Space Oddity

[Darkhorse]

I just wanted to sing the praises of this cultivar.  I acquired it last year by accident (see "Mislabled Bloom" in this section) and had my doubts because I'm usually not a fan of highly changeable flowers.  BUT it won me over.

I've already posted that it has been one of the first cvs to bud up in its transition back into the great outdoors from living inside all winter.  Also, while most of my other cvs are still wilty from the shock of direct sun, Space Oddity isn't.  It wilted like the others at first, but now is just fine in direct, midday sun.

The final and perhaps most impressive way it has performed for me took place last year.  For those of you who don't know, to put it somewhat bluntly I screwed up a lot with my plants in the past.  Many of them died from various maladies (i.e. "tough love" doesn't work for hibs), and SO was almost one of them.  It lost almost all of its leaves and started to wilt, so I cut it back and began spraying it with Wake-Up Spray.  I have learned that 95% of the time when they get to this point there's no turning back.  Not for Space Oddity!  It survived and now is one of my best bushes (fortunately... because it's a Fifth Dimension kid and Fifth Dimension's bush SUCKS).  I still haven't seen more than 2 or 3 blooms from it but will have plenty to share this year.





All for now... time for more coffee.

[Charlie]

I'm glad you started this topic, Jordan. I felt sure we must have discussed Space Oddity before but could not find any earlier thread for it.

Like you, I  am not that fond of flowers that fade or change colors but there are exceptions. I grew Space Oddity for several seasons before deciding to offer it. The opening colors are dramatic, and the bush is strong and buds up well. The colors change in different ways depending on conditions like temperature but often are fairly nice, too.

That reminds me of another 5th Dimension offspring that Tom Miller hybridized about 10 years ago and named Virage. Somewhat similar to Space Oddity in color, and I was almost ready to declare it superior to and a replacement for 5th Dimension. However, it faded during the first day to the most drab of gray/brown colors and was close to the ugliest hibiscus I had seen up til then. 5th Dimension and Space Oddity do not do that, the change in color they go through is still attractive.

It's time to take some new photos of Space Oddity. I hope you will post some this summer and I'll try to remember to do so, too.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Space Oddity is a cool CV.  I ended up with two after cinnamon girl was a Space Oddity   Here are some pics from last summer. 

[helixturnhelix]

Faded bloom and shade bloom

[Charlie]

Very pretty pics, Chris. I did a few crosses with Space Oddity last year or the year before, anyway they are just starting to bloom. So far nothing as dramatic as SO although a couple have similar colors.

Charlie

[blupit007]

Here is my 2 cents...

  I love the flower on this one.  These are opening colors, very dramatic!  Blew me away!!  It is a cold December so far.

  The second day colors are a bit more mutes from first day.  However they are showing more peach tones on the outer rim then Chris's Yellow rim...

  Some of the photos I am attaching are shot with flash, some in direct sunlight with out flash, some with both.  I didn't see too much difference in the effect with any.  Sometimes the sunlit ones do it no justice, some times the flash shows incorrect coloring, but in this case, It was pretty true throughout.

[helixturnhelix]

Ah beautiful   Nice cool weather blooms!