Allure vs. Magnifique

[Darkhorse]

Hi all,

  I had an Allure at one point but sadly I think I lost it.    I'd like to replace it, and see that Magnifique is in the store currently.  The flowers are quite similar with Magnifique being slightly larger it looks like.  Anyone grow both?  How do they compare?  Charlie would you recommend one over the other?

JL

[Charlie]

I would like to hear about people's experience with Magnifique. It is very popular in the online store and I'm wondering how the shipped plants are doing. Being a double flower usually, it is prone to bud drop in the heat the way most double flowered varieties are, at least in our greenhouse. The one we planted in our garden died during a winter that never had a freeze which makes me wonder about that. On the positive side the bush is well shaped and nice looking, and buds up really well. The flowers are upward facing or slightly to the side and are themselves well shaped and quite pretty.

Allure is one I would have dropped if so many people had not told me how much they liked it and posted photos around the internet of the blooms. The flowers are the deal with this variety, and the colors are a unique blend of pinks and purples. It does not have the bud dropping problem but it does have a bush problem. Someone like Dave in AZ who takes the time to train and stake could probably make a decent bush out of it but left to grow unchecked it grows too openly and the side stems can be more horizontal than vertical. It does bloom a lot though and we continue to offer it even if a bit reluctantly.

It's hard to get every good quality in one variety, but that makes the challenge of striving for that worthwhile.

Charlie

[Darkhorse]

Thanks, Charlie.  The only person I can remember having Magnifique is Bart.  I remember seeing it in some of his photos last summer.  I remember John P. has an Allure too.  I may just suck it up and order Magnifique to try it out when I order fertilizer and some other stuff I need (still waiting to hear from public works about the water situation... better call them today because they're closed tomorrow due to furloughs, ugh).  Anyway, I originally thought a saggy bush wouldn't bother me... that was before I had a Stormy Rainbow and a Purple Magic!  BTW the little mystery plant we talked about possibly being Allure or PM was indeed PM.  I have photos to post but I have been procrastinating about learning how to use iPhoto. 

Anyway sorry for the tangent, but if anyone else would like to share their experiences with one or both of these cultivars please do. 


(lol, spell check thinks Magnifique should be "magnifier")

[helixturnhelix]

I hear you Jordan,

Byron Mett's Weeping growth habbit is fine for pots, but I couldnt imagine using in the yard.  I think that when growing CVs close together you can use CVs with great bushes like Saffron to hide the poorer bushes of other CVs.  AND you can still enjoy those blooms

[roadrunner]

Charlie, thanks for the compliments on the staking and training I do.  I have my share of problem plants and outright flops but have posted very few photos of them.

I've never grown Allure but have been growing Magnifique for a little over two years.  I nearly lost it late winter when it got too cold while the soil in the pot was quite moist. Magnifique has been a very reluctant bloomer, two or three blooms total.  Last summer in the greenhouse the problem was bud drop but so far this year it hasn't set any buds.  It is growing surprisingly well though considering it lost all its leaves and had quite a bit of dieback from that cold night exposure in late February.  Below is a photo of Magnifique on the right and Cherry Appaloosa on the left. Unfortunately it is also another photo of my laundry room but the light is best in there this time of evening.  Both plants are growing in 8" pots.  I just trimmed the CA back today since it had quit setting buds and the spider mites had made a mess of the foliage near the top.  I'm trying to set aside the time and get the energy to spray the whole collection with the Bayer 3 in 1.  The stakes in CA pot were barely visible before prunning.  This is the best growth Magnifique has ever had for me so hopefully it will finally get some decent bloom when it cools down a bit later in the year.

dave

[Darkhorse]

Thanks Dave for the comments.  I do live in a hot area so I'm thinking that Magnifique would be dropping lots of buds for me.  This isn't to say that I wouldn't enjoy the flowers in the spring and fall, though.  I've almost made up my mind that I will get a Magnifique if Allure doesn't appear in the store in the next few days.  Patience not my biggest forte.......

[nina]

Very interesting, all your comments. It is fantastic how hibiscus behave differently in different conditions.

My Allure drops buds in the heat, but not to the degree that you cannot see a bloom in summer. Here and there there are blooms even in the biggest heat. Its blooms are mostly with rich petaloids. The bush is not of the best, but can be trained to be rather upright and nice.

Magnifique is extremely strong, thick branched, upright. It blooms wonderfully through summer. The bloom is so rich and so big that it is sometimes a bit downward, but very often upward or lateral.

In reality, those two blooms are very different.

Some recent photos:

[Charlie]

Great photos, Nina. I'm also glad to hear your success story for both of these attractive varieties.

Charlie

[Darkhorse]

Nina, your photos are amazing.  Thank you for comparing these 2 cvs for me.  I did just order a Magnifique.  Funny because when I first started collecting I was in the "I don't like doubles" club. 

[helixturnhelix]

Thats funny Jordan,

I like doubles, but I lost My Rosalind and Love Story, my only surviving double is Heaven's Scent.  I need to a take a picture of her, I thought I lost that plant and it grew back very nicely and it starting to bud up

I need to get a hold of Princess Ka'liulani, I really really like that one, I also really like butterfly kisses, and bedazzled.  I am going to need to ask for cuttings of bedazzled, Charlie does that one root well?

[nina]

Hi, Darkhorse,

I also prefer singles, but I adore Magnifique. I think that I prefer singles because they have more colors, but Magnifique has many colors on it, in spite of being a double. When you try to count the colors on Magnifique, it is impossible. So many nuances..

[Darkhorse]

Yes Chris PK is another double I wouldn't mind adding to my ever-growing collection.  At this point I'm still not really into full doubles, but cup and saucer and the more wild formed doubles I do like.  PK has a really interesting bloom.  Too bad she's unk x unk.  You need to hurry up and come up with a parentage test for hibiscus. 


Nina, your photo of Magnifique with the splashes is what did it for me.  I like multicolored blooms too, and tend to steer clear of solids all together.

[laural]

Hi! My name is Vedran! I am a big fan of hibiscus .....

[Charlie]

Hello, Vedran!

That sure is a healthy looking plant of Allure, with several beautiful blooms. Nice job! Where do you grow your hibiscus? Country, city?

Thanks,

Charlie

[laural]

Thank you for your comments! I live in the small town of Pozega, which is in Croatia! :)It will be my pleasure to fraternize with you ....

[Charlie]

Ah, Croatia. Than you probably know either Nina or Denis. Do you have a greenhouse, too?

Charlie

[laural]

Of course I know Denis and Nina. Through them I became acquainted with the tropical hibiscus.Currently have a greenhouse, but I will next year make a greenhouse polycarbonate.

[Charlie]

Excellent! Hibiscus thrive in greenhouses in winter. Nice to see you here in this forum.

Charlie