Mid-Atlantic Gardening: September Blooms, 1 by Gitagal

Gitagal wrote:
My "mystery" seedling of some sort of a Hibiscus finally bloomed.....

It sure looks just like the Red, Tall Hibiscus i have had for years.....BUT (remember--there is always a "BUT")---the color is SO much more intense! Kind of like a purplish wine-red --very intense! When i saw the bud--it looked deep purple and I thought--WHOA!!! WHAT do I have here? And then it opened up--and it looked just like the red Hibiscus, except for the color.

Took pictures--and yesterday I dug it up, potted it up and took it to work and gave it to my manager....Donn.

Of course--all the leaves went "flop"--and the bloom just hung down all wilted. I do not think the leaves will recover--but no harm. It will root in and bloom nicely next year for him.
Also gave him a 1yr. old section (that already bloomed last year) of my double pink Peony to plant. He is always so happy! Sometimes he tells me I "make his day!"....
We/I love him so (as a manager)--BUT (yes...again) we also know he will be moved to another store, probably, by beginning of next year. I think a good part of the 130 employees our store has will go into a mass mourning when he goes. At lease ALL the women!
Our store is very low-volume, and the managers come here to get their feet wet running a difficult store because of these conditions. Then, in about 2 years, they get moved on. They have NO choice!
I have been at my HD for almost 12 yrs. Donn is my 8th Store Manager!!!! I am used to it--as are the other long-timers.
...THEN--we will get the next wannabe! Sometimes it almost hurts to lose a manager you love......:o( Then a new one comes along--and you work with it---deal with it--and, if we are lucky--also learn to love him.
I, personally, do NOT care for females in the managerial positions. Surely--a conflict of personalities.....

Because I love Donn so--he is my "chosen object" to spoil I grow him his Tomatoes and basil and bring him all kinds of plants. He is soooo, unexplainably, hooked on the 4 O'Clocks-"Broken Colors" I gave him this Spring---he can't even explain to me WHY! It is something magical and "Cosmic: to him....He wants to line his WHOLE driveway with them next Summer! ,,,,Last year--it was the Daturas! They have now taken a back seat--even though he has them and they are growing and he likes them a lot......Go figure!

I cut all my 4's back yesterday (starting my garden clean-up early) and will dig up all the roots and winter them over in my basement (He does not have one) and then give them to him next Spring. He was sooo happy when I told him that today. I will have plenty of new plants from all the seeds that have dropped to the bed over the Summer. I will keep, maybe?, two! He can have the rest.....
OK! Let me stop all the gushing........

Here is the bloom on this mystery seedling Hibiscus. It is a "mystery" to me--because this seedling was NOT there last year--and then it shot up out of nowhere to almost 3'! THEN--it made flower buds that sat unopened for almost 2 months. Honest! ! I was like--It CAN'T be the same Hibiscus, as the one I have is known to ONLY bloom after 3 years from seed! SO! What gives? That is when I thought it might be a R. of Sharon.

THEN--this thing bloomed a couple of days ago and presented itself to me! It looks just like my Red Hibiscus in bloom and leaf shape. NOT the color! W-O-W!!!!!

Donn is such a cutie and so "innocent" about life and women and all that "stuff". I know he brings out the "mothering instinct" in ME! I think he is about 45 or 46?

Here she be!