more plants from Teddy

Tomorrow? The day after?

Is it normal for the Hibiscus bud to take so long in opening up?

Mine didn't open until a couple of weeks ago. Is yours in full sun?

most of the day, it does get some shade, but not a whole lot.

I don't grow hardy hibiscus species, but with tropicals depending on conditions they can definitely be slow sometimes. For the tropicals, the more heat & sun they have the faster the buds tend to open, so a bit too much shade would slow them down, or if you've had cooler or cloudy/rainy weather lately that could also contribute.

well, the kind I have IS the hardy one, this one was given to me from a neighbor 2 yrs ago, this is the first year for buds. It has been in the 90's yesterday, today and tomorrow, I think it might be a good idea to water it this evening along with the Morning Glories. I will give it a good drink, does that sound like a good idea?

I just looked closely at one of my pictures and found out that the pods that are drooping down are seed pods being made, so I am going to have a lot of seeds. I dug up the NL like I told you and one of my friends said to dry it out and then plant it, so it is on the counter right now just about ready to go back into the ground. It has been hot lately in the 90's, so should I wait until it cools down to plant it? I have to find a sunny spot to grow, I may put it in the back yard and see if one of my neighbors has any potting soil to put in the hole with it. My friend also said when I dig the hole, put the bulb in it and then just put potting soil in the hole with no dirt and fill it up with the potting soil. So you just put the tip of the bulb barely below the soil line so it is just covered up enough. Is that the right way? This fellow has a lot of flowers so I figure he knows what he is talking about. Thanks for being patient with me, next year you will wonder how come I don't ask questions,, I will just post pics.;)

You need to do your internet searches better for planting instructions:
http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/plantinginfo-belladonnalilies.aspx

I think you will like this picture. I watered it real good last night, I think that helped. As I was taking this pic thid guy on a golf cart stopped and asked if I was taking a pic of a bug, I said no and showed him the bud, he said he would be sure to stop by when it bloomed! The other buds are doing better with the water too.

here are the other buds, it might just be wishful thinking, but I think they have gotten bigger with the watering!

closer....

boom!!!!! Here it is, a little droopy because of the rain and my Morning Glories look like a shredder went through them, but they will be ok. When it straightens up I will take another picture, but even droopy, it is beautiful, worth waiting for.

One of the world's greatest pollinators hard at work getting the pollen out of the Hibiscus.

I have about 25 Morning Glory blooms today, after yesterday I was wondering how many I would have after the storms, my poor MG looked like they had went through a shredder, the only ones that did not get tore up were the ones inside, this morning I went out and there are 19 on the outside and the rest on the inside. One was close enough to sniff and they have a slight fragrance. I smelled the Hibiscus yesterday and it don't have any scent, which is good because the bees won't be too aggressive with it, but as you can see by my other picture, they are attracted to it for some reason. I thought they were only attracted by smell, if so, why was this one playing around in the pollen? How do they know what flowers have pollen and which ones don't?

Here is some info for you Teddy. Color is one of the main attractors...bees can see in the ultraviolet range, which humans can not and many flowers have ultraviolet "markers" that attract the bees. Your bloom has that dark red center and that is attractive to bees.

http://www.articleinput.com/e/a/title/How-are-bees-attracted-to-flowers-and-which-ones-do-they-prefer/

thank you themoonhowl, that article was very interesting and informative.

You are very welcome Teddy...bees are strange and interesting creatures and we would be in DIRE straits without them.

Something interesting has happened to my MG, you know what color they are, well mother nature decided to throw a curve into the mix, here is what I found this morning when I went out to check, isn't that interesting? Not complaining now, just thought you might like to know.

Every now and then a stray color or recessive can slip into your seeds. I always think of them as bonuses.

thats a very good way of looking at it, thanks for the info. I read that cooler weather may have had something to do with it, my neighbor has the dark blue ones and I checked today and he had a pink one too. It really does not matter that much, it is pretty anyway.

Once and for all, is this a Hibiscus or Rose of Sharon? And I won't ask again,I PROMISE!!!!!!

It's both...Latin name is Hibiscus syriacus, but the common name (at least in the US) is Rose of Sharon.

thanks ecrane3, now I will have the unpleasent task of hearing my neighbor hound me about being right everytime I see him, because when it was about 3 inches high he told me it was a Rose of Sharon but I (in my infinite wisdom) kept insisting it was a separate flower called Hibiscus. So in other words, we are both right.

Yes, you were both right! Although I'd argue you're a little more right because personally I prefer Latin names--common names too often get applied to multiple different unrelated plants (in the UK for example rose of sharon refers to a Hypericum species which is completely unrelated), but there's only one type of plant with the Latin name Hibiscus syriacus.

Oh well, whatever it is called it is pretty. Something else interesting, it is 7:58pm and my Morning Glories have not closed up yet, in fact I just went out and took some more pictures of them. The temperature is 57 degrees,since they hadn't closed up, will the blooms still open up tomorrow? There are several buds ready to open, will they still bloom with the others on the vine?

I just wish my Heavenly Blue would come up, but as small as it is right now, don't think it will make it this year.

What are my MG doing? They look like they are trying to open up in the afternoon instead of morning. This is just one of several ones that have started to open? I am confused(I stay that way most of the time) especially when it comes to flowers. It almost looks like they are mixed up when they are supposed to open.

This link may give you better insight. Quick answer is light and temperature increase the flow of water to the plant/bloom.

http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/bio99/bio99177.htm

how much longer before I can start gathering seeds from these MG?

You have to wait until the pods turn brown and crispy. Just keep an eye on them.

ok thanks kwanjin,sounds like when you fry chicken, you want it brown and crispy;)

Mmm...chiiiiickeeeeen...

Do you think my MG are done? Or is it the rainy,cool weather that has slowed down their blooming? I just went out and there is not very many buds, and what buds there are are trying to open now. Is there a spacific month that they stop blooming for the winter? I looked on a page that said when the first frost was going to be and it said October, do you think if it warms up and stops raining that they will keep blooming? I have deadheaded what I could reach but I can't get to the ones up high so I thought I would just leave them there. It is a tangled mess up there, we have blooms that are dead and ones that are just opened a little and ones that are newly opened. I guess the cooler weather afffects them just like the hotter weather does, don't it?

Mine usually keep going until the frost kills them and then I still get more seeds.

Well,I have another bud starting to open on my Rose of Sharon bush, it has not openend very far but since I have had one I know how long they take. Hopefully it won't rain when it blooms and I can get a better picture of it. It is kind of hard to take a picture of a flower when it is drooping because of rain. My MG are still blooming although not as many as before and I still have a pink one, so I think kwanjin was right when they said a different kind of seed got in with the other ones. I imagine that happens a lot, my aunt has mainly purple ones and then they turn orchid. It is fascinating, the world of flowers.

My sedum is starting to bloom, here is a picture I took today, not much color, but a little bit. My neighbor's is blooming a lot more, but I have found that my flowers are a little behind him for blooming, my MG are putting on their show again, I deadheaded what I could reach and left the others on there, I have about 16 buds ready to bloom.

I planted the Naked Lady that I dug up to see if it was rotten and it wasn't so I put it out in the kitchen till it dried and planted it today in a space where there was ample sunlinght and watered quite well and marked it with a stick that I pounded into the ground and wrote on what it is. Do you think putting some potting soil on it will help keep moisture on the plant roots or will it do okay without it?

NOTE: FULL DAY SUN
Outdoor Beds
1. Find a location where the soil drains well enough that there is no standing water after a rain. Belladonna lilies will not thrive in waterlogged soils. Or amend the soil with the addition of organic material to raise the level 2-3 inches to improve the drainage. Peat moss, compost, ground bark or decomposed manure all work well and are widely available.
2. Site your bulbs where they will get FULL DAY SUN.
3. Dig holes and plant your bulbs with their tips just below the soil surface and 12" apart. The bulbs are rounded, with pointed tops - plant with the points facing upwards.
4. After planting, water your bulbs well, thoroughly soaking the area. Roots will form in the autumn. Flowers will develop in mid to late summer, with leaves customarily following shortly thereafter.
5. When in bloom feel free to cut flowers for dazzling scented bouquets. This will not hurt the plants.
6. After flowering has finished for the season, foliage will develop. The leaves will gather sunlight and provide nourishment for next year's show. Water as needed, taking care not to over water.
7. By late fall the leaves may yellow and die back. The foliage may be removed at this point. Your bulbs will rest for a few months before beginning the next growing cycle. In warmest areas the foliage may stay green until mid spring when it will yellow and die back. When leaves are absent and the bulbs are dormant, withhold water.
Pots, Tubs & Urns
1. Find a large container and fill it with a commercial potting mix that drains well. Belladonna lilies will not thrive in waterlogged soils. Plant in trios or add other bulbs, annuals or perennials around the belladonna lilies to fill out the pot and create a lush look.
2. Place your container where it will get FULL DAY SUN.
3. Dig holes and plant your bulbs with their tips just below the soil surface and 8" apart. The bulbs are rounded, with pointed tops - plant with the points facing upwards.
4. After planting, water your bulbs well, thoroughly soaking the area. Roots will form in the autumn. Flowers will develop in mid to late summer, with leaves customarily following shortly thereafter.
5. When in bloom feel free to cut flowers for dazzling scented bouquets. This will not hurt the plants.
6. After flowering has finished for the season, foliage will develop. The leaves will gather sunlight and provide nourishment for next year's show. Water as needed, taking care not to over water.
7. By late fall the leaves may yellow and die back. The foliage may be removed at this point. Your bulbs will rest for a few months before beginning the next growing cycle. In warmest areas the foliage may stay green until mid spring when it will yellow and die back. When leaves are absent and the bulbs are dormant, withhold water.

courtesy of Bulbs.com

thank you cathy, that helps a lot.

just got more than a half a bag of Miracle-Gro Potting soil! Maybe it will help.