Hidden Valley Hibiscus Forum

The weather here is hot and humid. Just normal for Houston.

I been MIA lately because of new puppy and dog along with house hunting !!!

The inspector is coming today to look at the house. It has almost 1 acre :) I hope nothing major will be found.
Anyways here are some pics last month , april lol

Burnt Saffron
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v47/p875828035-5.jpg)

New Seedling Tahitian cherry blossom X moorea blue arina

(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v50/p603595319-5.jpg)

Creole Lady
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v42/p836679948-5.jpg)

Black Dragon
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v49/p680333007-5.jpg)

Fall leaves
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v52/p26111029-5.jpg)

Solar Eclipse
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s1/v49/p463001400-5.jpg)

Berried treasure
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v51/p266239452-5.jpg)

John like has been discussed before we have very similar weather, allot of the colourings on our cv's because of the conditions are also similar, but unlike me you don't seem to get a near 40% reduction in bloom size, if I could work out why I would be a very happy chappy haha.

Darren must be away on a trip so I'll try to fill in for him although I can't match his photos.
My first bloom on Ruby Tuesday that I got in a 6" pot 2 or 3 days ago. Also Me Oh My Oh and Eye of Kali which is rapidly moving up on my list of favorites.

And a few more from my "hedge". This is a 20' X 5' area that I planted with nine different cvs several years ago and just let them grow together to form a hedge with a variety of blooms throughout. Two of the blooms are Wheel of Fortune--shown here with opening colors that fade rapidly throughout the day-- and Prima Ballerina. Then 2 views of the hedge--one from each end.

Erny!!!  That hedge is so awesome!!!!!

Erny, your Sun Shower is looking awesome. I had to give up on Sun Shower for now. The blooms won't open when it gets hot. So I moved it to a shady location for the summer.


Voodoo Queen just never stops blooming.

David, I think the problem is the difficulty of keeping the plants watered in the heat. They dry out so fast in pots. The ones I have planted in the ground have little difficulty handling the heat. The ones in pots are much more of a struggle. Of course some varieties are more heat tolerant than others. My High Voltage blooms still are coming in around 8". But I have HV planted in the ground also.
 

So far these are varieties that tolerate heat the best for me.
Acapulco Gold
Cindy's Heart
High Voltage
Hot Pepper
Saffron Moon
Rainbow Sherbert
Voodoo Queen

John, I think our temps here (70s and low 80s) must be ideal for Sun Shower. The bush is about 6 1/2' tall and keeps putting out 8" blooms. That's a beautiful Voodoo Queen photo that you posted. In addition to Sun Shower here is Simple Pleasures profusion.
Erny

 Simple Plearures and Me Oh My Oh decided to show off today.

A few more: my first bloom on California Beauty, definitely living up to her name. Also Heartbreak Hotel with its first bloom since going into the ground and renaissance Blue.

Erny, the pink and white one could possibly be Fantasy Charm. But I'm terrible at guessing varieties.

Thanks John. I got the pink and white one at a local nursery where I get my grafted plumeria and other specialty plants. They only had a few hibiscus cvs at that time but they were nice ones (I got my Black Dreams there). I'll probably go back and hope they have some of the same ones this year so I can match the ID.
A few more worth sharing from my morning rounds: Double Date, Lady in Waiting, and a very pretty pastel pink epiphyllum (orchid cactus).

Erny, I'm glad you liked the California Beauty. I thought the 6 inch pots showed a perfect growth habit this year and wish I had more of them.

If your pink mystery plant is a low/slow grower with 5-6 inch flowers than it is most likely C'est Bon.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie. It is a low grower at a little under 2' and the blooms measure 5-6". I think you nailed it.

Erny

Afternoon garden rounds revealed a few more that were slow openers earlier in the day.
            
             Belle du Jour--finally starting to show its pink crinkly form
             Night Runner
             Topaz Glory
For cvs whose blooms sag and droop down (like Night Runner), I've started using those metal stakes with a small open circle at the top that are used to support orchids--works great.

Erny

John, the funny thing is that my Cindy's Heart is a great beautiful bush and I love it, but she doesn't tolerate the heat, and takes a LONG time for her to get accustomed to being outside in the sun.  If I have a day or two of overcast, when the sun pops out again, she gets wilty.

Kristin, it's possible that Cindy's Heart does not have a large enough root system for the top growth. Depending on the pot size now, you may want to bump it up another size so the roots can grow larger. It's a grafted plant, and the root stock Albo wants to grow very large roots. Top growth and root growth need to be kept in balance for best results which is one explanation for why hibiscus planted in the ground often do better and grow larger than the same variety in pots.

Charlie

Kristen,

I agree with Charlie that you probably need a bigger pot for CH.  I have found that my grafted plants do best in at least a 2 gallon pot size, unlike some of the own root CVs which in being slower growing perform well in smaller pot sizes.  You might also try decreasing the amount of nitrogen in your fertilizer mix,  This has controlled some of the more vigorous CV's growth for me and may allow you to use a smaller pot size.  As long as there is ample potassium these plants still bloom normally.

The 3 shown here are all in 2 gallon pots sunk in the ground. This is the 3rd summer I've had the two on the end. The one in the middle I got last summer. I'm going to dig up the rose bush up against the brick wall and put another CH there. That will really put CH to a heat test. The heat coming off that wall must be very high.

Kristen, I also think your CH simply hasn't acclimated to being in full sun.

Erny, your Sunshowers, wow!!  Very nice color in Burnt Saffron too, Kerry. 

Sunkissed Blonde and Illuminati today.

Hmmm... Very interesting.  I thought that being a little bit root bound helps them grow on top? Well, CH is in a 12" pot.  She doesn't dry out too fast so I dont think she is root bound yet.  I potted her up last summer.  Are you saying is that she needs to age a bit?  I think that she maybe has a harder time adjusting to the CT drastic highs & lows for temps.  For example I just brought her in after work tonight because its in the high 20's  But the day will get to 70's.

Jordan, really pretty SB!

Jordan, thanks for sharing Sunkissed Blonde. I haven't seen that one before. Illuminati is beautiful as always.

Erny

Kristen, a 12 inch pot should be big enough so the problem is most likely in conditioning the plant to the higher temperatures or the extreme changes.

Jordan, what a beautiful Sunkissed Blonde! Illuminati's not bad either.

Charlie

Thanks Charlie!

I have recently gotten a bunch of plants from HVH, and have my first bloom! Its Deep Waters, and its more yellow than orange but Im guessing its because of the temp/shipping/ something.  Still really pretty and have a bunch more buds getting ready to pop. The second is a double Cajun Blue from another supplier, nice flower but doesnt last long.

Jordan, beautiful Sunkissed Blonde.

Welcome to the forum JohnRiess.

Hot Pepper twins and High Voltage.

John, Hot Pepper seems to like that Hoouston weather.
Welcome to JohnRiess and thanks for sharing that nice photo of Deep Waters. What part of the country is your locale?
Bright sunny day here in southern California. Here are two pictures of Night Runner just opening. Then two of a third day NR on the other side--one in shade and one in sun. Then Pinot Noir in sun and shade.

Erny

A few more:    First bloom on Persian Rug; Silver Dragon twins on day 3--still looking good; Herm Geller in my front hedge that is in direct sun all day long; two more hedge shots with the second showing a profusion of Wheel of Fortune.

Incredible set of photo's Erny, just brilliant.

Hi everyone you pictures look great ! We just had a hail storm I didn't realize what hail can do to hibiscus  ??? It happened at 4 am I woke up and it sounded like someone was throwing pea gravel at my windows , a few hours later I went outside and most of my plants had holes in about 40% of the leaves . Not good but I guess they will grow out of it in time . A couple pictures for today black dreams & this other one is one of my favorite ones Brassy blond !!    

Thanks David. I should have some interesting plumerias to show you before too much longer as they are starting to flower prolifically. I have three that are grafted--one with 3 varieties and the others with 10 and 11 respectively.
Mike, I can see why Brassy Blonde is one of your favorites. What a great looking bloom.
JohnRiess, our Deep Waters plants are simpatico. I got mine a week ago from HVH and today it popped its first two blooms. Also Voodoo Magic profusion, Double Date, Sun Shower, and Lady in Waiting.

Erny

MIke, looks like I'll have to get back to work on making more Brassy Blonde plants.

Great hedge shots, Erny. They're sure popping flowers this year!

Charlie

Mike, Brassy Blonde is a beauty.

Charlie, you're right, those pictures of Brassy Blonde that Mike posted are going to generate a lot of interest. I'm certainly going to keep an eye out for it.
One of my favorite cvs is Living Legend. Few others flower with such consistently beautiful form, color and presentation. The first two pictures below are two different blooms--one from a part of the bush that is in full sun and the second from a part that is shaded much of the day.
Also a nice bright Saffron in sun and shade and, finally, Tahitian Taui in full sun and shaded.

Erny

Wow nice blooms everyone.

I finally have two seedling blooms to share.  Both are podmates from a cross with TPrince as a pod parent.  These were planted on October 23, 2011

The first is a nice lavender pastel with pink edge.  The bloom is fancy and very ruffled, about 6 inches. Nice upright bush with dark red bark and stems, presents flowers well.  I am not if this is a keeper yet, I am watching it.

The second was the showstopper for me.  Large dark blue/gray with white rays and pink eye.  The edge is brown, but it has a netted pattern which I haven't seen yet.  This is a keeper in my eyes as it has a large 7 inch flower with good form and excellent coloration.  The bush is upright and looks to be forming side branching on its own.  I will watch the next few blooms and wait for the wood to harden and try propagating it.    

Erny that is exciting news on the plumeria front.  I personally feel like hibiscus and plumeria go hand and hand together.  A lovely combination together especially when the plumeria provides that perfect dappled shade for the hibiscus.

I am busy collecting a bunch of beautiful plumeria cuttings from Kauai that I can't wait to root when back home.  Eight and counting but holy smokes where to put them.

Farmer D

Wow... Such beautiful blooms everyone!!!

Aloha FarmerD! So, you're in Kaua'i? I'm sooo jealous happy for you!!! While you're there... Is there any way that you could maybe possibly see about a Hibiscus waimeae plant or seeds for me (please, please, please?)... Hope you're having an awesome time!!!  ;D

Here are some blooms that flowered just after (or were forming during) that really chilly weekend we just had... All of the outdoor hibs shook off the cold like native Northerners (LOL!) and now have the colors to show for it.

Bienvenue
Fantasy Charm
Silver Memories

Deb  ;)

Darren, I know you must be loving Kauai. My wife and I love the Big Island but Kauai is a close second. We never thought we would go up in a helicopter but we succumbed to the temptation on Kauai and were glad we did. The "Grand Canyon" of Hawaii on Kauai is spectacular when viewed from the air.
I have a bunch of plumeria "cuttings" if you are interested. I put "cuttings" in quotes because these are almost all branches that broke off my plumerias that were in pots and blew over in the Santa Ana winds. I would find them on the ground and just stick them in a pot to root. I won't know which is which until they flower. You are welcome to come down and take any that you like.

Erny

Erny, what's the story with those multi-grafted plumeria? Is somebody doing that commercially? It's a fun idea and might work well with plumeria. With hibiscus, it can also be done but the growth habit of the different varieties can be an obstacle for success.

You are pretty close to one of the better garden centers in the USA, Roger's Gardens in Newport Beach - did you get the plumeria there?

Charlie

Chris, I like the dark gray color of your second seedling. When the garden editor of the LA Times saw a similar color on Fifth Dimension many years ago he was amazed, and called the color "gun metal gray" in the article he did on the "new" hibiscus that were just becoming known back then.

Charlie

Charlie, the grafted plumeria all come from Upland Nursery in Orange. They are, in my opinion, the finest commercial nursery in this part of southern California. They carry all kinds of plants but specialize in unusual and hard to find varieties. The owner has a special interest in plumeria and they offer the largest selection I have seen in a retail nursery. They do all their own grafting. And you do have to be careful in matching cvs with similar growth characteristics. They also carry a small number of hibiscus. I saw my first Black Dream there.

Erny

That is so awesome Erny!  I really love plumeria as well, they would have to be houseplants up here, just like hibiscus.  Sigh, I need to migrate south...

The second seedling still opened today as well, the pink has faded completely to a blue bloom.  It looks alot like tylene or cajun blue today, maybe with a fancier flower?  It has another bud ready to pop, so it will be interesting to see how the second one looks.  

Chris, your seedling bloom is stunning.

Thanks Mike,  Another seedling from the same cross bloomed today.  Interesting how all the seedlings from this pod decided to flower at the same time.  There are still two more to go :)

This one you can see the influence of misfire alot.  Its a greenish brown with orange edge and yellow rays.  This one is a mini about 5 inches, that may change though.  Lots of buds all all of these, so there will be more pictures.  So far its been interesting to see the variability between all these podmates.  Ruffly pastel, giant blue/grey and yellow and now a mini green and orange.  What do you think of this one?       

I also think they go well together, allthough I can never seem to get mine in the right place to offer much in the way of shade, being on a rooftop I don't have a choice, they are tied to a metal bar that I have surrounding  one side of the garden. I am lucky being tropical here that I can grow Andeniums, which I also think look great next to the Hibs, the 3 together give a real tropical look, I have 18 now and get some wonderful blooms, I care for them in the exact same way I do the Hibs which probably isn't right but I get great results.

Great blooms and new seedling photo's from everyone, I think the last month or so has been the best for years, wonderful to see.

Thanksgiving and Bridal Path today, small blooms at 5 inches due to the heat but lovely strong colours.

Fab pics all!  Congrats Chris your seedlings are yielding some very nice blooms - your hard work, patience and careful selections are paying off well.

Great comments from you all regarding plumeria and Erny thank you for the offer.  It would be awesome just to see your growing collection.  What is really special for me is that each cutting is from a particular location here in Kauai that will always retain a memory of that spot whenever I view my tree in the future.  Can't wait to one day post pics of them with the hibs all blooming in harmony.

Farmer D

My Acapulco Gold is finally blooming.

and a nice bright one it is, too!  Should be a good bloomer the rest of the summer.

Charlie

Awesome looking AG John!  How big is that one?


Farmer D

David, those are beautiful colors on Thanksgiving and Bridal Path.
John, very nice AG; I'm looking forward to my first bloom.
Also Cranberry Muffin, Black Dream, and Kinchen's Yellow.


Erny

And a few more:   Eye of Kali
                         Heavy Metal
                         Me Oh My Oh
                         Electric Orange

Erny, love your last ones.

Cosmic Gold, looking nice and its like a furnace in my garden today.

Quite pleased with the garden for June, I have managed to keep it all fairly green and it will all start getting easier now, I have pruned and then pruned again everywhere and hope to see some great results around Christmas.

Nice blooms everyone!  I am missing my garden, and constantly worrying about all the rain that has been happening at my house so far... Most of my cv's are protected under an eve, but my 40 seedlings (that were so babied all winter) are getting hit with all the elements!  No time to slowly introduce them to the outdoors before I left, so when I get home I will probably come home to some naked, mad seedlings :(

Chris, I like all three seedlings so far!  Even the mini!!!  Keep us posted~!
John, really nice AG!!
David, great Thanksgiving!!

Kristen, seedlings are the strongest type of hibiscus and hopefully will surprise you by looking great when you get back.

David, I think your garden still looks very handsome in what I suppose is your hottest time of year. Smart thinking to prune some now so that you can maximize blooms in the cooler season.

Charlie

David, your garden still looks beautiful.

Another AG today.

everyones blooms are so pretty....its been a while for me...just to busy lately,,here are some of my hibs from yesterday....lynette

a few more....

Beautiful blooms everyone!

David - I know it's hotter than hades there right now, but your garden looks like paradise (and your photos are amazing)

Ernie - Outstanding, as always!

John - Loving your Acapulco Gold (I'm sure it was worth the wait, yes?)

Lynette - Your blooms are just gorgeous... You have great taste in cultivars (i.e., All the ones I would pick to grow, if I could)  ;)

It's 90ºF and sunny here in SE Michigan at the moment, and all of the outdoor 'biscus seem to be acclimating very well to our schizophrenic weather  :P

This weeks bloomers...

Amber Suzanne
Arnottianus
Bienvenue
High Voltage
Hot Babe
Thanksgiving (First "one day out-of-the box" bloom)

Deb  :D

Thanks Deb, you are in for a right treat with Thanksgiving, its prolific and gives of some wonderful blooms, you John and Erny now have fantastic collections, very jealous haha.

Deb, Acapulco Gold was well worth the wait.

Here is what AG looked like at the end of the day.

I like the petaloid.

I also have petalloids on my AG, sorry John I forgot to say the other day, no way my AG would look like that at the end of the day, not unless there was no sun, haha hurry up winter.

 I have a Transcendent bloom today, first one after a big prune. I have a similar problem with this as I do Bright Horizon, very small blooms and I have to open by hand, but it's a lovely color, sort of lemony yellow pure white and perfect in form.
What's really excellent about both Bright Horizon and Transcendent and why I dont care about the problems is just how well the bush handles the strong sun, they are both very lush and very green and you would never believe either where growing on a roof top in Vietnam.

Wow great blooms, lots of them to show!

I had a decent bloom day today, Heartbreak Hotel and Silver Dragon showed excellent color and interesting patterns.

The first seedling I showed bloomed again.  It opens with a bright magenta edge and fades to the look you see here.  This is what it looks like until it closes.  It looks like alot of grandparent "Silver Memories" is showing up in this seedling.  The bush is very upright and covered in buds, but I am not sure if this bloom is unique enough to keep, thoughts?

Finally something I discovered today on "Torch Song" a sport!  A white bloom with pink eye and pink speckles.  Who would have thought?  It will be interesting to see if this is a stable mutation or not.  Kinda a cool looking bloom isn't it? 

That makes me feel better Charlie.  Hope so!
Great blooms everyone.
Charlie, do you know of any hibiscus gardens or nurseries in Germany or the Netherlands that I can visit while I'm here?
Chris, I think its a cool color, unless you have too many plants and one similar? But otherwise, It will be hard to get rid of a seedling you created, don't you think?  How many seedlings do you have?
Lynette, David is absolutely right.  You are gonna love Thanksgiving!  After taking back all my plants from wintering at my mom and dad's house, she came over and stole my Thanksgiving!  That says a lot since she said she be ok if she never saw another houseplant in her life, lol!

Jordan, the only hibiscus nursery I know of in Europe is Gommer in The Netherlands. I don't know whether it is open to the public or is solely an internet nursery. Gommer specializes in "fuscia and patio plants" according to the web site but shows a lot of exotic hibiscus photos for sale as well. They seem to me to be well known older varieties and varieties Gommer has hybridized himself. Here's a link to the web page http://www.kwekerijgommer.com/page.php?p=1&l=EN
Sales of hibiscus in Germany are very high compared to many countries, but most come from huge commercial nurseries that grow the old standard hibiscus varieties that have been in Europe for many years. I think you find them for sale in grocery stores and other high volume outlets in 5-6 inch pots mostly.

Please let us know what you see in your travels.

Charlie

Looks like petaloids will be the norm for AG for me.

David, it is really hot here now. Yesterday was 95 and today is forecast to be 97. And no rain in sight.

Great Blooms John!

The second seedling I showed bloomed again, I love the dark stormy colors of this one.  

The next is a seedling I grew from seed Kerry sent me last year planted 10.17.11 (I had a very bad seed setting year) This one is Antique Treasure x Heartbreak Hotel, mini flower at around 4 inches.  I am curious to see more blooms on it, as the bush has an interesting trait of sending lots of side branches that are budding.  This is with no pruning or supernova like products, so it may have potential for developing into a nice indoor potted plant.  What do you think of it?  

John, what great colors on your Acapulco Gold!  AG is one of my favorites.  Mine has bloomed with petaloids from time to time--  I think it is related to the extra potassium I give feed.

Chris, I LOVE that Antique Treasure x Heartbreak Hotel.  LOVE it!!  The flower is unique and pretty enough to make up for its size, in my opinion.

Chris, your seedlings are showing a lot of promise. I have a number of seedlings from Kerry's seeds that are mostly crosses with Antique Treasure. They germinated in January and the tallest are about 12" now.Most show considerable branching as you describe on yours. I don't know a thing about Antique treasure but wonder if this is a characteristic that it imparts to its progeny.

Erny

Chris, that potential sport of Torch Song is really different. Most sports that I have seen have just shown a simple color change with most else staying the same. However, this flower is completely different! Herbicide drift is the most common environmental cause of changes in flowers. You will be able to eliminate environmental factors if the same stem blooms the same way again. Interesting, whatever the cause.

Charlie

I agree Charlie, it is really unusual.  I am looking forward to seeing how the next few blooms from that branch look. 

Silver Dragon AND

The third seedling I showed bloomed again, this time with a bigger bloom with better color.  Its a really interesting green color with gold rays and orange edge.  It reminds me alot of Cinnamon girl in size and shape. 

Finally day two of the second seedling, looking good still

here are a few for today , I had my first bloom on cranberry zing today .

Chris, I'm really looking forward to seeing more blooms from those seedlings. It looks like you have some keepers there.

A few profusion shots: Simple Pleasures, Living Legend, Sun Shower, and Ross Estey.

Finally, a question for David. Do any of your adeniums produce different colored flowers on the same plant? I bought this one several months ago because it had nice dark red flowers and we rarely see that here because most of the ones available are Adenium Obesum. After a dormant winter the first bloom was the light reddish pink one on the left (like A. Obesum) and the second was the nice dark red like it was when I got it.

Thanks Erny,

I like this one alot, has weird colors. 

It looks like your adenium is grafted, so only the graft will bloom that cool red color.  I like it!

Mike, it took me a moment to remember what Cranberry Zing is - a Chariots of Fire offspring with Saffron as seed parent. That one appears to have great potential as a garden plant and I look forward to hearing how yours does in real life circumstances. I love seeing Ruby Tuesday glowing in the sunlight - thanks for showing.

Erny, I know nothing about adeniums but agree with Chris that the wood growing from the top of the plant appears much different than the pink flowered wood and is most likely a graft. Your choice will be to let both types grow or to cut off the pink flowered wood the way you would normally do with a hibiscus rootstock.

Charlie

With all the interest in "blue" flowered hibiscus these days, I thought some forum readers around the world might enjoy seeing another blue flowered plant - the Jacaranda tree. This native of central and south America makes an incredible display of blue flowers each spring and southern California has been widely planted with them. When not in bloom they have pretty, feathery leaves which are also attractive. Unfortunately, they need sub-tropical conditions and won't flourish in colder areas.

Below is a photo of several Jacarandas that line the road I drive to get to the HVH greenhouse. Some red bougainvillea flowers are poking out from a fence behind the trees.

Charlie

Grafted for sure Erny, nice red mind, prune that Ad and you will have a beaut next year, me I would use the pruned red bits and graft on again to the pink.

Thanks Charlie, love to see photo's like that, its amazing how diverse the USA is for plants countryside wildlife etc, as an offshoot of my hobby on this forum I will always look on Goggle Earth when a new place is mentioned, its there I discovered the fantastic trees that change color around Connecticut and the snow and water pictures around Seattle, people put up some lovely photo's, before my view of the USA was New York and some long road in the middle of nowhere seen in a heat haze.

Love seeing those Jacarandas Charlie, interestingly I have seen a few growing in Seattle.  They aren't as big and striking as those in Southern California, but with all the microclimates up here some seem to make it.  I have also seen passion fruit vines and banana trees growing right next to douglas firs.  Gotta appreciate the microclimates of the PNW.

A normal Torch Song today from another branch.  Striking bloom to say the least.  Now if I could only get it to set seed...

Hi Everyone WOW Ernest your garden is taking off.
All the blooms look great !


Here are some more Hibiscus pictures I took a few weeks ago ( some today  ) Excuse the thrip marks I have to spray them at BF house since I am not there controlling pests is hard.


Wakanisha
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s9/v14/p860134004-4.jpg)

Poor pic of some like it hot
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s3/v42/p766949082-4.jpg)

Solar Eclipse
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v52/p718295507-4.jpg)

Key Largo
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v51/p920591359-4.jpg)

Pinot noir
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v52/p743719342-4.jpg)

Fall leaves
(http://kerrysroxy.zenfolio.com/img/s2/v50/p538510541-4.jpg)

HI Charlie
Cranberry Zing is real strong , I use Kontos lightly every time I water & it's one of the plants that never gets mites . Some of them you have to double the dosage to keep the spider mites off of them but this one I don't have to, always stays nice and green . It's full of buds today I have 3 flowers on it ,ones 2 day old the other 2 opened today . It's also an upright grower here is a few pictures for today of it . There are holes in the leaves & some tares because I had a Hail Storm about 2 weeks ago and it messed up a lot of my plants .

 ;D
I had my first seedling bloom today , So when I got home from work I went straight to the back yard to see what it looked like WOW :o I like it . It has a real strong upright bush & the leaves look like flickering flame & it never gets spider mites either . The bush was so nice I was hopping it was going to have a nice flower .  The pod parent was either simple pleasure or beavinue  & the pollen parent was probably about 4 or 5 different flowers . sometimes I'll take the pollen off of everything thats blooming and put it on one plant .   

I have a lot of flowers today  :o

A few more .

My seedling measures 6 1/5 inches across & the bush is about 20" tall from the soil line . Will it get larger as the bush grows It's also loaded with buds , looks like it will be a heavy bloomer .   

Chris, David, and Charlie, you are right about the grafted Adenium. That was my first thought when I saw the different flowers but I was looking for the characteristic signs of union on the branches. Now after further examination it looks like the dark colored branch was grafted directly onto the thick caudex of the plant.
Two new first blooms today on Tahitian Princess and Bon Temps. I've planted over fifty new plants in my two newly cleared planting areas over the past few weeks and have lots of small buds forming as well as some larger ones. Unfortunately we are leaving for a three week trip and I will miss most of them.
Also today Lady in Waiting, and Voodoo Magic.

Erny

A few profusions: Double Date and Voodoo Magic.  Also Black Dream.
A very pretty Banksia as well.

I really enjoyed viewing all the amazing pics while on vacation.  So much to look at - just awesome!

Deb I looked around and asked about the hibiscus you mentioned.  I had not heard of it before but it is always great to learn something new.  Apparently most plant vendors on Kauai are not all that excited about selling hibiscus.  To them it seemed more about the pride of it being associated as originating from Hawaii.  Even the giant Kauai nursery only had just a dozen or so plants for sale like Stolen Kiss and a few other common ones.  The manager was a Mango tree man...I learned a lot about them let me assure you!

Mike your new seedling is very very pretty!  That is just a gorgeous bloom with fantastic form and a lovely magenta color - congratulations.  I like it very much.

Well just got back and after three weeks everything seems pretty good thankfully.  
Farmer D

and a vibrant Cindy's Heart too

Farmer D

Darren, welcome home. Sounds like you had a great time in Kauai. Isn't it nice to return to your own piece of Hawaii in Hollywood? Your photo of Unforgetable reminds me of how a fabulous bloom should be named after a great song--in this case a classic by the great Nat King Cole. You should come down to Hawaii in Orange County this summer when all the plumeria and hibiscus are in full bloom. We're leaving for a three week trip on Sunday but will be back after July 8th.

Erny

Mike, congrats on your first seedling bloom.

Erny, your Tahitian Princess looks awesome.

Darren, welcome back. Your Cindy's Heart is looking great.

Great blooms Darren and Erny!  I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't jealous of your ability to grow hibiscus in the ground.  Your bushes get so large and lush!!  They're just stunning!    I've actually been doing an experiment with the way I pot my plants lately that is inspired by you guys.  More on that later this year if/when I have results.

Things are really getting going in my yard now, despite my constant battle with thrips.  I suppose that will be a regular thing while I live here.

Tons of blooms! 

One of the cvs I hadn't given enough credit to is Winter Lights.  What a pretty flower!  I didn't really see it bloom last year (again, thrips), but the past week or so it has been blooming with multiple flowers per day.  I really do like the color on her blooms.  She also has a pretty good bush that is now full of buds.  Looks like I'll have more of her to share. 

More more more!

John, I love the colors on your Rainbow Sherbert and Voodoo Queen is beautiful as always.

Jordan, the photos of your blooms are terrific. I agree with you on Winter Lights. I have thought about getting it several times but never pulled the trigger. After seeing your picture and reading your description I went right to the store and ordered one.

Some blooms from today:  Cranberry Muffin
                                    Simple Pleasures--has to be one of the prettiest blooms I've had
                                    on this plant.
                                    Climax--first bloom on this one
                                    Hot Pepper
                                    Eye of Kali--the yellow color just keeps getting better on this one.


Erny

A few more:            C'est Bon
                            Black Dream
                            Me Oh My Oh
                            Living Legend

John your Rainbow Sherbet is so colorful!  How big have your AG blooms been so far?

Jordan your right about that Winter Nights - amazing in a lot of ways.  I'm surprised that those thrips don't eventually die off as spring turns into summer.  I spray a few times and it seems to do it mostly even though my plumeria tree is a breeding ground for them.  I still have some so I will probably do a round three and change up again what I spray.

Erny that T Taui is really striking, really a nice one!  I've been told the bush doesn't like much sun though so I planted mine in a really shady spot.  Is yours in a special spot?  When you get back let's plan a day for that Hawaiian tour...

Farmer D

Charlie you asked for some morning and afternoon shots of Tahitian Lavender Mist.  I had twins today and the morning was overcast with a warm afternoon and lots of sun so perfect conditions to compare and see how it fades.

Only problem is my camera just doesn't get the colors right on the bloom shots.  The colors are much more bright and pop then what you see when I shoot on regular mode.  I switch it to twilight mode and the lavender is not really that blue.  In reality it is a pretty lavender-grey with the hot pink rim.  First shot is in twilight mode, the next two in regular mode.

Anyways even after fading it is still a really nice bloom to me...and this plant is just getting going again after replanting it several weeks ago.

Farmer D

Darren, T Taui and all the others that prefer shade are planted along my driveway open to the east but completely blocked from the west by my neighbor's trees and bushes. They get a lot of morning sun but no mid-to-late afternoon sun. The ones in the back row are also behind a line of ten plumerias so they will get more shade as the plumerias leaf out and grow.
I'd say that T Taui gets about 6-8 hours of sun now and seems to be doing fine.

Darren, so far my AG blooms have been around 8". Today I had 3 blooms and none had petaloids.

John the colors on your AG are just amazing - very deep and intense.  8" is about as big as mine have ever been for it so far.  I hope yours just keeps on adding buds, this will be a good chance for some comparison notes between ours.

Tahitian Lavender Mist opened a third bloom today so now we can really see a clear example of day 1 vs day 2 looks for it (overcast again this morning).  Don't get scared off by the bush and lack of leaves as it was recently replanted and lost many of it's leaves.  This shot was taken in regular camera light mode so the bloom colors are more intense in person.

Farmer D

Very nice John and got me thinking, I looked back at my January AG blooms which where all 7 inches and above and none had petaloids, now that they are smaller 5 and 6 inch and they all do, maybe a coincidence but the size does seem to have an affect.

I have been surprised by the size of AG. Like David, most of my blooms are getting smaller due to the heat. David, I thought it might be the heat causing the petaloids. But I guess not since none of my blooms today had any.

The colors on San Diego Sun really surprised me. Bloomed with its peach color.

I've noticed that stronger doses of Booster (potassium nitrate) can bring out petaloids even in varieties that do not normally show any.

Charlie

Always fun to start off with a first time bloom - Venus Rising.

Also an interesting Valentines Day with one petal that is a different color but pretty.

Morning and sunset pics of Simple Pleasures...

Farmer D

some more...

Farmer D

and a few more....Summer Romance from yesterday

Farmer D

Just going back over this page there are so many wonderful photos. Jordan, I love seeing your rare Buttercup and Sunkissed Blonde blooming so cheerfully. The blue ones Winter Lights and Summer Shore are also favs. Unfortunately and despite a big increase in numbers available, Summer Shore sells out and then some every time it goes up on the store.

Erny, thanks for pointing out the Simple Pleasures photo. By clicking on the thumbnail I could see all the details of it that reveal excellent ruffles and tufts and super color. I also  agree with you about the nice color of Eye of Kali. It's one of the ones that Dupont released to enthusiasts that does not make it into large scale production because it does not root very well. I have several big stock plants but I prefer to just enjoy their blooms and don't rush to take cuttings since repeated attempts have shown it to be a below average rooter. We will have a few available from time to time though.

Darren, as you noted, 3 weekly sprays is the ticket to ridding a yard of thrips, at least for awhile. Thanks for showing the various colors of T Lavender Mist. My plants continue to grow and should provide wood by fall at which time I will find out if it roots - sure hope so! You sure got the full dark blue color on that Venus Rising - very pretty. And the flicker of the Flickering Flame is superb. That yellow patch on the Valentine's Day is called a color fault and is something that happens to individual blooms rather than to the plant as a whole. Beautiful Summer Romance, as well.

John D, that  San Diego Sun bloom is special in my opinion - a unique color on a very fancy and perfectly formed bloom. I see it with that color often in our greenhouse. Your Acapulco Gold flower is a stunner, reminding me of the first time I saw it bloom several years ago. From a distance I thought it was a much improved Georgia's Pearl and went running over to check it out.

Below are:

Too Hot To Handle - looking like Creme de Cacao on steroids
Summer Shore - opening on a cool overcast morning

Charlie

Got another first time bloom today, this one is a permanent potted one...Caribbean Beauty.  Very nice soft pink, gold and red.

Farmer D

some more....

Farmer D

I very like the Flickering Flame today Darren, a slightly different look, very nice.

Glad you liked this FF bloom David.  I have seen the blooms change to more open, larger and more deep colors along with the plant's growth character after replanting it with much better soil and drainage.

Here's a few more from yesterday for Flickering Flame.

Farmer D 

Well three days in a row for a first time bloom, though I think it did have it's first ever a few weeks ago while I was out of town for Night Fire.  Too bad there is a lot of thrip damage - I guess they made a comeback while I was gone.  Will start up the spraying regimen again this week.

Farmer D

And 3 we haven't seen a lot of before but hopefully will.

Blue Opal - very pretty ethereal bloom

White Hot - name describes it well

Fire and Ice - nice eye on this one

Charlie

Charlie you keep coming up with these beauties, very like White Hot, well done and thank you.

I have had a week of miserable overcast drizzle weather and I love it, well more to the point my Hibs do, no baking sun brings out the colours lovely.
Today I had Bright Horizon Saffron and Acapulco Gold amongst others.

Charlie, I love Too Hot To Handle.

Darren and David your blooms look gorgeous as always.

I had 3 blooms on Acapulco Gold today.

David your Bright Horizon blooms are such eye catchers!  Really a lot of fun to look at especially with multiple blooms.  Glad the weather is giving you and the hibs a break finally.  I give you a lot of credit hanging in there.

John I just love seeing your AG blooms!  Again great depth of color on yours.

Also another shot of TLM with day 2 & day 1 blooms together.

Farmer D

Living Legend, Flickering Flame and Daisy Mae are really impressive and such large blooms.   FF didn't have the size last season but now with the right conditions I see a lot of improvements

COF too many blooms on the top of the branch - amazing!

Farmer D

Cheeful heart

Very nice Cheerful Heart, I like seeing photo's when it shows part shaded like that. John you did that the other day with your AG, and judging by the colours on it I think it must get a fair bit of shade, what with AG being so good in the sun I have never thought to grow one in a more shady spot, I think I will take a cutting and try.

 ::)
here is a heavy metal for today , its around 90 deg. outside now .

That Cheerful heart is very nice - thank you for showing that beauty!

Mike those are amazing HMs.  The colors are dazzling.

Well for the 5th straight day another first time bloom for me.  I've been waiting for this one for a long long time.  Kind of appropriate for a 5th straight day of new blooms to have 5th Dimension finally make an appearance!

Also had 32 open blooms today on COF - nice!

Farmer D

A very pretty Tahitian Lavender Mist and The Path also...

Farmer D

Mike your Heavy Metals are amazing
  This is the first day bloom, and so far the blooms on this CV have been lasting 3 days, fading to a powder blue and white bloom on the 2nd and 3rd days.  :)

 

Darren, your Chariots of Fire is amazing.

Very nice blooms John.

A few from me today.

Torch song sport again.  Looks the same as the first bloom.  Really interesting speckling pattern on this one.  

Seedling 3, long lasting flower on this one 4 days has been average.  Interesting orange edge which fades on day two.  

here is a brassy blond , I got a new computer and the software is different so I'm trying to figure out how to do things again everything changed a little .

here is a few more high voltage , ruby t. & my seedling.

here is a few more, rodeo drive, rainbow sherbert key lime pie , erin rachel .

John, Chris and Mike those are all really nice blooms.  Mike that is interesting how you crossed so many different pollens with one bloom.  I never thought of that before.  Nice result for sure!

Well no first time blooms today but I really like day 2 of 5th Dimension.


Farmer D

Interesting to see how Hot Pepper is becoming more orange now after changing out the soil and replanting it recently.  I kind of miss that hot pink/orange but now it contrasts much better with it's neighbor Valentines Day which was the original intent.

Farmer D

Darren, I'm loving your dark colors on Flickering Flame. 

Mike, your Heavy Metal is gorgeous.  One of my favorites.  Mine died over the winter and I can't wait to replace it.  :(

And...  Tigerama!!!

Some photos from the last few days.

A couple more...

And finally a cv I'm curious about.  Charlie (or anyone else), have you grown Zoey?  A dear friend gave me this plant and I know next to nothing about this cv.  She's bloomed for me as a pretty little mini pink and white flower.  Yesterday she bloomed as white only.  I'm wondering if this is her hot weather look.

Jordan, this photo doesn't look much like other photos of Zoey I've seen. As you said, it's supposed to be a more or less even mix of bright pink and white with kind of frilly petal edges. I've not grown it so can't say if it changes like this in hot weather. I wouldn't expect it to, so maybe you are seeing a sport or a one time oddity.

Your Sunkissed Blonde is a real beauty!

Charlie

Great blooms everyone.

After getting the newsletter this morning I am lusting after Groovy Grape. Anyone have it yet?

Denise you should get Groovy Grape while its in stock!  I bet it is a nice one because both parents are great. 

I got caught up in the moment and ordered Star dust, geez that one is pretty :)

Jordan I agree with Charlie your Sunkissed Blonde is very nice.  I am loving your Illuminati - that colorful swirl is just gorgeous!!  And Black Jack has such a nice color contrast with that goldish yellow and grey spray.  Really sophisticated...

John I'm loving those deep colors on both RS and CH.  That Houston heat really brings it out and then some!

Farmer D

Farmer D

Mike, it's sure good to see that Rodeo Drive. I really like that one but have never been able to get the numbers up on it so very few exist.

Charlie

A couple from today.

Patrick I'm liking that orange edging on your Tigerama bloom.  That will be an interesting cross if it takes!

John that AG is just ridiculous on the color charts!  Wow talk about power colors...

Back to first time blooms and this one I've been very curious to see and I'm not disappointed at all except for the stupid thrip damage.  Otherwise a really amazing color combo and pattern display for Luck Be A Lady.  Very happy!

Miss Congeniality day 2 - I remember from last season this cv's blooms usually last three days, glad it's back to blooming again...

SLIH is finally getting into full summer colors - awesome!

Farmer D

I have to say I'm also very impressed with Venus Rising.  Both this and LBAL are 6" purchases from new years that I planted in ground early May.  They are growing very well and producing lots of buds without stop.

My best Splash bloom to date but my camera just doesn't want to show the nice magenta colors towards the eye.  I'll try again this afternoon when it is total shade.

Farmer D

Wow Darren,

Thank you for showing pics of Luck be a Lady and Venus Rising!  Wow Venus Rising is amazing, it reminds me so much of My Blue Heaven.  How long have the blooms been lasting for you?  The only thing I didn't like about My Blue Heaven was the short bloom duration, sometimes it would start closing before the end of the day :(

Here are some of my hibs enjoying a 73 degree day in San Jose

a few more

and still more

Hi Chris,

Good news with VR - the first bloom lasted over 2 days so let's see with these two how long they go.  I have it planted on the north side of my garage so it currently gets dappled sun at most and in a few months it will be in the shade for a long long stretch which will keep those blue blooms from fading.

Hey check out how pretty Luck Be A Lady looks after fading the first day.  It kinda reminds me of Baby Mia a little.  I love both the morning and end of day looks.

Finally got my camera to capture SLIH in all it's glory.  This one has a really nice maroon eye. 

Farmer D

My first Compassion bloom since spring.

Thanks Darren, it sounds like VR is a good one to try out.  I will look out for it in the store when it next gets restocked. 

My first Arabian Princess bloom, wow photos cannot do this one justice.  I didn't expect the colors to be so vibrant.  I sure hope it sets seed :) 

Nice photo of Arabian Princess, Chris. It does set seed and I'm hoping to see a lot of hybridizing done with it around the globe.

Love that Venus Rising, Darren! It is similar to My Blue Heaven but different parents that allow VR to last longer than MBH (1 day blooms comes from Nightfire).

Charlie

Here are a few greenhouse photos not shown before:

Double Cappuccino - so far a true mini (flower less than 5 inches across), sort of a surprise with giant Magic Moments as parent

James Bond twins - a real beauty that I hope to have more of next year

Wild Allure - bright and pretty 6 inch flower

Charlie

Those James Bond Twins are really cool!  Love the fact that they are really big too.  Thanks for sharing those shots Charlie!

Some late afternoon blooms from yesterday including Venus Rising Day 2.

Farmer D

Flickering Flame is a bud machine - impressive nonstop output this season.

Farmer D

So there talking about the re-emergence of El Nino in July meaning a cooler than normal summer again for the west coast like last year.  Sounds good as I like the idea of more even temps if that is the case for the hibs.

Could be a really hot July & Aug for the midwest & south though...I saw the forecast for the next few days for the nation's heartland - WOW!!  Over 100F with high humidity, which would mean it feels like 115F + that is tough stuff!

Farmer D

Palm Springs has been super dazzling with such a strong red now.  I just love this cv - the plant is really becoming a monster with lots of recent bud action after replanting it.

SLIH is blowing me away - so much personality in the blooms!

Farmer D

Some blooms from today.



Patrick

Two seedlings today, looking fine

Gorgeous blooms all!  Patrick, I especially love your Cinnamon Splendor!

Silver Memories and Cranberry Muffin from me today.

Patrick great blooms - is the first one T Princess?

Chris your seedlings are just awesome!  I'm sure you are very excited with those colors...the excitement level in a basement has never been higher!

Jordan I really like that Cranberry Muffin.  Some of the colors on it are surprising to see especially the pink - very nice!  How is the experiment coming along?  I think I know what you are trying to do and I am very interested to see if that works.

Today lots of colorful blooms!
Farmer D

AG with a happy ladybug checking out the colors...

Also first Crystal Pink since Oct/Nov...

Farmer D

Beautiful pictures from everyone! I check this site several times a day to see all the beauties.

First time bloom from Gabriel for me today. My problem with flower photography is I take about 100 pictures of them and have a hard time picking just one to share. So I narrowed it down to 4. :)

Hi Farmer D

Yes the first one is Tahitian Princess, Cinnamon splendor , Lexie (named after our daughter by a hybridizer in Puerto Rico) and Marrianne Charleton.



Patrick

Darren, so far so good.  It will take time for real results to show themselves (whether positive or negative).  It sounds like you may already know what I'm doing a little differently.  Nice LL by the way!!!

Kristen, welcome home!!!!  I love your Gabriel.  I don't think anyone would complain about you sharing so many photos.  :)

^^  Edit:  What happens when I drink wine before/while posting.  DENISE, I love your Gabriel!!!

I must say I don't mind having my photos mistaken for Kristen's!  :D

Some blooms from today, the chocolate one is a seedling we have been growing for 5 years and this is it's first bloom.

Patrick

My sympathies to any of you who are trapped in that terrible heat across the country...

Farmer D

RS really starting to show summer colors now too...

My 1st T Princess bloom of the season definitely doesn't have the beautiful colors that Patrick's has (just awesome Patrick!) but I really like this look.  Kind of a white washed appearance with very defined patterns.  Never seen it like this before...

Farmer D

“Hello, SoCal? This is SE Michigan calling… It seems that our summer weather was delivered to you (and your weather to us) by mistake... We were just wondering if you wouldn’t mind forwarding ours back to us (we’ll be happy to cover return shipping)?

Thanks Darren for thinking of all us "sizzlers" in the Midwest... Also, thank you very, very much for checking out H. waimeae for me while you were in Kauai.  ;)

So many amazing blooms everyone… It always makes my day checking out all of the awesome photos on the Forum!

It’s been pretty warm and toasty here in SE MI (we hit 101 today), and no rain in our part of the state for weeks (i.e, we’re parched).  I have over 80 plants outside baking basking in our borrowed SoCal summer weather, and so far they’re all doing great... No sunburn, no “heatstroke” casualties-- Whoohoo!  No outdoor exotic blooms yet, but LOTS of buds (!!!).  The steady bloomers have been “the ancestors”, the old garden-variety hibs, and the roses… Leave it to me to grow the thirstiest varieties of plants during the hottest, driest summer in SE Michigan.

Keeping all of the plants hydrated has become my second job (I keep a full 5-gallon watering jug at the door at all times), so not much time left when the day is done to post on the Forum (although I check-in as often as possible during the day).  So, here’s a mini-recap of the past few weeks...

Baby H. Schizopetalus (first bloom on a rooted 6” cutting)
Bienvenue
Thanksgiving
A full outdoor garden shot
Our weather forecast (ack!)  :P

Stay cool everyone!
Deb  8)

(P.S.  It's now 10:00PM EST and it's 94ºF outside!)

Everything is looking so pretty! Love this forum and all of your pictures, everyone!

I got a Bonnie Lass today. It took me until a few days ago to realize that all of my "older" plants are suffering from thrips! They look lush and healthy leaf-wise, but after about 4 big buds that were sooo close to blooming turned brown and fell off, I went to the website and determined that it is most likely thrips. So disappointing when the bud gets that close and then dies. :( I started Spinosad, so hopefully everything will be back on track soon! Anyway, this one Bonnie Lass managed to bloom, so here she is.

Tahitian Princess day 2, the color faded but still looks good.


Patrick

Denise, you are doing the right thing treating with spinosad. Loved your Gabriel photos, too!

Charlie

Third bloom on Antique Treasure x Heartbreak hotel

the form has improved and I like the colors on this one.  It looks like the bush will be prolific.  

 

Love your psychedelic seedling bloom Chris!

Lots of first time bloomers for me today...

Angel's Wings (1st bloom... a huge 9" one)  :D
Black Beauty
Carolina Breeze
Scarlet Beauty (1st bloom out of the box) Waited until 3:00PM to open (I think she's still on Cali time)  8)
Tahitian Taui (1st bloom)

Deb   ;)

 A few from today
Norm

Deb you're going to love Scarlet Beauty.  The blooms are always really big and bright with some fancy form.  Great bush too...

Norm that is a stunning Midsummer Night!  I love the that one a lot and the fun part for me has been the variability with the blooms.  Each one is unique!

Well someone left the camera next to the lawn where the sprinklers could get it...so back to the old iPhone for pics.  I apologize for the quality of some of them.

Well some great stuff the last several days:
First blooms for Climax (holy smokes!), Tahitian Queen (a very pleasant surprise) and Tahitian Pink Queen which is still stuck inside my wet camera so that one will have to wait which is too bad as it was really pretty too...

Loving Black Dream with the blackish eye zone like Flickering Flame - 2 standouts!!  VR is really an impressive bloomer with striking looks that vary.
Farmer D

great blooms everyone....here are a few from the last week.....and my first naked lady bloom.... :D..lynette

A really interesting and different Rudolph - this one is day 2 but it opened a brownish orange.  Reminds me of Old Spice.

Night Fire starting to really look good now...

Farmer D

and some more..

darren ...your valentines day twins are so pretty.....here are the rest of mine...

darren,,,I luv all your tahitians!!!!!

Lynnette great to see and hear from you.  Those are some lovely blooms!! How have you been lately - still busy as can be?

The Tahitians do have pretty blooms but man some of the plants are real stinkers with terrible form, branching and cannot tolerate much.  It makes such a difference when a hybridizer like Charlie takes the time before growing plants to define what the goals are which really creates superior results.

Here is an amazing shot of Chariots of Fire with 8 buds tightly packed around the top of a branch making a beautiful natural bouquet.  This cv is beyond belief as it had 34 open blooms on Friday.

Farmer D

ya really busy.....thanks darren for asking...that chariots of fire cluster is amazing.....