June Flower Photos of the Day

[blupit007]

Thanks  Charlie.  It has been a regular for every bloom thus far.  I actually just shot another of the latest bloom just now that is very unlike the others.  It looks like Creme de Cacao for some reason.  The parents are CDLC right? huh...

Kerry, I love that RB offspring!  Holy cow, what cool colors!!

So I just got home to work... and we had a wind storm... guess who fell down a story from the deck railing???  Yep, only my most prized, protected, and loved CV!  Cindy's Heart... she took it like a champ, pot smashed to oblivion.  Matt had picked her up and put her in a spare pot out of harms way.  Not a scratch on her!  So I had to re-pot her, the desert rose that is finally making a comeback... and others who tipped over were unharmed.  I think CH was better off falling on the outside to the bottom deck because if she fell on the deck itself (although it would have been a shorter fall) the bunnies JackJack & Betty would have had her for dinner.

[Darkhorse]

Wow, so many nice photos!

Kerry, holy you-know-what on the RB seedling.  What awesome colors!  Is this one of your hybrids?

And the Cindy's Heart photos are making me jealous; I have been trying to get my hands on this cv for a long time!  Sounds like not only is she good with heat and hot sun-- she can fly! 

[dayvedayve]

DayveDayve your Seminole Pride and NightRunner both have such deep color - beautiful.

Farmer D

  I think its the heat.  We hit 102 yesterday.  108 heat index.  The two blooms I had yesterday were small and I lost a few buds.   I watered the plants again in the evening and gave and extra misting to the leaves to maybe help with some of the heat stress.  They are shaded thru the day but even the shade is hot now.

[Nievesgirl]

David , Darren is right its heartbreak hotel.

Kristen , I bet Cindy's heart will be fine lol I will post pictures of what my dog did to a new addition I just got. She chewed it in half vertically. Its doing fine healing also and growing new branches .... 7 years of growth gone in just 60 seconds

[Charlie]

Great photos, everyone! Darren, you asked about Fifth Dimension and hybridizing. 5thD has been around for quite awhile now. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but as I recall it won Hibiscus of the Year in the '80s and is one of the few HOTY winners to actually still be around a couple of decades later. The reasons for this are the unique colors and the tendency to bloom a lot. Locked away in its genes are just about all the unusual hibiscus colors - the blues and grays and browns as well as the tendency to pass along a bright orange edge. Unfortunately, it is not a very robust bush. In ideal conditions it can live long and flourish but I've seen many bushes of it that were doing well in greenhouse conditions die the first year they were planted outdoors. I do know of one bush of it planted in Florida that lasted 10 years or longer and grew fairly large so the potential is there but it seems that is succumbs to other problems more often than not. In any case many of its direct offspring also have bush problems. Space Oddity is one that has a much stronger and better bush than its parent 5th Dimension, as well as superb colors. It tends to have a wild looking reflex to the petal that it did not get from 5th Dimension but it's still a sweet bloom. Below are photos of both varieties.

Charlie

[Darkhorse]

Some photos from today.  We're in the midst of some stormy weather here in northern California...  really late this year!

Black Dragon, a special 6-petaled Space Oddity, and Stormy Rainbow bloomed today.

[SvitLana]

June began and my Antique Lilac (?) start to bloom for another:

[Yashodhara]

Beautiful blooms everyone!  

SvitLana - Very pretty mystery bloom  

Kristen - My Pocahontas had small yellow polka dots on her pads the other day, too (wonder if it's a weather/temperature thing?)

First set of blooms - Pretty yellows on Friday: Cosmic Gold & Pocahontas

[Yashodhara]

Second set of blooms - neon brights for Saturday: Maui Masterpiece, Erin Rachel, Cosmic Gold & Albo Lacinatus

Deb  

[farmer d]

Jordan, SvitLana & Debi those are such pretty blooms.  Awesome all the way around.

Here is today's offerings...

Acapulco Gold








Chariots of Fire


Flickering Flame


Farmer D

[Louis]

WOW, its only the 4th and i am so behind in comments and photos.

blanket outstanding photos and plants everyone.

been so busy of late. my plants are still in the GH, i am afraid to put them out. too many deer this year.

my new plants from hvh are staring to bloom. today we have a very nice black dream, first bloom on confection perfection and a family photo of electric red and electric orange. both of them keep the blooms for at least 3 days with no loss of color.

louis

[Charlie]

Nice to hear what's happening with you, Lou. Confection Perfection, though a slow grower, should just keep on cranking out big pretty blooms all summer if our experience means anything in your conditions.

We get questions about deer from time to time, and never have a good answer. We don't have deer to deal with in southern CA but I know they can be pests in areas where they are protected. My father lived in a lakeside community in TX where they overran the place and nobody's garden was safe.

I've seen those sprinklers advertised that combine a motion detector. Something comes near and they start shooting out water that in theory is supposed to scare the critter away. No idea if they work.

Charlie

[blupit007]

Lou and Charlie, I just read an article on Dave's Garden the other day that says they put some chicken wire fence down around the garden.  Just lay it on the ground and tack it down.  They hate to walk on it.  It feels unstable on their feet.  Give it a try.

[Doll]

First Apricot Cookie bloom

[Yashodhara]

Saffron's first indoor bloom - An interesting golden orange color with a soft pink halo... And another fabulously fluffy Cosmic Gold with orange highlights.