Isn't it beautiful? My DH brought this home a few days ago. He got it from a friend who has one that's about 4 feet high.
I know nothing about them. Will they winter successfully in Vermont? (the friend's does) Anything special I need to do for it? I'm assuming it's perennial. I looked in the plant files and didn't find any the same color.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Genie
Here's a closer shot. Are those little green knobs buds? Or seed pods?
the knobs are buds... it's a swamp mallow
this one looks close in color...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/2093/
the seed pod will look close to this...
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/127346/
make sure it's cracked open before you collect them
Thank you, onewish.
Those pictures look very close to mine. I will watch for the seed pods.
I plan to put it on the southeast side of my house where there's sun (when we're not overcast) most of the time. It's so pretty. I hope it lives.
Thanks again.
Hi
They are very hardy and seem to live anywhere I plant them. The ones I have in good garden soil do best but I have them on dry slopes where the soil is dry and rocky and they do fine. They are about the last plants to come up in the spring here; I do not see mine until around Memorial Day. I have to mark them so I do not get them with the weed whacker.
It's certainly gorgeous!
My neighbor has one like that in the front of her house and she is the envy of the neighborhood. Lucky you! Hers has gotten to be quite a nice round bush about 3' by 3' and it's covered with those huge gorgeous blooms in late August into Sept. It wouldn't hurt to add a deep layer of mulch after the ground freezes to protect the roots from freeze/thaw on your young plant.
~ jan
Looks close to Luna Red too. As Donna said, they do come up very late, so be patient next spring.
I have them, and I garden as if in zone 3-4 because my property has only max 6 hours sun in most spots. Had them here at least 15 years. Plants from seed should bloom the same year. It'll do fine, i do fertilize here and there. Mine are "Southern Belle" from Parks seed Co.
They are simply gorgeous!
I see that Parks is having a $1 sale, too ... but not on these.
Hi Genie,
Hardy hibiscus is hardy in Zone 4-8, so you are right on the fringe. It should do fine for you. If you get a lot of snow that helps.
I would mulch it heavily the first year. Just to be sure.
Hardy hibiscus is one of the last plants to come up in the spring, so don't get concerned if you don't see it right away.
They are lovely, and easy to grow. Cut them right to the ground in fall or early summer. The worst problem is they are Japanese Beetle magnets. They also like quite a bit of water to get the huge flowers.
I just planted 5 of them in my Dad's yard 2 weeks ago - he's in upstate NY near Polly, I had ordered/shipped four 4" and was shocked to walk in to Home Depot and find 1 gal. plants in bud and bloom 1/2 price - $5.97! So of course I had to buy one - just to encourage the little ones!
One of his neighbors planted one last year and it is huge this summer!
Thanks for the "cutting back" reminder Polly.....I forgot to ask neighbor to cut Dad's big one back when he cuts his own....and check growth on the babies......
OK, what Home Depot, LOL That is cheap!
Home Depot on Rte 57 between Baldwinsville and Clay (off 481)......
Thanks, I'll go look Friday, when I go to work. Hopefully my boss will give me an extended lunch. Especially if I buy her one.
Polly - they had over 60 of them 2 weeks ago - 3 different colors!!!!
My daughter will definitely let me take a long lunch then, LOL. I had some Plum Crazy, and she just absconded with those when she came out Sunday.
They are so lovely, and so nice to see the flowers this time of year.
They are the best for Dad, he can see the blooms from 20 feet!!! The large one (from HD) has a new bloom every day!
Thanks for all the great information! Good to know that they are hardy up here. We'll get it in the ground right away. Maybe it will blossom some more. (the big blossom fell off this morning)
genie - you have lots of buds on that plant! I only lost one after transplanting, the rest starting opening the next day!!!!
I love my hibiscus.
Very nice, Deb. Luna Red?
I don't know - lost the tag.
That's beautiful! I hope mine looks like that eventually.
Now I have 'hibiscus fever'!
Where, oh where, will I plant one ... or two ... or three?
Heehee, one is enough, they get so big!! Although I broke off one stem in the spring a couple years ago, and stuck it in the ground, now I have 2, the second is only 3 ft wide x 5 1/2 ft tall so far!
genie - I'm sure yours will do just fine, but I agree that good garden compost spread around it and some good mulch this first year will help. I am posting my Luna Red that I thought I had lost because it took so long to come up this spring. As everyone else has said, you just have to be patient. Yours is very pretty!! The flowers on my Red and White Lunas are the size of a small dinner plate. Love them! And by the way, I pinched the seed pods and had a gorgeous new Luna White during the winter in Fla. I will pinch more seed pods this year too.
Good luck with yours!! Enjoy!
Louise
These are hybrids so you don't know what you'll get from the seeds - but that can be fun!
It was interesting that the Luna White seedling came true to the parent. I wasn't sure what I would get. Maybe because it is white, it was true???? I'll see what the Luna Red seeds give me this winter.
I think because Luna is a seed grown strain they would come true, unless they crossed with another Luna. You can purchase Luna seeds.
Didn't know it was seed grown - thanks Polly!
Polly - thanks for clarifying that for us! I plan to try seeds from both Red and White this time.
