When we still had the co-op thread, I purchased many many tropical hibiscus and they were lovely. I am now looking to find a hardy hibiscus grower that sells babies for hopefully a reasonable price. Any knowledge shared would be greatly appreciated.
:)
Susan
Hardy Hibiscus Grower?
Susan, the cheapest way to go is to start them from seed (which can be purchased from any of the seed suppliers, like Parkseed). I started several from seed in the spring a couple of years ago and all of them bloomed great the first year.
Oh! Thanks Nat! Seed is certainly cheap :) I have the Disco Bell and I never saw the seed they produce, but I had to chop them down after bloom since they were being chewed down by varmits. They are show stoppers though. It is in the front and cars slow to see the blooms. I don't have a greenhouse yet and my garage can only hold so much... and I don't want to have to pull all my hibiscus in and out all the time :) I need hardy.
Thanks
Susan
I have some seed of these if you would like.
Disco Bell, white with a pink pinwheel.
They grow fast and you can probably even direct sow them in your zone and get blooms the first season. I start mine in flats at the same time I start my tomatoes. Very easy.
Andy P
I have grown the 'Galaxy' hybrid this year from seed, a newer one, from Chilterns. Hardy to -20C (-4F), they are supposed to flower 1st year from an early sowing. It was a cold spring so didn't sow too early, they are looking good in my cold greenhouse, not very big but ready to grow this year and put in the ground. They have dinner plate size flowers. We probably don't quite have the frost levels you have, but neither do we have the hot summers. A good winter mulch should see them through.
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/chilternseeds/pages/Default.asp
Ohmygosh Andy, I'm melting... Those are beauties!! Mine are the dark red colored ones and if you don't have them and I get some seed I would certainly send it to you. They bloomed before I owned a digital camera!! I am most grateful for your offer and do hope I can repay the gesture.
Wallaby, The link didn't turn up the flower, but I did a search and the one Andy pictured and the one I have... dark red turned up when I googled it. I'm sure it is lovely. These plants and flowers match my personality.. Big and loud!!!
Here are two photo albums of my garden this past year after the camera was purchased!! :)
http://tinyurl.com/anpre
http://tinyurl.com/dn8z5
Susan
Susan, the Chilterns catalogue seems to return to the homepage, but if you do a search in the 'genus' at the side for hibiscus it will bring up all on offer. They don't have a picture, but I found one on a French site. The colours range from pink, rose, red, with dark red centres. They germinate very easily, I got 12/15
http://www.jardiniere.net/hibiscus/hibiscus.php
I have copied the description
HIBISCUS HYBRID 'Galaxy' Mixed Malvaceae Hibiscus
Genus: HIBISCUS
Species: HYBRID
Variety: 'Galaxy' Mixed
Family Name: Malvaceae
Catalogue No.: 688T
English Name: Hibiscus
Description: The raiser of this splendid new Hibiscus variety says about it, with perhaps every justification, “few flowering plants can rival ‘Galaxy’.” Compared with the other well known varieties of large flowered Hibiscus, ‘Galaxy’ is winter hardy and mature plants have handled temperatures as low as -4°F (-20°C) – and that’s blue fingers cold! With strong stems, healthy foliage and vigorous upright growth, it bears enormous blooms up to 10 ins. across: saucer (or dinner plate)-shaped, these come in a lovely range of colours of pinks, roses and reds, some unmarked but many with contrasting deep red centres. Sown early, they will flower the first year from seed. Give them a sunny position and they will fully mature in a couple of years; small plants will appreciate some winter protection. 4 ft. Packet of 15 seeds.
Classification: Annual, Hardy, Half-Hardy, Perennial, FirstYearFlowering
Price: £4.20 per packet
I saw the pictures on the french site.. very nice :)
Susan
just trying a picture from www.jungleseeds.co.uk it doesn't often show the link but can be found
http://www.jungleseeds.co.uk/SeedOrders/contents/en-uk/image_viewer.html?lmd=38696.422222
that doesn't load, just click on the 1st link, then on 'seeds' and then on Hardy Exotics A-H
I have the Lady Baltimore strain and she is VERY beautiful also. I don't have any seed from last year left but you can bet I will have some this fall if you would like.
I live in Maine and she comes back year after year more beautiful than the year before.
Right now I have the Blue Silk Hibiscus which is supposed to be hardy in my kitchen because she came in too late to plant this fall. I'm growing it as a houseplant until I can put her outside. Not sure if it will bloom for me this year but you can bet that if it does I will be out there playig bumblebee.
Here is a picture of Lady Baltimore:
I think I made an error. What I have in my kitchen is Blue Satin and I guess it's a Rose of Sharon. I have the Bluebird Rose of Sharon also. Blue Satin is supposed to be even better. Here is a picture of my Blirbird:
Lady Baltimore is a beauty, i saw someone on ebay selling both that and Lord baltimore, but I held off because I have the Galaxy. Your Bluebird is lovely, it doesn't normally have the litlle extra frills though, i wonder if it is a mutation or something crossed? I haven't seen Blue Satin yet, oh hear I go again!
I know, my Bluebird wants to double so bad. It was only it's first year in the garden so I'm waiting to see what this year will be like. Most of her blooms were doubles. Here is a picture of my baby shrub (not the best shot):
I'm wondering if it is a different one, or an insect has had a great time! Maybe it does that sometimes? Some research required here.
I bought one some years ago from Parkers, and they often fox clever. They showed pics of the 3 colours most known, Woodbridge, Oiseau and Red Heart, but stated pink, blue and white. I bought a 'blue', this is what I got......Lavender lady looks similar but need to do an ID
Although it's not real blue, it is VERY pretty. Yours looks like mine in the center too. I bought my Bluebird at HD so who really knows? I'm hoping that what I have in my kitchen it Blue Satin. I received it in a trade. It's funny how different plants can look compared to what is pictured. I love blues in the garden but find most of them tend to be purple with a blue haze to them. I would love to get a Disco Belle at some point but I'm running out of space. I received a couple of hibiscus in trade last year. Not sure what I will do with them yet. Here is a picture of a HUGE dinnerplate one. Because I planted it so late it was still blooming in October! It had pretty flowers and lots of them. I love them but the rain ruins them *lol*.
I can't wait to get out to the gardens *GRRRR*
Kim
Lavender Lady is out, it says a single cartwheel, but I have seen one called that which looked like mine!
Nice dinner plate Kim, what zone are you in? the rain doesn't seem to bother the hibiscus syriacus too much, I hope my Galaxy likes it!
link to hibiscus descriptions
http://www.hotkey.net.au/~ganmor/howie/nomenlm.htm
Here's my Bluebird taken 1st September
I'm in zone 5. It is VERY cold here in Maine. I would LOVE to be somewhere warmer but the kids LOVE it here and I couldn't uproot them now if I wanted to *lol*. Maybe someday.....*lol*. right now I have to be happy for the few months of outside gardening I get to do and the many many houseplants I can care for in the winter.
I primarily grow daylilies but love hibiscus also. I'm hoping to do so much more with the gardens this year. Every year gets better. I had bad soil so start with but finally got up the courage to ask my neighbor for some horse manure so I wheeled it over a little at a time last year and so far the plants to seem to LOVE it. I hope this helps. I plan to do it again this year.
Here is a link to some of the plants that I have and at the bottom of the page there should be a link to my daylilies.
http://www.jakesplace.biz/kimskreations/TEMPLATES/KimsKountryTemplate.htm
Enjoy!
Kim
Wow Kim clever you! How did you set that up?
You look to have the same flower and colour tastes as I have. Took a look at your daylilies too, I spent last year (2005 yikes) getting some new ones, spent a fortune on 20 plants from the states. They still don't have a home to call their own! Got to work on that this year, hopefully will get some flowers, the only spike I had I broke off, and it was the most expensive one.
Roses are said to love horse manure, I use my leaf and grass compost, all plants like it and it keeps the ground weed free.
Janet
I like the Sedum 'Billiant Neon' very soft.
I have a couple standard Sedums and a new ground cover type called 'Rose Carpet' (I think), very pretty.
Nice display, thanks.
Andy p
My husband is a computer technician and taught me how to make a simple website. I use a program called Macromedia. I like it. It's pretty simple. I am working on my Houseplants website today so that I can add some of the pictures of my Christmas Cactus. I had some beautiful blooms from them this year. I don't care for much yellow or reds in my garden but do make the exception sometimes. I ran into a great deal of $3.00 per double fan of some of my daylilies and most of them I received in trades from everyone. I haven't really spent any real big $ on them. I LOVE to trade and get most of my plants that way. I meet some of the nicest people via Priority Mail and Dave's Garden! Gardener's are the best of friends in my opinion. Right now I have a 5 foot Brugmansia in my kitchen (it is on my houseplants website) and it seems happy although most of the larger leaves fell off *lol* but there are lots of new baby leaves.......boy......I'm WAY off the hibiscus thing now aren't I? *LOL*
Kim
Brilliant Neon is a tall variety like the Autumn Joy but the colors are much more vivid. I broke it last year digging it for a trade but I think it will be just fine and I probably will have more of it because I broke it. I only keep a little bit of each plant and trade the rest out that way I can grow many varieties. I LOVED cleome's this year! They bloomed forever! I don't think I put my cleome pictures on my website yet. So much work to do so little time.
Thank you so much for your compliments.
Kim
Kim, is that you next to that unicorn? Love the brug, I am growing some but trying the hardyish meteloides and versicolor, still like the large double, but if you saw MY kitchen.....plants everywhere, bananas, palms, hedychiums, orchids......spare bedroom too! The large plants will accommodate lots of small plants in their place.... won't they?????
Found a good pdf with info on many hibiscus names and what they look like
http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/trees/HIBSYRA.pdf
Kim, I see you have some Balloon Flowers. My best real BLUE is with the dwarf "Sentimental Blue". About 8 - 10 inches tall.
Here is a pic.
Andy P
That is simply beautiful! I have the double blue, pink, and white. My friend gave me some of the sentimental last year for helping her in the garden but it was too late for it to bloom as it had already bloomed. I can't wait to see it this year and hope it comes back. Very beautiful isn't it? I have some seeds for the Axminster which I hope to start by winter sowing at the end of this month. I'm going to keep some seeds to also try direct sowing in May. They are very pretty all speckled and all. I'm not very good at growing things from seed but I'm going to try winter sowing as I have a box FULL of rare seeds that I want to try.
Sincerely,
Kim
I found a link with lots of 'names' and descriptions, Marina, or Blue Satin is there, I'm going to check out Lady Stanley. It said 'dirty', me thinking no that's a clean colour, then the penny dropped, that upright bit in the middle!
http://www.pottedliners.com/hibiscus.htm
Not absolutely certain here, but I think my double is Ardens
http://www.agglo-plainecentrale94.fr/missions/competences/environnement/actu-prodarbori09.htm
Wow! That is beautiful! I have so many collections going, I can't start another one *lol*. So far I have daylilies, hoyas, Christmas Cactus and have started collecting Crown of Thorns. The madness just never stops *lol*
Kim
I had a Woodbridge but it died as a young plant, I do have some growing from seed I took off it though, they should flower soon. Also Red Heart, Hamabo, I managed to get a seed groing from some I took off a Diana at a garden centre, it is getting a good size.
Also have a Boule de Feu, a very double red/pink, it took years to get going but is now brilliant, have a pic
Oh my I did not know there was a blue Rose of sharon I have pink and white.
I have lots of hardy red hibiscus seeds if any one wants them just D mail me
Lavina
Lavina, it is hibiscus syriacus Oiseau Bleu, or Blue Bird, you will find it in the PF. Some are a very dark blue if grown in different soil, mine is acid. Hardy zone 5b to 9a, so now are you getting one? I should, irresistable!
The pictures here are all amazing :)
Wallaby.. the last two pics posted of flowers are amazing.
Andy, I had no idea flowers could be so Blue! WOW!
Kim, your site is great... But i now need to have a list of the plants you have on there... Of course I know that some are daylillies, but not even a clue what others are.. Like from memory the bottom right white flowers? What's that beauty?
Susan
Susan, if you right click on the pics, then on properties you will get a name.
Thanks, I have a good camera, but i spend a lot of time snapping, when the flowers just tell me they are looking good I grab it and go!
Yes Susan, if you right click on any of the pictures and look in the properties, I have named all my pictures. The last flower that you are referring to is called a Yucca. It's like a kind of cactus but grows just fine here in Maine zone 5. As a matter of fact, I threw a couple in my compost heap (she likes to have babies) and months later I saw that the ones in the compost heap were growing like weeds! I dug them out of the compost heap and sent them home with my mother in law because mine was in bloom and she fell in love with it. The make a nice edging but don't really belong in a flower bed. The best use of them is like a hosta, put them somewhere outside the flower bed. The Yucca likes the sun though. Very hardy little buggers. It shoots up a tall spike and is covered with little white wedding bell like flowers. If you would like one this year, remind me as I'm sure mine will have babies and it's one of those plants that I keep only one of.
Kim
Yes, of course!! I have only admired it from afar, but I have seen the blooms and they are great.... I agree, this wouldn't go in the flower border. :)
Susan
Susan, I have lots of a burgungy colored perennial hibiscus seed if you'd like some. I have a few seeds of a couple other varieties also.
Kathy
Kathy, Thanks so much. I have the Burgandy Disco Belle.. Is that the one you have seeds for? I'd love to grow your seeds! :)
Susan
Susan, I got this seed from a friend so not real sure, but I think it may be the Disco Belle variety also. I do have a a couple other varieties also. Dmail me your address and I'll send you a few.
Kathy