From a Hardy Hibiscus fan

Fantasia is one of my favorites. Only grows about 3 feet tall. first year of growth and the stems are having trouble holding those heavy blooms up.

that's a beautiful bloom looks huge, do you know how big it is?

It is not as big as the dinner plate hibiscus but about 7-8" across. The photo doesn't do it justice. The color is stunning and the ruffle/second layer is more pronounced than photo can show.

I use a tree branch with a Y to help hold mine up when they get too heavy. Very pretty.
Judy

Thanks. Hoping by next year the stems will be self supporting.

Glad to find fellow hardy hibiscus fan! I have several types and i just can't get enough of them. Fantasia is a good one, i like how the petals are ruffled looking.
The Fleming hybrids are very nice, the Cordials series has shown promise also.

I love fantasia and can't wait for it to bloom every year. Your garden is unbelievable. Wow! I thought I liked hh. You have me beaten by a mile. I am not familiar with the Cordials series by the Flemings. Will have to search it out. thanks for sharing your lovely garden.

beautiful display!

I think my favorite is Kopper King, one of the Fleming hybrids.

Moby, That is a striking combo. I am shocked you can grow the HH out side in NE or do you grow them in container and put inside during winter?

The Fleming hybrids came from right here in Lincoln, Ne. and they're growing in-ground, year-round. http://www.flemingsflowerfields.com/intro10.swf

Kopper King is very nice, looks good with Fireball. Sort of an improved modern Lord/Lady Baltimore combo.
Aquarian is definitely my favorite Fleming hybrid, the flowers are huge and the foliage is very nice.

Bward,
the Cordials series isn't from the Flemings, it's from Blooms of Bressingham
The series contain Peppermint Schnapps, Cherry Brandy, Cinnamon Grappa, and Brandy Punch.
I don't have Cinnamon Grappa but i have the others.
Here is Peppermint Schnapps

This might be of interest

http://www.bobna.com/plantlist/index.asp

Here is Brandy Punch

Lastly, here is a new Fleming hybrid i got this year. Stawberry Swirl (used to be Strawberries and Cream) The flowers are very large, here is a picture with my hand for comparison.

#2

Ok, so those of you with Hardy experience, does it make sense that a hardy would die from too much water in the winter? That was the explanation my nurseryman gave me...either that or it was too cold last winter...but then DGer Amorecuore says he read they need a cold dormancy so CA might be too warm??? I'm so confused. Mine are from the Vintage line...and my Splash Pinot Grigio is a goner while my Carafe plants are still kicking with varying degrees of growth. And, they are all planted in the same bed...any clues?

Here is a link that describes them:
http://www.green-leaf-ent.com/vintage_hibiscus.pdf

thanks!
dee

I think you might be pushing the zone (heat-wise) as the plants are listed for zones 5-9. I lost 3 this year probably due to lack of snow cover.

Thanks Moby, I'm in a zone 9b-10a area and it was cold enough last winter to kill some of my tropical hibs but we definitely did not get snow. I guess I could understand it better if all 4 in the bed suffered the same fate but that is not the case. I'm also torn as to whether I should get a replacement as the one that died was between the ones that lived so I have a gaping hole in my bed. I guess this is the life of a gardener huh?

Huge Fan of the Hardy Hibiscus - I did lose one over the winter "Lord Baltimore". I replaced it with "Lady Baltimore" as you see in the picture. I should have picked her to begin with - what was I thinking? Over all, I think the Kopper King is the best looking one I've seen so far. Mine has not bloomed yet but it is getting ready to. I lost a few stems early this spring.

Very pretty ~ that's one I've been wanting to add.

I'm glad to see that you are so close, I am in Omaha. I was wondering if you have had any problems with the stems (or canes) falling away over at the base of the plant. This is my second year and I've used the metal stking poles to hold some of them up. Is this normal or is there something that could be causing them to fall? I do water them every day - I read that they like wet almost boggy soil - could I be watering too much?

Not too many Nebraskans here so I'm glad that you found us here at DG, as it's nice to have more neighbors.

I don't give my hibbys much in the way of supplemental water. Some cultivars are more rangy and sprawling than others and pinching the tops out early in the season gives it a bushier appearance. Still have one lay down occasionally, but that's the nature of the beast. :)

Pink Clouds

Question, for you knowledge folks on hardies. I have several hardies and love them. I have had some for years but I still only get like one or two stalks. It doesn't get sun all day. If I need to transplant when is the best time? How do I take starts? Thanks for any help.

I have white ones, pale pink with darker pink centers, one with dark copper leaves (love that one), dark pink or red.

Here's a thought about the stem falling over problem. While living in Pa. I had hardies for 7 years before having that happen. I realized in spring when the new growth was starting, that because of years of old canes near ground level, the new shoots were having trouble coming out. They grew every which way and when taller, would fall or twist over. I had to stake them.

What I started doing with my problem children was to carefully break away some of the oldest dead canes in early spring weeks before they started to grow. It seemed to work for me. Southern Belle red and white varieties did that the most.

I've wondered if that might be the problem. Thanks for sharing your experience.

I don't start clipping my hardy hibs until late spring when they start shooting out of the ground. Then I trim them to promote bushiness. Anyone else do this too?

Yep

I clean my back when they break away with no effort. Late January or Mid February. We do get snow, a day or two and we do get freezing temperatures. But my hardy has always done fine. But if I try to move a start to another area, I fail. I now have some seeds planted in my holding garden to see if I can get them to germinate and form a plant. I have hundreds of seeds. How do you propagate from the stems?

Stems falling over is annoying but pinching helps. After the stems die, i cut them back to the ground in the very early spring.