Pale Tropical Hibiscus

Pale Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cv.
(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)
Wordless Wednesday

Hardy Hibiscus 'Southern Belle'

Hardy Hibiscus

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Southern Belle'

(hi-BIS-kus) (mos-KEW-tos)

Synonyms: Rose Mallow, Swamp Mallow

A dramatic and tropical flair for borders and mass plantings Hardy Hibiscus is a perennial for the ages. A definite “What is that?” type of traffic stopper plant that blooms in the summer with little care. 'Southern Belle' is listed as growing up to 8 feet tall but in northern gardens it seems to get to 3-4 feet and is a little more compact than the species. Since it can grow in moist conditions it can do well at the ponds edge (not waterlogged) and bottom land.

Hardy Hibiscus

Hardy Hibiscus

Hibiscus moscheutos ‘Turn of the Century’

(hi-BIS-kus) (mos-KEW-tos)

Synonyms: Swamp Mallow, Rose Mallow

The hardy Hibiscus seems to be having a good season and are always a welcome sight this time of year. This one has a little extra coloring in the flowers and has been a stalwart in the garden for several years. I recommend these plants for gardeners that want a little tropical flair in their gardens. It almost always elicits a “what the heck is that?” type of statement from people.

As most readers here know I am a guitar player and the other day I decided to break out and restring two guitars that hadn’t seen the light of day for a couple of years. I bought them as a super package deal I the early 90’s from a dealer here in town that was going out of business. They were super cheap and have proved to be good instruments. Without getting too technical they have a different pickup type then the guitars I usually play (humbuckers vs. single coils). They are fun to play and are a knock off version of the venerable Gibson Les Paul model. As a matter of fact they were produced in the same factory in Korea as the lower priced Epiphone (owned by Gibson) Les Paul models. The orange one did see a lot of gigging time when I was playing with Johnny’s Last Chance and stood up to professional use. Both of these guitars have had the electronics upgraded. The sunburst one has a nice flame maple top and the finish seems to glow nicely under the right type of stage lighting. 

Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cv.

(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)

Unfortunately the name of this Hibiscus was not available. It sure was pretty and really good at brightening up a cloudy, rainy and nasty day. This one had been trained into a small tree and I wish it had landed in my cart but this upcoming week is the one for annuals. Our timing is a little off but there seems to be a good selection still available.

Please humor me as I post this picture of an old school bus I saw at the Santa Monica pier a while back. At first I thought it might be part of a movie shoot and then remembered that vehicles last a lot longer in Southern California and it was just on it’s route. Pretty cool when your bus stops at the beach.

Lutea Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Lutea'

(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)

There seems to be a little discrepancy with the naming of this plant. It’s funny that I am so used to be able to zero in on a plant’s identity from its binomial name that it confuses me when a plant doesn’t fit in. This picture was taken in the parking lot of a local nursery. Fresh off the truck from California and still blooming! The flower colors were really outstanding and very eye catching.

I tend to feel guilty about taking a day off from this blog but it sometimes necessary. It is part of life now and I always try and make time for it. Today I hope to go out and take some new flower pictures. I call it “feeding the blog”. The light around here hasn’t been great but hopefully today will be a little better. Bonus flower snapshot for Sunday. This picture could have been awesome if I took a little more time with the set up. Even after some Photoshop work it is still under exposed.

Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis cv.
(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)

This Hibiscus was a star in the container garden this year. The flowers were literally glowing and it bloomed all summer. This one and the other Hibiscus didn’t grow very big but they did put on a colorful show. You can see even in bad light this flower had a great color. It was under planted with some New Guinea Impatiens and they seemed to work together nicely. We didn’t bother bringing any of this year’s Hibiscus into the conservatory this fall. There is already a huge one from a couple of years ago and it has started to suffer some acclimatization problems already. It’s going to be a long winter for that plant but it usually hangs on and pushes out some new growth and buds once outside in the spring.

Is anyone else happy it is Friday? It is a holiday here in the US but we will be working anyway. At least the traffic will be lighter with no school and a lot of businesses off.

Candy Wind Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Candy Wind'
(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)

I am sure this flower isn’t going to look great when I roll into work on Monday morning. A late season container garden replacement in a 4 inch pot it wasn’t worth digging up and putting in the conservatory. There are a few much larger Hibiscus inside now and I have never been a fan of how well they do over the winter. They have a lot of insect problems and don’t really bloom that well. One advantage to brining them indoors is the fact that you have a big plant to start off with in the spring. The Hibiscus usually snap back soon after being put outside in May. I have found giving them a light fertilization program during the late stages of winter seems to agree with them.

This macro shot was captured using my compact camera, a Nikon P6000. It can focus really close and usually always gives good color rendition.

Our area is still under a Winter Storm Watch for tonight. The anticipation on these events are sometimes worse than the actual storm itself. It is still New England and anything can happen with the weather.

Copper King Hardy Hibiscus

Hardy Hibiscus
Hibiscus 'Copper King'
(hi-BIS-kus)

This plant has never appeared on this blog before and that surprises me. ‘Copper King’ is one of the biggest and best of the hardy Hibiscus. The finely cut dark foliage combines well with the huge (10 to 12 inches across) flowers. This plant seems entirely hardy in USDA Zone 6 as it has returned for several years now. Introduced by Fleming Brothers Nursery “Copper King’ is a result of nearly 50 years of their breeding between Hibiscus moscheutos and H. coccineus.

This plant isn’t too fussy about the site it grows on but does best in full sun with some regular moisture. Windy sites can be a bit of a problem for the flowers. I generally try to locate the hardy Hibiscus in a warm semi-protected microclimate to give them bit of an extra chance during the winter.

Daydream Coneflower

Coneflower
Echinacea purpurea 'Daydream'
(ek-in-AY-shee-a) (pur-PUR-ee-uh)


This Coneflower was introduced last year by Terranova Nurseries as part of their “Dream” series. The color is pretty amazing and is one of the darkest yellow cones I have seen. It has a semi compact habit, growing to a height of about 21 inches. It looks to me that this plant will be around for long time and it is always interesting to see if these new flowers can make it on the market. For gardeners will test its durability and life in the landscape not a laboratory or closely guarded field tests. One thing I have noticed that new and unusual flowers do not hold a big price premium like they used to. ‘Daydream’ was the same price as the other Coneflowers. Terra Nova is also the name of a great new TV series on Fox.


Since it is Sunday come join us at Today’s Flowers .

Sunday also means a bonus flower. This photo was taken without me realizing that the camera was still in Monochrome. It came out okay anyway. The huge flowers on ‘Summer Storm’ were an easy target. The bigger the flower the easier the macro shot becomes. This cultivar was introduced in 2008 and its color, foliage and temerity is sure to carry it on.



Hardy Hibiscus
Hibiscus moscheutos 'Summer Storm'
(hi-BIS-kus) (mos-KEW-tos)

Hardy Hibiscus

Hardy Hibiscus
Hibiscus moscheutos 'Luna Blush'
(hi-BIS-kus) (mos-KEW-tos)
Synonyms: Swamp Mallow, Rose Mallow

Wow the Hardy Hibiscus were amazing this year. They all returned from the winter and had a show stopping month of flowering. ‘Luna Blush’ was leading the charge and is still throwing out a couple of flowers. The foliage got a little ratty but that didn’t matter as all eyes were upon the beautiful floral display. The compact habit of this plant combined with the large flowers was hard to ignore.

Sunday of course mean it is time for Today’s Flowers. Take a peek at flowers from all over the world.

Sunday also means a bonus picture here. Another of the rainy day flowers. I must profess ignorance about the species and name of this plant. It has to be hardy since this was taken in a bit of a wild area of a parking lot. The vine was big and well entrenched among the native Cedar Trees. The yellow was pretty and the whole vine only had a few flowers on it. Normally they bloom much earlier in this area. It was pretty to look at and I was glad that I didn’t have the responsibility of removing it from the trees.

Yellow Honeysuckle

Lonicera

(luh-NIS-er-a)

Hibiscus and Parrots Tiffany WIndow

Hibiscus and Parrots
Louis Comfort Tiffany
Leaded Glass 1910-20
Metropolitan Museum of Art
New York, New York

Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis ‘Heidi’
(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)
Synonyms: Queen of the Tropics

This is another flower from Foster’s Botanical Gardens in Honolulu. Does it have a bit more swagger since it is a true tropical hibiscus? I am not sure but it was delicate and proper looking. This plant is a little famous as when I googled it there several pictures of it on the net.

Hibiscus are always nice to have in the garden but we have had trouble over wintering them in the conservatory. This year they look pretty good and hopefully will start to flower earlier in the summer for us.

Since it is Sunday and that means Todays Flowers here is a bonus picture. Today’s Flowers for flower pictures from around the world.

I am happy to announce our little company’s foray into urban gardening after getting a nice job in Manhattan. It will be a challenge that we will look forward to and there will probably be some reports here during the summer.

This is the view off the rooftop of the building where we will be planting 17 pots of flowers. That is the Brooklyn Bridge if you are unfamiliar with it. Now that the negotiations are done we start next week. It is still a little early to plant the annuals (both for the season and supply) so that will have to wait another 10 to 14 days.

African Tulip Tree

African Tulip Tree
Spathodea campanulata
(spath-OH-dee-uh)
Synonyms: Fountain Tree, Firebell

Here is the first shot from the 80-200mm 2.8, used lens I got over the holidays. It was fun to be able to shoot this picture, as the flowers were many feet above the ground. The lens seems really sharp and auto-focuses well, which are two things I look at when evaluating a lens. It is not perfect but I am glad it is in my bag now.

This tree was blooming in the garden at the Ernest Hemingway Home and Museum in Key West. It is a definite must see attraction while visiting the island. This is a beautiful tree that has a few problems with its cultivation like being weak wooded and invasive. Those are minor problems compared to the beauty it brings to the tropical landscape. The bright orange flowers and deep green foliage is a striking combination.

I have the 18-70mm Nikon lens that was repaired before we left home here also. The front element was replaced due to Karen putting a deep scratch in it. For $63 it was well worth it. This lens came with my D70s as the kit lens and it is one of the best that Nikon has offered as a kit lens. Here is a quick picture of a Tropical Hibiscus that was shot with it. It is a sharp lens that has even a bit of a macro effect to it. It was weird having both the 80-200 and 18-70 on the cameras at the same time. I hardly ever use zoom lenses and it was taking a bit of getting used to.

Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis
(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)

This is kind of an abstract macro of a beautiful Hibiscus flower I saw while walking down Duval Street yesterday. There are thousands of these plants on the island and they are in various stages of blooming. My favorite are the coral/peach colored ones but some of the reds are growing on me too (especially the ones with a white center). This was taken with the Nikon D70s and 60mm Nikon lens.

Yesterday was the first day I had the Nikon 80-200mm/2.8 lens out and it is really sharp and the autofocus seems to do okay. It is however a great beast of a lens that is a bit heavy and tends to draw attention, which I would rather not have when I am shooting. I will be posting some shots from this lens soon.

Yellow Hibiscus

Yellow Hibiscus
(hi-BIS-kus)

Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Silver Memories'
(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)

Today’s flower is another tropical. It had a very unusual color scheme and I was immediately attracted to it when I saw it a local nursery. If it had been earlier in the season it would have come home with me but its price couldn’t be justified in October although we have had pretty good success overwintering them in the glass house. This variety was being sold as ‘premium’ type of Hibiscus, which basically doubles the price. These photos were shot at a little strange angle to eliminate some undesirable background elements. The second photo reminds me of a vortex.


For more flower pictures from around the world check out:
Today’s Flowers . The links open at 1400 GMT.


Here is Today’s bonus flower. It is a miniature rose, which I think is ‘Black Jade’. About 15 years ago we planted several dozen mini roses at the estate. In hindsight they should have been grouped together but were instead planted here and there around the gardens. The deer demolished some but a good number have survived and this variety has been especially good. Since it is planted in an elevated garden with a tall stonewall in the back the animals can't get to it. It is usually covered with flowers during the year and often needs to be cut back because of all of the growth. I have learned to whack it in the early spring now to keep it under control.

Red-Leaf Hibiscus

Red-Leaf Hibiscus
Hibiscus acetosella
(hi-BIS-kus) (a-kee-TOE-sell-uh)
Synonyms: False Roselle, African Rose Mallow

You can imagine my surprise upon coming upon this plant while hiking the wilds of central Maui last winter. It was growing as a wildflower but is actually native to central and eastern Africa. So it was a long way from home but since it grows easily from seed it was probably an escapee from a garden. The leaves on this plant seem to be tasty to insects like most of the 200 other species of Hibiscus. That is too bad as the foliage is the most dramatic part of Red-Leaf Hibiscus, although the flowers are a nice shade of red.

Red-Leaf Hibiscus is a tall plant that is tender in northern zones. It can grow so fast that it will flop or spilt so it sometimes requires the extra work of staking, which is well worth the effect it can produce in the garden.

Double Rose of Sharon

Rose of Sharon
Hibiscus syriacus
(hi-BIS-kus) (seer-ee-AK-us)

The Rose of Sharon has bloomed their heads off again this year. It’s funny that when we installed the estate’s collection of Rose of Sharon this was my least favorite variety. Now 12 years later this one has really grown on me. The plant itself is not too attractive as it s growing tall and skinny. Several hard prunings have helped but out of flower it is not the greatest looking plant. I have begun to appreciate the amount of petals and the color of the flowers. Each one appears to be a little different and that adds to the overall beauty.

Is it too much to ask for a little rain to help the unirrigated areas look a little better? Even the gardens that have sprinklers are suffering a little bit now. It has to be the least lush looking summer I can remember. With plants and nature being what they are some of the plants seem to be enjoying the arid conditions.

Happy Chappy Groundcover Rose

Groundcover Rose
Rosa 'Happy Chappy'
Synonyms: INTERhappy, INTerpachy, TG2480
Parentage… Seedling × INTerdust

Although this rose is technically a groundcover rose the only two times I have seen it was in a small tree form and growing in a container. It was looking good both times even though it was well into the season. The range of colors was quite interesting and the shading on the blooms was intricate. Both owners of this rose reported good to excellent disease resistance and the foliage looked pretty clean to me. The only complaint was periods of non-blooming but I must have just caught the plants during a happy time. This rose was impressive to me even though I am not a big fan of tree roses.

Peter Ilsink of the Netherlands bred ‘Happy Chappy’ in 1999. It made its way to the United States via Jackson and Perkins in 2007. It has a slight fragrance and a pedal count of 5.

To see more flowers from all over the world at Today’s Flowers . The page opens for linking later today.

As usual here is a bonus flower for Sunday. This Tropical Hibiscus was blooming at the Central Park Zoo yesterday. I had both the D700 and the P6000 cameras. This one was actually taken in monochrome with the little P6000. Now that I getting the hang of the little camera I really like it. It is pretty dependable to take at least a usable photograph but quite often exceeds my expectations.


I hadn’t been to the CP Zoo in many, many years. Since it was my little nephew’s first time in Manhattan we thought that would be a good destination. He really enjoyed it and was happy to take his first train ride ever. Our 5-year-old grand daughter also accompanied us and a good time was had by all.

Tradewinds Breeze Tropical Hibiscus

Tropical Hibiscus
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Candy Wind'
(hi-BIS-kus) (RO-sa-sy-NEN-sis)
Synonyms: Queen of the Tropics

These two members of the Tradewinds Breeze series have been nice to have in the garden this year. ‘Candy Wind’ is just a classic shade of pink and the plants have stayed smaller but do have kind of a desire to be more vertical than some of the other types of Hibiscus. Considered a tender evergreen shrub Hibiscus rosa-sinensis originates from Southern China and is now considered extinct in the wild. Lucky that it has been planted around the world and is staple of tropical landscaping.


This yellow cultivar is ‘Sunny Wind’ and it also has great color. The composition of this photograph is not stellar but I wanted to include since it is part of the Tradewind series.