9" blooms, and the crazy part is a white eye zone.  So how this one showed yellow is a real surprise and then some.  It would be amazing if it continues with this that would put it in a rare category for me.

I look forward to seeing what the next generation does especially with a better soil mix than the one this original came with.  Man this thing was super close to death this time last year, glad it made it back!

Here is a pic of what it looks like from IHS archives.

Farmer D

Deb your NightFire just has me mezmorized - dark and mysterious with excellent form.  Your BD is a really interesting color too - very brown!

David glad your garden is doing well even with the killer heat.  Can't wait for more blooms coming from there.

John very nice blooms - your Rainbow Sherbet is so colorful it is amazing.  Just like David's...I dream of mine getting like that someday.  Great shot of your CH bush, that really helps me compare mine and see where it needs to go...

Farmer D

Chris your Silver Dragon is really unique!  How is the texture of the petals?  I know my Black Dragon's are delicate while Black Dream seem stronger.  The plant looks really nice too...

Farmer D

Darren, I guess Rainbow Sherbert has to have consistently warm temps to bring out those colors.

Here is a shot of CH at the end of the day. It was right at 9"

John D, sometimes we complain about the effect of high temperature on blooms but with some varieties that you have shown lately - Cindy's Heart and Rainbow Sherbet in particular - the warm Houston temps bring out the best in them. Thanks for showing!

Charlie

Misfire is an oldie but goodie and one parent of Creme de Cacao. Lots of Misfire genes now in many HVH varieties through the extensive hybridization I've done with Creme de Cacao. The Fascinating Foliage trait passed on through Creme de Cacao came from its other parent, Key Lime Pie, but there is just about every possible hibiscus color available through this combo of Misfire and Key Lime Pie. Nice to see Misfire again.

Charlie

Darren, I'm not sure what to make of the white eye and large size reported previously for T. Charley. The flower I took the photo of was between 6 and 7 inches, not bad but nowhere near the 9 inches you heard mentioned. It could be that warmer nights bring out bigger size but hot days knock the yellow out of the eye. Or perhaps the yellow is brought out by my higher use of potassium than was being used when the eye appeared white. In any case, we'll see if warmer temperatures later this summer have any effect of the flower. I think I will propagate from 2 of the 3 stems and allow the 3rd stem to continue blooming all summer so we can see.

Charlie

Cindy's Heart twins. The bloom above is the one from yesterday. The one below hasn't quite fully opened yet. Another great thing about CH is that the blooms are consistently 8-9 inches. I remember Kristen even had one that was 10"

I am excited to have Misfire to mess around with.  Misfire has given you lots of great CVs and I hope that it does the same for me.  CDC, Saffron and BTBW have been excellent for you and for hybridizing the next generation of CVs.  Perhaps back crossing one of these CVs to Misfire would be interesting :)

My first Prosperity bloom. It was only 6 inches but nice for a first bloom. I love the different shades of orange with the pink center. And being ruffled is icing on the cake.

Go Chris!  I like the unpredictable and unexpected outcomes Misfire seems to figure in when crossing with it.  Can't wait to see what you get which is a pretty fast turn around based on your current seedlings already budding up in just over 6 months - Wow!

John I hope that is the first of many Prosperity blooms for you.  If your's is anything like mine has been there is pretty much a new bloom everyday - it is that good of a cv.  

Nice variety today including Splash with some magenta but the pic hardly shows it. Also SLIH is getting gold spotting now - just awesome and Summer Romance after fading from the morning sun looks very pretty.

Farmer D

Acapulco Gold has just been stunning every morning when they first open.  The red is so vibrant and there is a lot going on with each bloom.  Just so much fun!

First bloom for All That Jazz in it's new home in the backyard under the Mulberry tree.  It didn't even blink when moved - definitely a hardy cv.  Thought the shady spot would be better for the more fragile blooms so they'll last a lot longer plus they stand out more in the shade too.

Farmer D

Doll, thanks for showing those Cindy's Heart flowers from 2 days. What impresses me is how close the first day colors and second colors are even in hot weather.

Here are a few more photos taken in the HVH greenhouse the last few days.

White Hot - a new 8 inch single that will make its store debut in a couple of weeks
Fickle Female - Cindy named this obvious Space Oddity offspring
Hot Buttered Rum - Muffin Man offspring
Dynamo - showing more intense colors similar to Slapstick, Heartbreak Hotel offspring
Gentle On My Mind - Born To Be Wild offspring opening
Tea and Crumpets - one of my favorite browns, 8 inch Black Jack offspring

Charlie

Charlie, looks like Dynamo has some of Heartbreak hotel coming out in that bloom.  Have you crossed HBH to any blue or brown CVs?

Darren, your summer romance looks pretty different from the pics I have seen of it.  More like Easter glow or Kokomo, I am looking forward to seeing how the blooms change as summer weather approaches. 

Charlie, CH really holds its colors. And I have it in full sun.

Silver Dragon- Love this bloom, very bold and unusual

Test post

Perfect, Erny!  Great size when it enlarges after clicking. Nice photo, too.

Charlie

Chris, it turns out I have 3 more Silver Dragon plants in 6 inch size, also blooming well now. Not sure what I'm going to do with them yet.

BTW, what size flowers are your Area 51 blooms?

John D, what a great Heaven's Scent - perfect form. I'm loving your Rainbow Sherbet flowers.  I've always liked this variety a lot but it looks even better in Houston than it does in San Diego!

Charlie

I took 2 photos today at the gh that are worth showing.

First, is a very fancy flower named 'Movie Star' which is Moonstruck x Strawberry Cream. It is close to 10 inches across and very ruffled and tufted. The photo did not do the bloom justice, but what the heck, here it is.

Second, this is a first bloom on a seedling that is Born To Be Wild x Creme de Cacao.Not big, this one may even remain a mini at 5 inches, but the bush has Fascinating Foliage and the flower colors are pretty strong.

Charlie

I think you need to take one of those Silver Dragons home and try to get some seeds out of it :)  So far I haven't had any pollen from the blooms...

Area 51 has been blooming in the 5-7 inch range for me.  The flowers have been really interesting so far, the bush lacks vigor, but it is upright and presents its flowers well.  I really like the interesting metallic purple/silver overlay over the plum body and the bright orange to yellow edge.  Excellent candidate for crossing to P's Purple F1s and CVs in the CDC family, well that's my plan for it anyways :)  Now that I am thinking about it, I will probably cross it to Moonstruck to get some size to the flower and rings of color.   

Movie star is very nice, love the ruffles on it. 

Charlie, White Hot is my favorite out of the group that you've just shown.  Reminds me a lot of Raging Bull, which should be blooming for me soon for the first time.  Movie Star also looks like one to watch.  I love giant blooms!

Chris, your Silver Dragon is awesome!!!!

And John D, looks like I may need to find myself a Rainbow Sherbet.  :)

I could look at these 3 all day and still not decide which one I like best, they are all just so good.

Thanks Charlie. My wife was able to figure out Photoscape and explain it to me. Since you are not sure what to do with those three Silver Dragons, I'll volunteer to step up and take one off your hands.
Jordan, I agree with you on White Hot--looks very nice.
Chris, great photos. Can't get enough of that Area 51 but it deserves a better name.
Now that I can do photos again, here are a few: Simple Pleasures profusion, Eye of Kali twins, my second Magnifique bloom (much nicer than the first), and an 11" orchid cactus bloom.

Erny

Simple Pleasures profusion is an understatement!

Erny, your Simple Pleasures is amazing!

Jordan, you can't go wrong with Rainbow Sherbert.

John, great colors on all three of your blooms. Rainbow Sherbert is a real standout.

Blooms from the last couple days...

Farmer D

some more...

Farmer D

and some more...

Farmer D

Darren, all I can say is Wow! What a collection of photos. Everything is looking great and T. Lavender Mist is, as always, giving me a serious case of Tahitian envy.

Erny

Tahitian Envy!  ;D That made me smile.

Darren, loving that color on the Acapulco Golds now. Whenever convenient, could you show an end of day color on the T Lavender Mist? My 3 stock plants of it continue to grow nicely and should provide a fair amount of wood by mid to late summer. I look forward to spreading it around as soon as we can.

Charlie

Charlie, I'm glad to hear that T. Lavender Mist will be available in the relatively near future. It's been on my wish list for months.

Erny

Ernie, I like what I hear about it from Darren and it has shown greater than average vigor as a small grafted plant so far. It would be best if it roots readily but if not we will graft enough to take care of the waiting list. Once upon a time it was thought that vigor corresponded with rootability but more experience has shown that has not turned out to be a reliable indicator.

Charlie

A few pictures on a cooler overcast day.
                                
                                Pinot Noir--just planted in the ground a week ago.
                              
                               Renaissance Blue
                                
                                Lady in Waiting twins; one single and one double.

Erny

Very nice Erny, PN looks great!

I had my first Dancing Dragon, the plant is very small so it is not surprised the color and size of the bloom is not up to speed yet as well. 

Erny thank you for your gracious compliments on yesterday's pics.  It is a privilege to share them with others that see the beauty in them that I do.

Charlie I will make it a point on the next bloom to post a shot after the first day for TLM.  FYI - mine is planted facing the west and gets a only hot afternoon sun so you will see the extreme in fading as it gets no shade at all after 2pm.  IMO it still looks fab just a different look to it.  The plant is vigorous, too bad we have no info on the parents.

Farmer D

more blooms...

Farmer D

and a few more...

Farmer D

Thanks Chris. Pinot Noir is planted facing east so it gets a lot of morning sun but is totally shaded from noon time on. Congratulations on your first Dancin Dragon bloom. Look forward to seeing more as it matures.
Darren, Acapulco Gold appears to be in full summer glory--that quad shot is spectacular. That might be the nicest Flickering Flame that I've seen. Prosperity looks terrific as always. I got these three in 6" pots but all were about three feet tall and so went into the ground last week. I hope their blooms are half as nice as yours.

Erny

Darren, I didn't know you have Living Legend. I hope yours grows into the big plant and great bloomer that ours did in Fallbrook.

Charlie

First Burnt Saffron bloom.

Some amazing stuff out there everyone!  I have been playing the Hibiscus Chauffeur this week.  Inside, outside, Inside, Outside....... Just when you thought you had a lot of plants...

I got a father son Vin to show you.
Cindy's Heart
Gabriel
A day 2 of Night Runner
And I caught a hummingbird sticking out his tung.

John, really nice Burnt Saffron. I don't recall seeing that cv posted before. How does that do in the hot Texas sun?
Kristen, is that Vin Extraordinaire? It's got to be the deepest purple I have seen in a hibiscus. Great colors on Gabriel and Night Runner as well. Classic hummingbird shot!
Got my first bloom on Secret Heart today. Also Night Fire, Topaz Glory, and Prima Ballerina.

Erny

Forgot to include the photos

John- Prosperity looks so different from Darren's! I wouldn't have guessed what it was. Both gorgeous. Can't wait for mine to bloom!!!

Kristen- WOW!

Everybody else- I check this page 10x a day and am loving everyone's blooms! Thanks for sharing.

Amazing blooms everyone...

Love that Burnt Saffron and Kristen those blooms again have such dark and rich colors.  Super hummingbird shot too!

I agree with Denise - John's Prosperity does look quite a bit different from mine.  I love that big pink eye!!

Got my first Hot Southern Nights bloom today - 1st is right after opening the second at mid-day.

Farmer D

some more...

Farmer D

This one is amazing...

Farmer D

Darren, you are really going to like Hot Southern Nights. I got mine in a 4" pot around Thanksgiving time last year. It was the first of a group in 4" pots to bloom--took only a few months. I put it in the ground a couple of weeks ago and it is already showing multiple buds on a plant that is still small. Living Legend is amazing--just keeps putting out a profusion of perfectly formed blooms. Seeing your Daisy Mae has convinced me that I must have one--such a brilliant yellow color. I still have plenty of room to plant and need more yellows and whites to balance out the colors.

Erny

Sorry, I forgot to say... It is Vin Extraordinaire on top and Vin Electrique on bottom.  One shot in complete shade, and the other in partial sun. 

John, I love that Burnt Saffron.
Darren, That shot of Black Dream is great.  Love the AG in the background!
Erny, Love the Topaz Glory.  I really wanted that one last year.  Not one you find around too often.

 Hi  :D
everybody's blooms look so good , Here are a few for today . Heaven Scent , Cindy's Heart & Cosmic Gold

Some wonderful photo's everyone. Hot Southern Nights Thanksgiving and Cream De Cacao from me, lots of others but with the heat and sun all very small.

Erny, I'm not sure if Burnt Saffron fades much since I picked that bloom and brought it inside. The next one I will leave outside and see how it holds up.

Denise, I don't know if this is going to be the normal look in my climate for Prosperity or not yet. So far these blooms are from buds that were already on the bush when I received it 10 days ago.

Interesting, it looks like a totally different shade of orange with a much more pronounced pink and white center. Still has those beautiful ruffles though! I wonder when we'll get to see mine. I only ordered a 4 inch, so it may be a while! I will be happy with it either way, They are both gorgeous! Thanks for sharing!

I told myself I wasn't going to post pictures again this year until something other than Simple Pleasures bloomed. But today's bloom was just too pretty not to share! So here's Simple Pleasures...again! The wide shot has a 3rd day bloom on top and 2nd day bloom on bottom. The close ups are all of the 2nd day bloom.

John's Prosperity blooms so far are probably what happens in the heat. My photos of it show the pink zone around the eye but not quite as prominently as John's. Here's a photo taken in August in greenhouse shade but fairly high temperature of a just opened bloom. It's sort of part way between Darren's typical outdoor bloom and JohnD's. To me the biggest difference is that the bright orange seems to drop out in the heat, revealing a much bronzer tone beneath. That is sort of a surprise.

Charlie

Denise, your Simple Pleasure blooms look so cheerful I would have hated to miss them. Thanks for showing!

Very nice triple winner, Mike. All classically beautiful.

Charlie

Denise, your Simple Pleasures was certainly worth sharing. I got a much redder one today than I have seen before. Here are a couple of pictures with a more normal colored one behind. Then a close up of the more typical one.

Meet new variety - Serenity

This seedling, Space Oddity x Denim Revolution, grew all the way to the ceiling of the greenhouse before finally starting to bloom. Once it started it kept going until I cut it way back and stuck a bunch of cuttings. I'm happy to say that most of them rooted so we will be offering Serenity later this summer.

First is a picked bloom with a hand in for perspective of the large size.

The other 2 were on the tall plant and so hard to get a good angle on but you can see both opening and faded colors - both nice I think.

Charlie

A few more photos to share:

2 Fascinating Foliage varieties:

Sea Spray - one photo showing FF leaves and the other a just opening bloom in early morning. I really like this variety, with such different leaves and flower.

Midnight Dream - again a photo showing FF leaves and very different flower.

Dreamy Morning - Moonstruck x Swamp Music looking serene in the morning light.

Charlie

A few profusion shots from today:

Sun Shower; the blooms are just starting to show some yellow spots but nothing like the beauties that John has been getting in the more intense heat in Houston. The bush is now about 6 1/2 feet tall and is definitely a vigorous grower.

Electric Orange; unfortunately the color is somewhat washed out in photos taken in bright sunlight. I might try again in late afternoon or early evening. I had a Saffron bloom last week that was nice during the day but looked spectacular at dusk or twilight. It was so vivid at that time that it stood out like a beacon.
                                            
 Erny                                                                                                                

Very nice, Erny. Your bushes are probably the oldest that we see on the forum. How much pruning have you done on them over the years?

Charlie

Close to zero on the pruning. Last year on Sun Shower I cut off some branches growing around the base and I've had to prune the top of Simple Pleasures to stay at window sill level. Other than that just cutting a branch here and there if it was growing out over a path or the lawn.
Two weeks ago I hard pruned four of the old ones in the back yard that had gotten rather spindley looking (Erica Nicole, Mary Louise, Black Baron, and Special FX).

Erny

Wowie!!! I love this time of year...  :o

Chris – Silver Dragon and Dancing Dragon are just gorgeous.
Kristen – LOVE the Vin blooms… And the hummingbird shot is truly amazing!
Denise – Simple Pleasures is a real beauty.
Darren, David, John, Ernie, Mike – Just… awesome, as always!!!

Well, I'm a day late for my weekly bloom recap... Mostly because a truck-load of little hibs arrived on Friday! There isn't a window, doorwall or light source that isn't three (or more!) pots deep in hibiscus at my place right now  :D

Anyway! This last weeks bloomers...

Arnottianus
Brilliant
Cindy's Heart
Dragon's Breath
Heaven Scent

and the rest...

Hot Babe
Inner Compass (new) and Saffron
Nightfire
Simple Pleasures
White Wings triplets
Baby Hibs

Deb

Did anyone else catch the annular solar eclipse today? Ours was partial (just a sliver) and "peaked" just before sunset  8)

Deb, I'm glad someone on the forum got Inner Compass. I was really tempted to get one. Can't wait to see some blooms.

John, I also got Inner Compass with my recent shipment. I put it in the ground several days ago. No buds yet but it is a nice healthy looking plant about 2 1/2 feet tall so I'm expecting some buds in the near future.

Erny

 :o
Here are some more blooms for today , I have quiet a few starting to bloom .
blue ballerina
rocket's red glare
saffron
heavy metal
heaven scent

Mike, those are some beautiful pictures. The colors on Melon Melange are incredible. Rocket's Red Glare (?) also looks as good as it can get.
I got my second Night Runner bloom today and it is far nicer than the first. Also Cindy's Heart, second day Louise Bennett, and another orchid cactus bloom.

Erny

Great Night Runner, Erny!

 The garden is waking up!
Norm

And a few more ...I hope to get better a picture taking!
enjoy
Norm

Very nice bunch of "blues", Norm. I see you and a few others have posted photos of Rise and Shine recently. That's a quiet variety that is one of my favorites due to the strong bush and steady blooming we see here.Yellow doesn't seem to pop as much in photos but is quite beautiful nonetheless.

Ernie, good job with the Night Runner. Pretty flowers and quite the challenge as a bush. You've had success with some of the worst bushes like Erika Nicole - I'm beginning to be convinced that the potted growth habit of varieties is not completely relevant to plantings in the ground.

Charlie

Fabulous photos everyone! 

Mike those HM twins are just off the charts!!  I hope mine one day look the same.

Erny great choice with Daisy Mae by the way.  The bush on that cv will blow you away - extreme vigor and a crazy ability to bud.  The blooms are always huge and the color is so bright and crisp it always makes me stop in my tracks.  My favorite yellow bloom - I'm surprised it isn't always sold out in the store but I guess you just have to see it in person to understand it is not a typical yellow.

Farmer D

Charlie I agree with you whole heartedly concerning Rise and Shine.  I like that one so much I even moved it a few days ago to give it a more noticeable spot in my garden and wow did that totally change up the overall look.  It is so strong that it didn't even flinch after completely uprooting it.  Super easy to grow and a really nice bloom with the large white zone.  Another great cv!

Farmer D

Erny, glad to hear you  have Inner Compass also.

Darren, your Daisy Mae looks amazing.

John your Rainbow Sherbet is so colorful.  I never grow tired of seeing it.  All of your blooms look great!  Fabulous form and colors...

You can also include me on the Inner Compass club.  Went straight into the ground without delay under the peach tree a few weeks back.

Interesting comparison shot of AG in the morning and at the end of the day to see the color change.

Farmer D

a few more....Scarlet Beauty first opening is reflexed but when it recovers after a few hours it is a huge red beauty.  Very impressive bloom and the bush is easy to grow.

Farmer D

Darren, thanks for those comparison shots of AG.

Loving everyone's blooms.  Darren, your Living Legend is perfect!

Carnelian today, showing more brown than red in my conditions.  I love browns so that's just fine with me.  :)  Charlie, I looked on the IHS website and Blackjack is listed as the father of this cv--  who is the mother?  Just curious.

Carnelian looks good Jordan!
Here is the info you want from the post you started about Carnelian:

Thanks for finding that info, Chris. I was just about to re-write it for Jordan when I saw your post.

I really like that version of Carnelian, Jordan. The redder look is probably more likely in cooler temperatures but please let us know what your experience is. The interesting eye and eye zone come from Black Jack and add a lot of interest to the bloom.

Charlie

A few today, Vin Beaujolais Acapulco Gold and a very faded Valentines Day.

And my seedlings at 3 months, these seeds are pretty unique, they have actually managed to grow smaller this week haha, maybe I am developing some sort of Bonsai Hibiscus.

Nice photos everyone!  Good to see Carnelian - is that the first one on the forum?

I'm starting to get better multiple blooms now...first and second day Scarlet Beauty blooms together so you can see how it fades in strong afternoon sun.

Farmer D

Outrageous shot of Flickering Flame & Chariots of Fire going bananas today...

Daisy Mae looking fierce with perfect triplets...

Farmer D

Doh, of course I would ask the same question twice.  Sorry about that!


I'll be sure to post more photos of Carnelian as I'm able.  In my limited experience thus far, this cv grows like a weed.  :)

David, if you try seedlings again you could try smaller pots. For instance, I leave my seedlings in very small peat pots measuring about 1 inch across x 1.5 inches high until they are taller than the ones you show. By that time the roots have begun to grow out the sides and are air pruned, creating a nice bundle of roots. I then go into pots that are 3.5 inches wide and 5 inches deep and leave the seedlings in those until they are at least 12 inches high. If you overpot early on you can set the plants back which is what I think you are seeing.

Charlie

David, your Acapulco Gold looks great. Is it normal for your AG to have petaloids? Those seedlings really are growing slow. At first I thought I read 3 weeks old and then I noticed it was 3 months. I posted a pic of some CH seedlings I have that are 2 weeks old now.

Darren, your hibiscus are really putting on quite a show these days. All your hard work is obviously paying off.

John, the colors on your flowers- especially Rainbow Sherbert= WOW! What is your feeding regimen?

I have been using MaxiGro which is 10-5-14 plus
Calcium 6%
Magnesium 2%
Sulphur 3%
Iron .12%
Manganese .05%

I alternate this with the HVH Booster.

For the plants in the ground I add 1 tablespoon to my 2 gallon watering can. When I use the booster I also add 1 tablespoon of epsom salts. For the ones growing in pots I use half that amount. I feed everyday.

Erny, you are posting photos now and they sure look GREAT!

John, really like the RS twins!

Darren and David I just cannot state how nice your flowers are!

Charlie, all 24 of my new plants are doing wonderful. UPS wan't so kind to some of them but they bounced back fast and I sure the great packaging had a lot to do with it. You and Cindy think of everything!

That little Thunder Egg I got a few weeks ago is growing like a BIG weed! Very interesting foliage on that cv and can not wait for the first bloom.

Thank you guys for great flowers.

Arc de Triomphe

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/jimharv11/ARC2copy.jpg)

Song Sung Blue

(http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff300/jimharv11/SSBcopy.jpg)

Hi John, bit of a coincidence you mention about my AG, a few hours ago a Typhoon [the worst in 5 years] has ripped through the garden with some very heavy damage and it looks like  my AG got the worst of it, I will know first light when I can see proper whats happened, its strange the pot which I secured is still standing and the soil not disturbed yet AG was bent right over horizontally, its pitch black out there now so cant see but I think the main trunk must have snapped, either that or its very flexible haha [I propped it back up temporarily but cant see as we have lost power]. Lost all my cuttings and Melon Malangi is in half [it will grow back] a big pot fell on it, lost branches on my Plumeria and a couple of pots overturned and smashed, torrential rain followed the wind so a right mess to look forward to.

Charlie I don't think that's the problem, I started them in 3 inch Jiffy pots [unless of course thats still to big], I think your post the other day is correct, its just to warm, about average 95f and 85% humidity. They are only in these bigger pots as I did not want to transplant again after moving and inspecting, every time I do that I lose some and I am now down to 5. These 5 have roots and are healthy, they are just not growing.

David I hope the damage is not as bad as you think it is.  That is a severe pruning by mother nature in a twisted sort of way...

My biggest fear here in Los Angeles is a massive earthquake that cuts off our water supply for an extended period of time from the various aqueducts that import our water.  Especially if during a hot summer stretch...

Farmer D

David, I hope you got through the typhoon without any serious damage. I get a lot of "involuntary" cuttings off my plumerias when the Santa Ana winds blow strong here but those I'm sure are mild compared to the storms there.
John, that Rainbow Sherbert sure is nice.
Jim, great colors on Arc de Triomphe.
Darren, thanks for sharing Silver Memories. I had forgotten how nice it is.
I had to be out of town for a couple of days but came home to some niice blooms.
                              
                               Valentine's Day in one of my new planting areas
                               Fifth Dimension
                               Living Legend

Erny

Some more
                    
                     Lady in Waiting
                     Simple Pleasures
                    

Some "profusion" and bush shots
                  
                          
                            Black Dream
                            Sun Shower X2
                            Electric Orange

And a final few
                       Living Legend
                       Night Fire X2
                       Simple Pleasures
                  

Well it seems to be doing the job! Your colors are always so vivid and sharp. Love them.

Darren- I hate to be redundant but I cannot get enough of your Prosperity shots with the purple geranium! Soooo pretty :)

David, I hope your plants didn't sustain too much damage.

Very nice blooms everyone! ;)
David - Hope that you and your garden are safe and that the storm damage is minor  :'(

This week's bloom recap from warm & toasty SE Michigan...

Hot Babe
Rocket's Red Glare
Saffron
An outdoor jungle shot (for a change)
And my first entry in the "Guess the Mystery HVH Bloom" game (a "giant" Saffron offspring)

Deb ;)

Deb,everything is sure looking nice there at your house.

The big mystery bloom is.............. very intriguing.  :)

Charlie

Gorgeous blooms, Deb!!!!! Are they outside now, or still inside your house?

Is the mystery Aztec Giant?

Cindy

Thanks Cindy and Charlie! The plants that are outside are only a quarter of the ones I have, potted-up to 8" and 10" pots... I barely made a dent in the "indoor jungle" - LOL!

Mystery Bloom: Nope, not Aztec Giant... Mystery bloom has the same white eye, bright pink halo/rays and golden spots as it normally does... But the bloom base color and stigma pads are different.

Another clue: Mystery bloom's pollen parent is a "Dragon"  ;)

A few from today.

Nice blooms deb!  It looks like you have raging bull there? 

6 petaled Magic Carpet Ride. The colors are really great on this one, I hope it sets seed. 

Hi Chris... Very pretty MCR! Great colors/patterns!

And yes - the mystery bloom is Raging Bull (looked more like Sunshowers to me).

After hearing what I do for fun and excitement, one of my new coworkers got excited and told me about her brother at Ohio State. I don't recall his major exactly, but he's part of a team that is mapping the DNA of plants... Let me know if you want to compare notes (I'll get you his contact info)  :D

Todays bloomers...

Bienvenue
Cindy's Heart
White Wings

Deb  8)

Cindy's Heart with White Wings in the background.

  Hi everyone the temperature here is terrible it hasn't rained in about a month all the grass is dead , I don't have to cut it it's dead if it doesn't rain soon were going to be like Texas was last year  ??? I'm having to work real hard to keep the spider mites off some of my plants I use kontos lots of kontos probably use a hole bottle in 4 months . Plus I spray with other things also like bare 3 & 1. Glad to say quiet a few of my plants don't get mites easy so their not as much work anyway here are some blooms for today . hot wired , cosmic gold , electric orange ,another electric orange in the shade , & heavy metal

Very nice show there Dave, Heavy Metal is one of my favourits to see. I wish I could send you some of the rain we are having, its been torrential for days now, everything is flooded and the strong winds that precede the rains each afternoon have done a lot of damage. I am amazed that my Acapulco Gold has survived and is doing ok, I joked about it being flexible [it was bent over past horizontel], well once I righted it it was ok, the main stake supporting it had snapped at soil level so it really was flexible.

John, I really like that Wild Grape.
Dave, I don't know that I've ever seen Hot Wired before but what a pretty bloom. Also very nice color on Heavy Metal.
Happy to see my first bloom on Heartbreak Hotel today. Also Simple Pleasures, Haut Coutere, Rocket's Red Glare on day2, Cindy's heart day 2, and Notocactus Magnificus blooming beneath a plumeria.

Erny

Hi Ernest
Hot Wired is an older CV I'v had it for a few years . Here is another picture of it with a double

Thanks Mike. Very nice. Sorry I called you Dave. Senior brain cramp.

Erny

Yeah, it is nice to see Hot Wired again. Notice the similarity to High Voltage in the eye and red rays out from the eye? That's because Hot Wired is a true sport (genetic mutation) of High Voltage. I spotted the yellow variation one day in a big group of High Voltage plants, cut the stem the yellow flower was on, grafted it and waited to see whether it would continue to be yellow. When the grafted plant started blooming all the flowers on it were this yellow variation and all plants propagated from the grafted one since have been yellow. I'm a little worried that I may have lost my last big stock plant of it in a reorganization last summer but am hoping not. If I did, Rise and Shine will have to take its place - similar yellow and white with red feathered eye and High Voltage as 1 parent.

Here's a photo of Hot Wired and High Voltage together.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie for the info on hot wired that's interesting .Here are a few nice ones for today heaven scent , this heaven scent has a nice smell to it ,swamp music , heavy metal .

 :o A few years back I set out to try to make plants that were fuller & had more flowers I have quiet a few where I took cuttings and put 3 or 4 in one pot , heavy metal is one of them I'l show a picture of my original plant that was a one gallon size and my 3 plants in one pot . The small one in the gray pot is the original the terra-cotta , bigger pot is the 3 cuttings . Then a side by side comparison .    

Very nice Swamp Music and Heaven Scent.
I just got my Silver Dragon and it already has two blooms. I had great expectations and it didn't disappoint.


Erny

Saffron in bright sun and shade.

Mike, I hope you get some rain soon. I lost several trees last year in the drought. We haven't had any rain in a month either.

Erny, your Saffron is awesome.

 :D Hi Erny & John your pictures look nice & John I'm only about 8 hours from you so my weather isn't ' much different than yours . I wanted to post 2 pictures of swamp music the picture in the above post was taken around 9:00 in the morning & I just took two now at 7:00 at night. The plant was in the shade all day under a tree but it was 95 degrees today , pretty hot so I guess it would be the sun that would affect it more than the temperature , it still looks nice.

Awesome blooms!!!  :o

We broke a heat record today here in SE Michigan and got up to 95ºF  :P
(I hear the rumble of thunder, so here come the storms that usually follow high heat days here... Hope the hibs are thirsty).

My outside hibiscus are adjusting really well, though...

Amber Suzanne (huge bloom - over 8")
Brilliant (a very... brilliant one)
Fantasy Charm
Rosalind
Simple Pleasures

Deb  :D

Mike, love your pots of Heavy Metal. The 3 per pot one is extremely full but the single plant is also thriving and filling out its pot. You are growing this "not for beginners" variety very well.

Swamp Music remains a popular variety - we've sold a few dozen this year and the most recent update saw 8 of them sell out within minutes of putting them online. Your photo seems to me to be typical of the flower in summer. There is a more intense look that it can show during winter, particularly in winter greenhouses, with more vivid colors than seen in summer or late on a sunny day. Some see the colors of Swamp Music as muddy and I suppose that is what inspired the name. Here on the west coast we often see the flower at a full 8 inches but I understand that along the Gulf Coast the heat causes it to more often be 6-7 inches.

Charlie

Spectacular Silver Dragon, Erny! It can be a real show-off in the summer garden. Big disappointment for me that I've never been able to root that variety.

Deb, you've sure got a lot of varieties - and like Erny some I've almost forgotten about such as Amber Suzanne. That fine double flowered variety will get better and better during summer. It was the most award winning hibiscus of its day, which happened to be exactly when I got involved with hibiscus in the early 1990's. Good stout bush, too. Pat Merrit in Houston had one planted in her garden in Houston that reached 6 feet high and 6 feet wide in its prime. Quite a sight!

Charlie

Doll, thanks for showing the 3 Cindy's Heart bushes growing together. Probably the most plants of that variety growing together anywhere outside the HVH greenhouse. I also enjoy seeing Wild Grape growing in Houston where the conditions seem to bring out slightly different colors than we see here.


Charlie

Charlie, I would love to line the side of my driveway with nothing but Cindy's Heart if I could.

Thanks Charlie on the heavy metal , It's  been a challenge to grow this one in a nice bush & it seems to get a lot of yellow leaves at first I thought it was mites but I use a lot of kontos so I'm beginning to think  if I was using to much fertilizer . Because it's a slow grower & you can't fertilize it like the fast growing ones , so I reduced the amount of fertilizer and just use kontos & potassium , a little fertilizer once and a wile and its not getting many yellow leaves anymore . also It's not a good rooter I'v waited up to 4 months for cuttings to root on this one .
Here are a few for today a nice double Cindy's Heart , Rockets Red Glare  , High Voltage

Three nice photos Mike.
A few from today:               Saffron
                                       Secret Heart
                                       Night Runner
                                       Hot Pepper
                                       Electric Orange
                                       Kinchen's Yellow--an oldie but still one of the nicest yellows

Erny

Erny, your Electric Orange is really a prolific bloomer.

This a first bloom for me on Janys.  Wow what a beautiful flower!  The dark fushia with lavender overlay is stunning.  I crossed it to Magic Carpet Ride, I think there should be some interesting outcomes here.

Janys is similar to another CV I have Unforgettable, but having seen both in person Janys has a superior flower imo.  Unforgettable also seems to be a sensitive plant, it has completely defoliated for no reason and seems to be on the decline.  Janys however is thriving, and beginning to branch without any coaxing.  Hopefully Charlie can help get more of this one out there.   

John, Electric Orange is turning out to be a really nice cv. It is the most vertical grower I have--from about 2' in a 6" pot last fall to its present 4 1/2' with numerous side branches. It is very symmetrical and I think it is going to be a large and beautiful bush. This is the second picture of Wild Grape you have shared--it's going on my Wish List.

Chris, that Janys is a gorgeous bloom. I had one years ago in a pot. It was a real standout among the cvs of that time.

Erny

Absolutely gorgeous blooms gentlemen! :o

An assortment of white blooms for me today...

High Voltage
Tahitian Princess
White Wings - my first set of quads (!) from Sunday
Tahitian Princess with Tahitian Taitensis (gardenia)
And some dinner guests ("Mama" is giving me the side-eye... Luckily, they don't eat hibiscus)

Deb  :D

I Finally have a flower on my 11 foot seedling, its taken over 2 years and I think its lovely, I have no idea what the x is, I had 20 seeds from The American Hibiscus Society and this is the only one that's had a result.

Tricky trying to get a photo as its 11 feet in the air, very suprised it bloomed as the last week it has been battered with strong winds and torential rain.

I have taken a couple of cuttings and a graft but what I would like to ask is, if I now cut this down to a reasonable size will I continue to get blooms or will it grow back to 11 to 12 feet before it buds up again, there are a few buds on it now, not really sure what to do with it now.

David - Whoohoo! Congrats on your seedling bloomer (11 feet tall - Wow!!!) - Looks like it could have Rosalind as one of it's parents :D

David, I'm not sure the words 11 ft and seedling can be used in the same sentence.

A few from today:           Daisy Mae--my first bloom (just got it last week)
                                   Night Runner twins
                                   Eye of Kali--this one is really growing on me. Aptly named as the
                                   eye is really special.
                                   The Path
                                   Rivero 2--showing the white spots in warmer weather
                                   Voodoo Magic--hasn't bloomed in a while after carrying more than
                                   120 buds through much of the winter.

Erny

Thanks Deb Erny, yes 11feet and I have pruned it twice, thing is that sounds good but what a pain, I really wanted a nice 4 to 5 feet like Louis, 11 feet on a windy rooftop its difficult to secure and control, for sure it will be cut down in the next week or two, that's sort of why I was asking will it need to grow back to 11 feet before blooming, hopefully I will get a cutting and then it wont matter what I do with it.

Chris, Jolie looks like it might be pretty close in color to Janys. I kept looking for Jolie to show up in the store update last Sunday but I guess I missed it.

Erny, you will love Wild Grape. It is a great bloomer. The colors for you should be closer to those on the description page.

Thanks Chris. I would love to have both Janys and Jolie.

I am really impressed with how well Rainbow Sherbert holds its color. I usually take my pics around 10am. I decided to wait until 6pm to take today's pic of RS. Looks great still at the end of the day.

David, if you cut the tall seedling back to 2 or 3 feet in height it will regrow with more branches and will NOT have to reach 11 feet before blooming again. Pretty nice flower, too, congrats!

Charlie

Cindy tells me that Jolie went to the first people who had it on the waiting list so never made the store. I've given her a few more plants of Jolie that will also go to waiting list folks so if you want it be sure it is on your current waiting list. There are a few more new varieties that did not make it to this update because Cindy did not have time to build their store pages. These will trickle into the store during the next couple of weeks.

BTW, Jolie is not like Janys which is one I grew for several years in the 90's. As Chris said, Jolie is much brighter while Janys has this nice silvery lavender look most of the time. I grew Janys as a grafted plant but it's possible it might root. Which way was yours propagated, Chris?

Charlie

I am really impressed with how well Rainbow Sherbert holds its color. I usually take my pics around 10am. I decided to wait until 6pm to take today's pic of RS. Looks great still at the end of the day.
[/quote]

John I think its by far the best cv I have for color, I think its the yellow that really seems to glow, the photo below is one taken in January, at the moment its heavily pruned and I am hoping I will have an even better show next January.

Charlie thank you for the update on Jolie.  How would you describe the bush compared to that of the parent Dragon's Breath or just in general?

Farmer D

Both seem to have a worthy place in most collections I would say. 

Charlie,  I believe this plant is grafted.  I think it might root as well and will try a cutting or two soon.  I hope it is a good seed setter :)

Well, Everyone looks like they have their gardens in full swing, and looking GREAT!

David, I can't believe your plants survived that!  Lucky you!!

I finally got all my plants outside, after going out in the morning, in at night...  Now look at this forecast!  What should I do?  I am leaving on Wednesday for 3 weeks and there will be a house sitter for that time.  He wont give my plants a second look.  I think that it should warm up by the time I leave, but what about the next couple of days?  Just bring them in?  or make them tough it out?

Kristen, sort of a thorny problem. Personally, I would probably bring them in for those cool, rainy days that are forecast. After that the temperatures look fine with sunnier, warmer days compensating for the cool but not cold nights. My worry would be that they will dry out too much during the 3 weeks you are gone. Does it rain often enough there to take care of that? If so, they will most likely be fine.

Charlie

Too many beautiful bloom pics this month to comment on. Some real showstoppers.  

Very nice, Chris. Heartbreak Hotel, Silver Dragon, and ??. What is the third one?

Some from today and yesterday:    Silver Dragon in shade and sun
                                                Mr. Ace--first time I've seen petaloids on this cv
                                                Heavy Metal
                                                Rocket's Red Glare in shade and sun

Erny

A few more:          Valentine's Day
                          Herm Geller
                          Jazz
                          Gil Whitton
                          Haut Coutere opening colors
                          Sun Shower profusion

Hi Kristen!  I'm in the same situation as you (except for the vacation part... I've forgotten what those are - LOL!): It's been cool and wet here in SE Michigan for the past two days... My outdoor hibs have been "toughing it out", and seem to be doing very well.  I'll be more concerned if the wind gets too rough-- So that, and the temp dropping below what is forcast, is what I'll be watching for. I have all the hibs in smaller pots huddled together and close to the wall (where they're warmer and more protected, plus the roses are playing defense for them).  I'm just concerned that if I bring them in now, going from outside 50ºs to indoor near 80ºs, it will be more of a shock to them than what they've been getting used to outside for the past month.

Deb  ;)

Chris & Ernie - Your Silver Dragon blooms are just to die for... So beautiful!

My recent indoor bloomers...

Cindy's Heart
High Voltage
Simple Pleasures

Looks like the next blooms will be from the outdoor hibs (the colors should be pretty intense)

 :D

Hi Kristen,

You might think I am crazy but ours has been outside since mid april, I know they say if the temp gets lower than 50 bring them in. The temp here in Xenia, OH  has gotten down to 39 degrees and I still left them outside and they are fine. My experience is as long as it doesn't freeze and they are watered well they'll be fine.  All our hibs look fine and we have already had blooms on them and 13 different varieties have buds on them. Call me crazy but it works for us. By the way the 2 seedlings that we have been growing from seed for 5 years has buds on them. Below is a photo I thought you would like to see, it's not a hibiscus plant but a purse my wife made out of hibiscus fabric.


Patrick and Donna

Thank you everyone for the help.

 Charlie, my mother will be by every day to water them, so that is ok.  I was just saying that the guy staying here wont do the "inside / outside shuffle"  LOL. 

 Chris, that does help.  Your HBH is awesome! I love it!  BTW, remember the Haute Cature cutting?  Its still in the cloner alive and well, but not rooting!  I have been snapping small buds off regularly!  How long has it been?  Summer of 2010? 

 Deb, I think that your weather the last few days is what is here now!  You are a better weather girl then the weather channel. 

 Patrick, that does help.  Last night I brought in the few that are not as healthy as they should be.   I figure the rest will be just survival of the fittest. 
 
 Thanks everyone!