My Hardy Hibiscus

[Rebecca]

Ann,

Decided to start a new thread to answer your questions about the HH.

That particular one gets to 9 inches and some have gotten bigger inspite of the Jap Beetles chewing on them. I have to get my images early, before they look more like swiss cheese. Y'all have no idea how much I dispise those beetles!

As for setting seeds, don't know as I heep the spent blooms snipped off so it will bloom longer. It is one of several that was rescued from WW and they came potted as multicolored plants; some with two different colors and some with three all in the same pot and I just planted them the way they were growing. There's also a dark red and a deep pink in this group, so no telling what the seedlings would turn out to be.

I ought to read up on their culture and see how difficult it would be to propagate them through division, and maybe even try to hybridize them.

I'm thinking that particular one will bloom pure white with the red eye when the temperatures cool down. I know I have one that was white when they were finally put into the ground about this time last year. It went in the front garden by my front porch. It had a bloom this morning that was a lovely pink! So I guess it's a combo as well.

I have a few decent images of all the colors that have bloomed so far, but that one was fully back-lit and really enhanced the way the pink covers only the one edge of each petal. I believe a copy of that image will eventually be put on the web site, once I fix the image edges - soften them up.

Glad you enjoied the image, it is one of my (many) favorites!


Rebecca

[Rebecca]

Here's an image of a nice pink I took today, on the beetles didn't get around to munching on!

Enjoy,

Rebecca

[Glen in BCz7]

Rebecca and all-I've been tempted to grow these (hibiscus moscheutos in my case) and went ahead and sowed quite a few.

The plants are now in their second summer, and I've yet to see a bloom. Some of them are budding up nicely now, but I'm hoping someone has some tips on these plants. This particular variety is called Galaxy hybrids, from Gilberg farms somewhere in the U.S.

Anything special in culture or fertilizing to prod them into flower? I do suspect that our cool climate here is mostly or all to blame, but I want to do everything I can other than moving to Indiana:D

Glen in BC

[Rebecca]

Glen,

Hey, don't knock it, you might like it in Indiana!

Weather certainly does have a big infulence over the bloom time of the Hardy Hibiscus, even mine were late coming into growth and starting to bloom. We had a much colder and more prolonged winter than usual and everything has been behind schedule!

The Hardy Hibiscus really do enjoy the heat and humidity, but so do their main insect pest (here anyway) the noxious Japanese Beetle. How I loathe those bugs! They start chewing on the buds almost as soon as they begin to show color and by the time some get to open they look more like swiss cheese! Every now and then I do get to photograph some that the bugs haven't gotten to yet.

Here's a few images I've been able to get in the past week or so. The first is one of my favorites, pix and bloom!

<center><a href="http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/Image.asp?s=cano&u=1766954&a=1365611&i=10979390"><img src=http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/exportImage.asp?s=cano&i=10979390&w=325&h=303></a>

<a href="http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/Image.asp?s=cano&u=1766954&a=1365611&i=11001387"><img src=http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/exportImage.asp?s=cano&i=11001387&w=324&h=327></a>

<a href="http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/Image.asp?s=cano&u=1766954&a=1365611&i=11001376"><img src=http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/exportImage.asp?s=cano&i=11001376&w=325&h=326></a></center>

Last, but not least, this gorgeous red!

<center><a href="http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/Image.asp?s=cano&u=1766954&a=1365611&i=11001502"><img src=http://hyperphoto.photoloft.com/view/exportImage.asp?s=cano&i=11001502&w=325&h=245></a></center>

Somewhere I'm supposed to have a white one with a red eye, but I haven't seen it bloom yet, of course the beetles are probably eating them all up before they get a chance to open. Hopefull the Hibiscus will continue to bloom after the bugs all die off - which I hope is soon!


Rebecca

[Rebecca]

Everyone,

I've attached an image of my large deep red hardy hibiscus that I took this morning before heading off to work. Haven't taken the time to do any special tricks with it or up-load to the photo host, so it may be a bit large for some of y'all. Hope y'all will enjoy it anyway!


Rebecca

[Rebecca]

Here's a long shot showing the "Hibiscus Wall"

[vicki]

Hi,
Very pretty, Rebecca! I see you found your white with the red eye.

[Sumrnsun]

I love your wall of hibiscus!

Would be interested in selling some seeds?

Jodie

[Rebecca]

Jodie,

I keep them dead-headed, so there aren't any seeds, sorry. :(

The main reason I dead head is to prevent the plants from wasting energy producing seeds that I have no need of. Now, if I had pruposely hand pollenated any blooms to create possible new hybrids, then I would have a few seed to share. All of my hybridizing energy is taken up with the daylilies, as well as any extra ground space I might uncover! Daylily seed harvest has reached the 1100 mark and there are still 48 pods ripening!

Rebecca

[Ann B.]

Jodie,

Try this link to Park Seed...

http://www.parkseed.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDisplay?storeId=10101&catalogId=10066&langId=-1&mainPage=prod2working&ItemId=0993&FromTextSearch=hibiscus

This is the Southern Belle variety, and they are hardy to zone 5 according to Park's Seed.

If the link doesn't work, let me know.

The seeds are priced at 10 for $2.95, but they are hard to come by... I don't know why since they do produce seeds if they become well established and you let them.

I'll keep my out out for other sources!

[sue salley]

My disco belle has a seed pod but I've never ben able to get seeds. Just has one big hard pod. Am I trying before it gets ripe enough? It has been blooming for a couple of months now.

[telecaster]

all the pics are great...any tips on using a digital cmera..mine is a cheapie but not bad..ps; I bought a "fantasia" the other day can't wait till it blooms...have some other seeds planted but no seedlings yet..also my Baltimore is doing well..it's really greaT to be back in the HIB thread again:0):)

[telecaster]

I know it's tropical but I like it anyway

[telecaster]

my red

[Rebecca]

Telecaster,

Digital Camera Hint #1 - back off a bit, just a coupole of inches from what I can tell by the two images you posted.

Hint # 2 - Avoid Flash and 2a - shot in the shade or very early in the morning when the light is softer. Colors are much richer and don't get that washed-out look.

Hint # 3, Use highest possible resolution for close ups, so when you crop the image of all the extraneous background clutter and you resize it, it will still be nice and sharp.

Hint # 4 - A width of 350 to 400 pixels is about right, although you can save a couple of different sizes to your hard drive, so you'll have smaller sizes for e-mailing to friends and for posting here!

A really good image editor is Irfanview; you can crop, resize, adjust color and several other tricks with it. It doesn't take up a lot of HD space and the utility is FREE!
IRFANVIEW (http://www.irfanview.com)

It won't do fancy edges or frames, but it will help you get the quality images you want, even from a cheepie camera!

I have a Samsung Digimax 200 and paid less than $150 for it, paid out some extra $$ for the card reader and extra photo cards and wonder why I didn't get one sooner!


There are several on-line sites you can visit that will give you pointers on how to take better images, you camera manufacturer probably has a web site as well, you ought to check it out!

Now then, here's a shot of my favorite Tropical Hib:

Rebecca

[Rebecca]

Look what was open today!

<center>http://volcano.photobucket.com/albums/1103/Hemmaholic/My%202003%20Daylily%20Seedlings/HOUSE%20PLANTS/SEMINOLE-HIBISCUS-3-WS.jpg </center>


Slow to get started this year, probably because I had to re-pot it this summer. Well worth the wait, though.

Rebecca


Also wanted to show this watercolor I made of it.