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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« on: November 07, 2011, 12:50:15 PM » |
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Being new to the forum I would first of all like to express my appreciation to all those who post pictures and horticultural advice. I have learned a lot in a short time about fertilizing, pruning, etc. The photos of the flowers are gorgeous and the hummingbird pictures are fantastic.
I have between 50 and 60 plants in the ground--some as old as 8 years but about 20 just planted in late summer this year. All are doing well as we seem to have ideal growing conditions here in southern California. My problem is that I've planted almost all the sunny spots in both front and back yards and now need to start using some shadier locations. Are there some cultivars that are known to thrive in relatively shady spots? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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davidwood
David In Nha Trang Vietnam
Posts: 1054
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« Reply #1 on: November 07, 2011, 03:02:50 PM » |
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Ernest it depends a lot on how shady and the temperature, being in So Cal you can get away with more shade than say Kristen who lives in Connecticut. There is a good read on it here http://www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com/care/sun.htm . Dragons Heart does very well for me in near total shade [another good one is Cranberry Muffin], in fact most others I have will bloom in shade but I find the overall health of the plant does not seem so good when they don't get enough sun, of course I have Tropical conditions with permanent high temperatures so maybe different. What you could do is put them in pots and then shift them around accordingly, bit like me but in reverse, that's what I do when I am trying to find which can take the most sun, you just do it to find which can take the most shade. |
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David.
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Charlie
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« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2011, 11:22:43 AM » |
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Ernest, welcome to the forum.
David gave some good advice about shade loving varieties. Outdoor light is plenty for all hibiscus to grow, even in the shade, so we are mostly concerned about flowers in the shade. Every situation is a little different so you have to use trial and error in your conditions to see what works best. One thing to consider is that the varieties in the blue and lavender range are usually not as colorfast as those in the orange and yellow range. They fade rapidly in direct sunlight so are good candidates for shadier conditions. Some of the reds have a problem with too much direct sun and those are also better in some shade.
Good luck and let us know what your experience is.
Charlie
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farmer d
Farmer D
Posts: 5573
Hollywood, CA
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« Reply #3 on: November 11, 2011, 06:43:55 PM » |
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Hi Ernest,
It is a unique pleasure to hear from someone else doing their plants in ground too and also in So Cal. I have about the same in ground too but nothing older than from last April 2010.
First off if you planted any 4" CVs in ground late summer be very careful. I'm not sure what part of So Cal you're in but man just a few miles here or there can make huge differences in climate and conditions for your plants. I lost quite a few 4" CVs I planted in ground late summer and early fall last year. You might have a lot more experience than me with 8 yr old plants so you can also just pass up this part.
I totally agree with Charlie on the blues and lavenders. My strategy from day 1 was to put those in shady spots. Here are a few I recommend...
1. Miss Congeniality - excellent bush, vigorous and lots of amazing blooms that last for 3 days in the shade.
2. Midsummer Night - med vigor bush with dark, big leaves that are a little more delicate. The blooms are just amazing with a lot of variation.
3. Sea of Tranquility - med vigor bush that likes to branch a lot. Fantastic blooms of yellow with that blueish grey combo. Amazing on day 2 & 3.
4. Deep Waters = Very attractive bush with decent vigor. Likes to bloom a lot too and big variety of looks on the blooms.
5. Ay Caramba - Very attractive bush with pretty strong vigor. Doesn't like strong sun too much so shade sounds right. Blooms abundantly and man they are real eye catchers too. Lots of variety with the blooms depending on weather.
Check out the threads under the cultivars board - I believe all of these have their own topic there.
Hope that helps.
Farmer D
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #4 on: November 11, 2011, 11:38:24 PM » |
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Many thanks to Charlie, David , and Farmer D for your advice. It was exactly what I needed and was looking for. To Farmer D, I am in North Tustin in Orange county about 40 miles south of you. Being about 10-12 miles from the ocean growing conditions are near perfect here. All the plants I put in the ground last summer were 2 gallon size and doing well. I'm keeping the 4" plants in 6-10" pots until at least next spring before putting them in the ground. I started out growing plumeria and other tropicals such as proteas and banksias. I got my first hibiscus from the Plumeria People in Texas. They are no longer in business but the beautiful hibiscus I got from them got me started and now I am no longer adding to my plumeria collection but rather replacing many of my less desirable tropicals with hibiscus from HVH. I just recently set up a drip system along the lines recommended by Charlie along with EZ-flow fertilizer system and the results have been immediately noticable. After several weeks of fertilization with half and half Special Blend and Booster the growth of the plants has been remarkable and there is an abundance of new buds. I will post some pictures as soon as I figure out how to do so (limited computer skills).
Open invitation to Charlie, Farmer D, or anyone one else in the southern California area: come by and visit and take cuttings from any of my plants you might like. I have a number of older varieties that are not always available such as Black Baron, Herm Geller, Lovely Lil, Romeo, and Special FX. I also root cuttings from many of my 40 or so varieties of plumeria as well.
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Charlie
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« Reply #5 on: November 12, 2011, 05:12:03 AM » |
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That's a generous offer, Ernest. Special FX is one I no longer have but would like to get back again. The flower is excellent and the bush nicely upright. I don't have Herm Geller any more either but it was the original big "brown" that was used a lot in earlier hybridizing. Special FX photo below.
Posting photos is easy after you do it once. When you are writing a message look just below and to the left of the blank screen you are writing on. You will see "Additional Options" - just click it and then click "Choose File". That opens a window that shows you the hard drive on your computer. Then highlight the photo file you want to post and hit enter or click the "Select" button at the bottom. That attaches the photo file to the message. Click the "Post" button and you're done.
Charlie
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2011, 07:08:50 AM » |
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Wow, yes please post pictures of your garden! Your area is indeed perfect for growing, I do miss the perfect OC weather  |
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farmer d
Farmer D
Posts: 5573
Hollywood, CA
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« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2011, 09:00:19 AM » |
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Ernest I would love to visit your garden. Let me know when a good time is for you. You have an open invitation to mine as well.
One more CV I highly recommend for shade is Tahitian Princess. Magnificent blooms on a robust and decently branching plant. Mine blooms a lot and has branched well on it's own. But those blooms are something special and do fade quickly in sunlight so shade is ideal.
Definitely check out the cultivar thread for pics. Also a lot of pics on web as this is probably the most popular Tahitian out there.
Farmer D
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Denise
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« Reply #8 on: November 12, 2011, 09:15:47 AM » |
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Hoping Ernest figures out the photo posting. Your garden sounds spectacular!
Special FX is beautiful!
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #9 on: November 12, 2011, 04:06:57 PM » |
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Charlie thanks for the tips on posting pictures. I'll try a couple here. Your are welcome to take any cuttings you like. I don't know if this is a good time or not for that. If you are in the area for any reason and have the time by all means come by and take whatever you need. Or if you tell me what to do I can take them and mail them to you or bring them to an Open House in the spring. Special FX is one of my favorite flowers--very vibrant and lasts 4-5 days. The bush is stout and upright but not as densely branched as many of my others. Herm Geller is an excellent bush and blooms profusely with 8-10" flowers. Farmer, I am semi-retired so almost anytime is good for me. If you want to arrange a time through email you can reach me at ernestncurtis@aol.com. Still unable to post pictures. I don't seem to be able to access the pictures where I reduced the file size. I'll have to try and figure it out when I have some more time. |
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2011, 09:44:45 PM » |
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Trying to post pictures of Living Legend.
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #11 on: November 12, 2011, 10:15:11 PM » |
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Hooray! It worked. Try some more just to see if I can remember what I did. Creole Lady, Voodoo Magic (hard to tell from photo but has 140+ buds), Sun Showers, Georgia's Pearl, and Black Dream.
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helixturnhelix
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« Reply #12 on: November 12, 2011, 10:38:12 PM » |
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Amazing!!! WOW that is an awesome Voodoo Magic! I really miss growing in CA now  |
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #13 on: November 12, 2011, 11:13:13 PM » |
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To Helix, yes even a complete idiot can look good growing plants in this part of southern California. When my wife and I moved here 8 years ago I planted several hibiscus that I had in pots in the ground and let nature take its course. When I had very few blooms after 4-5 years I contacted a grower from Florida from whom I had ordered some plants and he suggested fertilizing with Miracle Grow general fertilizer and their Super Bloom. It is somewhat embarassing to admit that prior to that time these plants had received zero fertilizer. Naturally they began to take off once I started giving them some nutrients. Shortly thereafter I discovered HVH and once I started using their Special Blend , Booster, and Supernova my palnts have really taken off. I'm now thoroughly hooked and looking to remove unsatisfactory tropical plants in order to make room for more hibiscus.
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Charlie
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« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2011, 05:16:28 AM » |
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Very nice, Ernest! I particularly like seeing a good bush of Living Legend again. The one I had in my Fallbrook garden was one of my top 3 favorites. It was too big to move to Hemet so it is still there. Your Voodoo Magic is probably the largest one of those I have seen, too.
Charlie
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #15 on: November 13, 2011, 01:23:10 PM » |
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Thanks Charlie. The Living Legend bush has about doubled in size since I started the drip system and began using 1/2 lb Special Blend and 1/2 lb Booster in the EZ Flo injector about two months ago. Very few cvs present the blooms as beautifully as LL. The Voodoo Magic is in a planter by our pool that is apparently an ideal growing spot. It shares the planter with a rose bush and my favorite plumeria and all do extremely well in this particular spot. Below is dwarf plumeria Petite Pink. It never drops its leaves and blooms year round.
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blupit007
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« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2011, 06:26:56 AM » |
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Wow Ernest! Glad you figured out how to post photos! What a treat!
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-Kristen
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #17 on: November 14, 2011, 09:03:56 AM » |
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Thanks Kristen. I get so much enjoyment out of viewing the photos and reading the comments of all of you who post regularly that I feel I need to give something back. My wife thinks I'm going overboard but what does she know.
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farmer d
Farmer D
Posts: 5573
Hollywood, CA
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« Reply #18 on: November 14, 2011, 03:02:09 PM » |
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Thanks Kristen. I get so much enjoyment out of viewing the photos and reading the comments of all of you who post regularly that I feel I need to give something back. My wife thinks I'm going overboard but what does she know.
I think we're in the same boat Ernest. In fact my wife says I have OCHD....she's probably right. Farmer D |
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #19 on: November 14, 2011, 05:59:25 PM » |
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Always nice to find a kindred spirit to confirm what you're doing isn't completely nuts. Let me guess, OCHD=Obsessive Compulsive Hibiscus Disorder.
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blupit007
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« Reply #20 on: November 14, 2011, 09:28:02 PM » |
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haha! I just keep getting more, but say Im done! WHY?! Ernest, I take some time every morning and photograph each bloom that is open. Whether or not I get them on the computer is another thing, but it is so therapeutic for me. I go into a zone.
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-Kristen
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #21 on: November 14, 2011, 09:42:09 PM » |
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Kristen I couldn't agree more. I try to inspect my plants 2 or 3 times daily. Great therapy!
Erny
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davidwood
David In Nha Trang Vietnam
Posts: 1054
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« Reply #22 on: November 15, 2011, 03:01:21 AM » |
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Kristen I couldn't agree more. I try to inspect my plants 2 or 3 times daily. Great therapy!
Erny
Erny would it be ok if I ask Cindy for your email, I have 5 Plumeria now but my knowledge on growing them is pretty limited, I would love to pick your brains with your experience.I actually think one of mine you also have. And for sure you aren't going overboard with your pictures, they are great and a joy to see, and as for the pool, well, I imagined dipping my toes in yesterday morning, wonderful haha. |
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David.
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Ernest
Posts: 1704
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« Reply #23 on: November 15, 2011, 12:36:44 PM » |
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David I would love to discuss plumeria with you. My email is ernestncurtis@aol.com. There's not too much to growing them. They tolerate almost anything but a freeze but will often come back from the seemingly dead. I lost the most beautiful red I had in the ground about two years ago during a cold snap. It died back to the trunk and I just snapped off the dead part and left what appeared to be a 3" hollow stump. I assumed it was dead down to the roots but after a year or so it showed some new branches coming off the side of the stump. I now have 5 branches on a 2' tall plant. I'll take a picture and put it on another post. The only absolute requirement is a lot of light. They will grow in reduced light but usually won't flower |
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