Blue Ballerina

Does anyone have a Blue Ballerina that they would be willing to share cuttings? I have been looking everywhere. I would pay for it. Also I am looking for Fifth Dimension, I had to give mine up, so sad....
Thanks,
Kristen

www.hiddenvalleyhibiscus.com carries Blue Ballerina from time to time...if they don't list it in stock you might email them and ask if they know when they might have it again. I think that's the only place I've seen that one. 5th Dimension is more common... www.hibiscusplace.com carries it although you'd have to email them to find out if it's in stock now or not. Pretty sure I've seen it elsewhere too--many places will be out of stock this time of year but if you're not able to get cuttings or find one for sale this year you shouldn't have any trouble finding one next spring.

Agreed. "Blue Ballerina" is a Hidden Valley creation and it's occasionally available. "Fifth Dimension" also appears to be out of stock at the moment. You might want to consider "Rum Runner" which is a large blooming hibiscus that also goes through dramatic color changes throughout the day. It opens up a bright reddish/purple color and changes to a gold/orange by the end of the day. That one you can pick up, right in your backyard, at Logees. I don't think you'll be disappointed with "Rum Runner".

Jon

I gave one to my grandmother last year, if it is still alive I can take some cuttings :) Heres a pic of it last year

Thanks Liz and Jon, I did put an email through to HVH. I don't know if it is going to be good. There seems to be a lot of competition with new CV's getting posted and bought within minutes... gotta be on my toes! I guess they no sooner put one on the site, and before they get all the emails out to the people who are on the wait list for that particular CV, it's gone! Good for them!! Bad for me :(

Gib, If the plant you gave your gram is alive and well, I would love a cutting. Do you know how to root? Or if you have rooting powder / gel, dip it and wrap it well. I would pay for it.

I did see Rum runner at Logee's and everytime I'm there I am so tempted to get it. It is beautiful. Here is a photo I took of one that was in bloom last time I was there. Quite a site!

That's definitely a "Rum Runner" bloom after its been open for 4 or 5 hours. I shipped a "Rum Runner" to my parents in New York State two years ago. It over winters fine for them inside the house. It's back outside now and has just begun to bloom again this summer.

I will see if it is still doing well. It is a pretty small plant still as it is not a very fast grower unless it is pretty warm. As far as rooting goes, I am pretty sure Blue Ballerina roots on its own. I usually just dip the tip in root tone and put it in soil and a plastic bag (keep humidity up) and keep it warm. I rooted Acapulco Gold and Saffron with good success using this method. I should be taking cuttings from quite a few of my plants in about a month if you are interested, I have:

Illuminati
Saffron
Acapulco Gold
Haute Couture
Bonnie Lass

All of which are getting the prune early September. I will also have one piece of Burnt Saffron wood, but I dont know if it will root because it might be too young, but that plant is getting really tall.

I also have a bunch of Graft Only Varieties if you have any grafting wood. Send me a D-mail if you are interested :)

Acapulco Gold attached :)

Hi Kristen,
We purchased this cultivar in a 6" pot in August and would be happy to provide a free cutting. There is one caveat, when we purchased it. I asked Charles why the leaves were curled up. He said that something was wrong with it, but he had treated it and it would be fine.
It is now almost November and the leaves really have not changed. Other than that the plant seems fine and blooms consistently and there are no issues with any of our other plants.
Lastly, while looking at the picture of the BB plant in this thread, it also appeared to have some leaf curl issues as well?
I will ask Charles tomorrow when I see him about the leaf curl issue and post an update.

Halibut, Lucky you to be able to get to the Open Houses. I am super jealous! I would love a cutting of your BB. What do you mean Charlie said there is something wrong with it? He didn't know? Hmmm. Well, either way, if you are able to get a cutting sent out to me, I would gladly pay you shipping. I really appreciate it. Thanks. And have fun today!!

blupit007, were you able to find 'Fifth Dimension" yet?
I have it (and a few others) if you would like to trade cuttings sometime.

Dave

Hi Dave. I just got a cutting of 5th two weeks ago and grafted it along with Tigerama. But I am not very good at grafting... So I don't know if it will make it. I need a ton more practice! I was thinking of just hacking my garden variety plant up and grafting it back together to practice. I would love to trade if you want though.

Thanks Kristen, that would be great! I will make a list of the Hibiscus I have available for trade and I will D-mail you back by tomorrow.

Dave

Halibut, How was the Open House? Next year I hope I can get out there for one. It sounds like fun! If you have extra BB wood, I would pay you shipping for a cutting. Just let me know.
Thanks, Kristen

The Open House was kind of quiet (Rainy am) . I spoke to Charlie about our plant and am sending you an PM re: Sending you a cutting.

Lastly, I don't want you or anyone else to get the Idea that there is anything wrong with the plants at HVH, we have been exceptionally happy with each and every purchase made there, and they have been numerous ;-)
Talk Soon!

This message was edited Nov 7, 2010 6:39 PM

I totally agree with you about HVH! I have received nothing but the best from them. They are top notch. I have ordered many plants from them, they come packaged beautifully, healthy, green, and with flowers to boot! They are my first choice in hibiscus shopping.

Charlie helps me on a daily basis on his forum... I have had one hibiscus issue after another, and I tell him about it and he comes up with a remedy for me. I have only lost one lonely plant since I started this hobby and I can credit my success to Charlie for that. Without his help and guidance I might have lost a ton of them.

I am super jealous that you live close enough to go to the open houses. I am hoping that I can get out there next year. My oldest friend is moving to CA in January. Not sure how close because I don't remember the town, but I will visit her, and conveniently plan it for the end of the month!

This message was edited Dec 12, 2010 7:03 PM

Hal, I haven't seen any changes in the cuttings you gave me as of yet. They are still healthy, green, and perky! So far so good. As soon as I see some new growth I will let you know. I did however put one in a clear plastic cup with a hole in the bottom as an experiment so I can see when there are roots growing, so that will probably be the first to show that it is rooted. I cant thank you enough!