Byron Metts

[Charlie]

A decade ago I got wood from Dale Dubin for his Byron Metts and promptly grafted several dozen plants. When they were just 12 inches tall many started blooming - giant pure white flowers of amazingly thick texture that totally obscured the small plants beneath the fine, big blossoms. Since then Byron Metts has won many, many show ribbons due to its large size and unique all white color.

I enjoy Byron Metts, but don't grow a whole lot of it anymore due to a couple of flaws that hibiscus collectors don't mind too much but that are drawbacks for using this variety in a garden, for instance. The bush tends to grow tall and willowy but if it is pinched and pruned enough it can grow into a fairly full round bush. However, the new growth will always tend to bend under the weight of the big flowers. The other problem is that the flower is attached to the bush with an extra long stem (peduncle) that allows the bloom to face downward sometimes. Not all flowers of Byron Metts hang downward, but the potential is there and it sometimes does. These flaws are not fatal ones, in my opinion, but if the plan is to plant Byron Metts in the garden you should be aware of the drawbacks. If you just love unusual hibiscus flowers Byron Metts is a must have for any big collection - the blooms rarely disappoint and are quite special!

[nina]

Perfect blooms, excellent for arrangements, big, nicely shaped, hard substance, impecably white.

Bad looking on plants, because when they are the biggest and the nicest, they are downward looking. Later in summer, when the plant is bit exhausted and starts producing smaller blooms, they are lateral and fairly visible.

Not a perfect cultivar, in my opinion, but it is a matter of what one wants from his plant and blooms.

[helixturnhelix]

I decided to try this one out, after reading this, I hope I made the right choice...

[Charlie]

So Chris, did you read these reports before or after buying Byron Metts? I hope before, because that is what they are for! Either way, I doubt if you will be disappointed. The blooms will be unique in your collection both for the color and the size and texture of the blooms.

BTW, the person Byron Metts acquired several 15 gallon pots of Byron Metts from me when he moved to San Diego from Hawaii. He has bought more since, and orders fertilizer so although I have not seen them after he planted them I suppose they must be doing well enough for him to continue with them after several years.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

I read this after lol. I'm gonna trust u on this one. I really like the pure white and there really isn't anything like it.  It also sounds like it buds up early which is a plus

[Nievesgirl]

Well there be any available soon ?

[Charlie]

Not from me, it was overlooked in propagation but I hope to remedy that soon and then 4 inch would be ready by mid-summer.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Awesome ! I am thinking of using it for hybridizing

[Charlie]

It is big and has excellent heavy texture to the petals. Most of the results I have seen from it show a sort of bleaching effect, the opposite of what Chris wants to do with the darkening effect from Black Dragon/Dragon's Breath. I think there is some good potential with Byron Metts still to come.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Hi Kerry,

Charlie mentioned that Strawberry Cream is another huge flower with similar texture to Byron Metts.  Crossing Byron Metts x Strawberry Cream could be a cool cross.  I would like to see Byron Metts lightening effect on Strawberry Cream without losing any size or texture.  A huge white flower with a pink blush (like sunkissed blonde) would be awesome.  Thinking about what could be is half the fun

[Charlie]

I'd like to see that cross, too. Another thing I would like is a variety that would reliably add extra large size to flowers. There aren't many or even any of those. Even huge flowers like Fantasy Charm cannot be counted on to produce extra large offspring. And, some of the biggest flowers have come from crossing medium size flowers, such as Giganormous which is often 10-11" across.

What do you think that says about the size trait, Chris?

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

I was hoping to cross byron metts with some browns to see if I can get some bigger browns with it.  I figured their would be a fading effect. Charlie I think you should cross BM with Moonstruck. Maybe the double genes in moonstruck will help keep the color in the offspring. 

[helixturnhelix]

Flower size seems to be a perplexing trait.   My guess it is a recessive trait that is located on two different Loci (two different genes) that both still effect bloom size.  What makes me think that this is the case, is when you cross two large flowers, you dont usually get large flowered offspring.  This is because although each of the large flower blooms are recessive in a gene that causes large flowers but are on different loci from one another.  The loci of the gene corresponding to the large bloom CV that you are crossing it with may be recessive in that bloom (allowing large flowers) but have dominant alleles at the loci at which the other CV is recessive.  Therefore when crossing the offspring are heterozygous (have one dominant and one recessive allele) and therefore have medium sized blooms.  A good way to test this is by crossing two large flowers that probably have the recessive allele at the same locus (Strawberry Creame and White Lightning) and see if you get larger blooms as offspring.  Or perform a backcross of those smaller offspring back to the parent.  It is most likely more complicated that this and involves many different types of gene regulation that induced by specific environmental cues, but I think that performing crosses like that would be a quick and dirty way to figure out this mystery:)

[LGrove]

Hello!
First off, let me say my new Hibiscus for this year arrived the other day and they're just beautiful...as always!

My Byron Metts is never white, it's always a creamy yellow. The pictures I see seem to be white, but is a "white" or a white? True white or a tinge of yellow? I really don't know what I could possibly be doing wrong, all my other plants bloom true to color. Just wondering about it since it's blooming today, thanks!
Lisa

[Charlie]

Hi Lisa,

I'm glad the new plants arrived looking good!

Best I can tell all white flowered hibiscus have the potential to show either pink or yellow tinges. These colors come out during cooler weather usually. Byron Metts is one that has some yellow in it but on hot summer days it is mostly all white. I'm not sure if fertilizer affects the color of whites, that would be interesting to experiment with.

I once took a Byron Metts bloom and another white, now forgotten, and scanned them using a standard computer scanner. Using good software, you can see what colors are there other than white. None of the whites I scanned that day were pure white.

See if there is a difference in July with Byron Metts and let us know if you get a chance.

Charlie

[LGrove]

I was wondering about this plant all last season, I got it at the beginning of last season, so I had it during the summer. I was figuring it was just because it was a younger plant and when it matured it would be white. When it opened this year, and the blooms were the same color I decided to ask about it. I took some pictures of my blooms. The first one is a fresh bloom, and the second is a day old bloom.
Lisa

[Charlie]

Lots of bud you have on that plant! Definitely a yellow cast to the blooms, but that would be expected with the cool nights we still have. I'm not sure what to make of your experience last summer. Maybe it never gets hot enough at night where you are to bring on the whiter white blooms. Or maybe it is something else in the potting mix, water, or fertilizer that brings out the yellow. I've had a Byron Metts indoors in a sunny window the last few months and the blooms on it have been quite white. The difference could be that the lowest temperature the plant has experienced during this time is mid-60's during the night. Cool nights do promote more carotenoid and anthocyanin production, particularly when the days are also hot due to being in a greenhouse.

I guess we watch and see what happens this summer.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

I had my first byron metts bloom today.  It is probably the heaviest hibiscus flower I have ever held.  Very thick and firm texture and perfect pure white blooms.  The bush is something to be desired though...  I think that it will get better with age, but mine is currently very wheepy

[Pachrian]

Wow, you can see in the pic of the bloom (love that backlighting, btw) how heavy it is. I can't blame the plant for not being able to keep up with it, it looks very young still.

[helixturnhelix]

Yeah Uli,

The bloom is really something, very different from the others I have.  This plant is almost a year old, but it had a bad setback when my puppy ate the whole top of the plant off.  It didn't do much of anything until this spring, as soon as I put it outside, it came back to life.  

Here is Charlie (the dog) with "Time for Magic"

and what he looks like today, they grow up so fast

[blupit007]

Chris, Is that an Australian Shepard, Border Collie or something of that sort??  Sooo cute.  I ask because my brother has an Aussie named Trigger.  Love him!

Is Byron Metts a good seed setter and does it provide good pollen?

[helixturnhelix]

LOL yeah he is a farm dog, he is 3/4 Aussie and 1/4 Cattle dog.  The smartest dog I have even seen and he really hates squirrels (think the movie Up!)

Thats a great pic, what an awesome dog!  Can't really go wrong with those herding breeds

[Charlie]

Kristen, at first glance I thought the dog had a Byron Metts in his mouth. Sometimes the blooms can be as big and stiff as a frisbee! Byron Metts does set seed and also makes good pollen. I don't know of any "great" varieties that have come from it yet, but the potential is surely there. The most common result is a lightening of color of whatever it is crossed with.

Charlie

[blupit007]

Hmmm...  I was thinking crossing that with something would give a nice whitening like something on Cindy's Heart.  No huh?  What are some of your best looking crosses with it. 

Oh, and I just tossed Trigger a Byron Metts just for you.  It is a nice tough bloom, makes a good frisbee!  Too bad