small hibiscus cultivars

[zuzuclue]

I am looking for hibiscus with small bushes for a flower bed near the house. Although HVH has a category for mini flowers, I am assuming that the bushes of some of these cultivars are not small. I read Bluebird is a small bush. Does anyone know of other hibisucs varieties that stay small?

[helixturnhelix]

Hi Zuzu,

In my experience most cvs grow to at least 3 feet tall, but some take several years to achieve this size due to compact growth habits.  The CVs that I know of that stay compact include:

Fantasy Charm
Blonde Ambition
Dark Nebula
Black Dragon (stays low growing)
Magic Carpet Ride
White Magic (with judicious pruning)
Heart Break Hotel

Also remember that with heavy pruning some varieties that have the potential to grow tall will not reach those heights if you prune them pretty heavily each year.  You probably want to make sure you get varieties that bud up readily on relatively little new growth and grow in a compact manner.  I think that if you make this your requirement, you will find that alot more varieties will be available that would suit your needs.  Im sure Charlie can suggest many more varieties than I can.   

[Darkhorse]

Just adding to Chris's list...

Blue Ballerina and Heavy Metal

[Nievesgirl]

Blue Ballerina is small.

IMO dragon's heart looks like it will be small. i have both Cv's and the way they are growing is not like heartbreak hotel which is my biggest cv I have its 3'. Heart break hotel is the oldest cv I have also so the rest are still growing. Mine are in pots and this can stunt their growth. But out of all the Cv's i have I would say Blue ballerina and dragon's heart bushes are the smallest I have.  The third Cv i have that is small is ladybug but HVH does not offer it.

[helixturnhelix]

Hmmm I dunno about Dragons Heart,  it has been growing like crazy for me.  I got it as a four incher a month or so ago and it is already about 10 inches tall.  It was about 4 when I got it, so 6 inches in a month is pretty quick.  What I cant get over is how similar the bush is to its parent, HOMH, their growth habbit is very similar and Dragon heart seems to branch without doing anything to it. 

Blue ballerina is a good choice because it blooms as a small plant, but for me it grew pretty quickly also, so it will probably need a good prune once a year. 

[Charlie]

You all covered the "small bush" list pretty well. There will always be some difference in specimens of the same variety, due to growing conditions and occasionally to differences in the plant received, although that refers mostly to grafted plants. Of course the age of the plant makes a huge difference, and all hibiscus I know of will grow to at least 2 feet tall eventually.

The best way to have small bushes is to prune them that way, starting with varieties that bloom on shorter stems. All the ones suggested do that and would make good small bushes if pruned when needed. In fact, I think most of the HVH cultivars would work if pruned except for those described as vigorous, tall, sprawling, or large.

BTW, Zuzu, you are right in thinking that "mini" refers only to the flower and that some minis bloom on large bushes. Its also true that some of the largest flowers can bloom in smaller bushes, ex: Fantasy Charm.

Charlie

[roadrunner]

Hi Charlie,

What about Born to be Wild in the smaller bush category and are any more going to be available any time soon?  That one seems to sell out immediately whenever it has shown up in the store.

dave

[Charlie]

Born To Be Wild is one of my favorites in the graft only category. The flowers are mini but the bush grows fairly tall, most of my old ones are 4-5 feet tall. It is a good seed setter and I like the wild colors with white spots. I've agreed to send one to Hong Kong so will graft several and any that make it will be ready next year. Thanks for reminding me about it, here's a photo of one that I have shown before but not recently - the 2 bushes are covered with hybridizing tags.

Charlie

[roadrunner]

Thanks Charlie. I didn't realize that is was a grafted plant. I thought it was a smaller growing bush based on the description of it in the gallery, " It stays smaller, growing to about 3', and it blooms prolifically."  I love the wild colors with the white spots also. Is its growth habit similar to Erin Rachael by chance? I've had that one for five years. It's growing in a 10 inch pot and I've had no difficulty keeping it around three feet tall which is a good manageable size for my collection.

dave

[Nievesgirl]

I like born to be wild I have this on my waiting list also. I hope some well make it and be ready

[Charlie]

The difference between Erin Rachel and Born To Be Wild is that BTBW sends most of its stems straight upward while Erin Rachel makes plenty of more horizontal stems as it grows. I'll have to change that description, apparently written before we had BTBW long enough to see it grow to 5 feet!

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Hi charlie,

Is wild child, also a grafter?

[Charlie]

No, I am only growing it on its own roots. I have half a dozen big stock plants to take cuttings off of when the wood is ready which should be soon. IF they work we will have a good supply for next year. I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Great!  I really like the eye in the pictures you posted a few weeks back.  Who was the other parent?

[Charlie]

The tag said BTBW x Unk. Unfortunately, Unk is one of my more prolific parents although I am hoping to see less of Unk in the future!  Unk is, sad to say, Unknown.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

UNK is a very prolific bloomer where i am