Blooming in March

Since Spring is definitely on the way, the plants in the greenhouse are starting to wake up and bloom! When I walked in this morning, my tropical hibiscus Sun Showers was open! I've noticed that the cooler it is the more red is has.

All my so called hardy hibiscus did not make it. (3)

But yours are gorgeous. Gotta get a greenhouse.

Actually Sun Showers is a Tropical Hibiscus .. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis and definitely not hardy in zone 8 .. Hibiscus moscheutos are the supposedly hardy zone 8 hibiscus .. I've rarely had them come back.

X

The hardy hibiscus take a while to come up and will be complete dead above ground. I'm warmer than you and I see no sign of life out of my hardies but they will come back, they do every year. I thought they were hardy below zone 8????

Okay not to get everyone confused I'm talking about these as "hardy hibiscus". Hibiscus moscheutos http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/982/

The tropical ones barely come back on the coast and an odd thing I noticed is the red tropical ones seem to be the hardiest. Forget about the fancy ones outside during the winter they need over 32 degrees.

BTW the Hibiscus moscheutos are fun to cross breed if you have a few together they'll cross all by their selves making a random colored flower as far as I can figure out.

The moscheutos is suppose to be hardy to like zone 6 but every year I plant them in the ground and in 10 years I've had one come back. Now oddly enough, when I lived in Virginia they all came back. Last year was the first time I planted Luna Pink Swirl in the ground so I'm keeping my fingers crossed they will return but I certainly won't hold my breath!

I think it's just too hot for the moscheutus here on the coast. Mine don't ever bloom the way they're supposed to.
Begon - you won't know if your hardy comes back for at least a month, if not more. Don't throw them out!! I transpanted mine today and there was no new growth. The only way I know it's alive is the healthy root system.
On an up note, my nectarine is in full bloom.
Barb

I winter sowed Hardy Hib and they are coming up like crazy right now - can't wait to see how the seedlings from last year grow this year - ok I have to fess up on these - they took forever to germ last year and by September weren't even a foot tall - I was so perturbed I tossed them in their 4" pots under the back deck and when cleaning out that area two weeks ago found them and their root system survived...I need to learn to be meaner to my yard LOL

I'm hoping they are really truly still alive and I can add them to large pots for the wedding in July - we shall see....The lily's I planted for centerpieces are all coming up...now if they will only co-operate and bloom accordingly so I don't have to buy flowers for the center pieces (hoping my hydrangea, crocosmia and a few others comply too - doing burgandy and deep orange as the colors :)~

OK, Barb, I'll wait it out. Love those big white flowers. Hope they come back.

Thanks, Linny

Linny,
I know what you're going through. I'm staring down my crape myrtles that are showing NO signs of life as we speak......

Sigh, doesn't look like there is any life in my bleeding heart vines either.

On an upnote, my Jasmine sambac didn't die! It's only marginally hardy here, I planted it last Fall and didn't protect it. Needless to say, I didn't think it would survive, but there's new growth at the base!
Barb

Does "Sprouting in March" count? These ferns are at the end of the Captain's pond. We dug them out of the woods several years ago. Always miss stage because we are usually gone on the boat this time of year, so we are enjoying this beautiful spring here.
Entlie

This message was edited Mar 18, 2011 8:51 AM

This message was edited Mar 18, 2011 8:53 AM

Belle of Georgia Dwarf Peach Blossoming. This is the tree that was supposed to be a plum :)
Entlie

This message was edited Mar 18, 2011 8:54 AM

Plain old lorapetalum. This one is going gangbusters.
Entlie

This message was edited Mar 18, 2011 8:54 AM

Pulmonaria Mrs. Moon, from my daughter Stacy (Sstateham on DG). We bought these together at the Cincinnati Flower Show years ago, I lost mine when we moved from Kentucky, and she gave me a start from one of hers.
Entlie

Beautiful! .. I'm beginning to think you like pink! Does the lorapetalum have a fragrance? Does it set seed easily and become nuisance with zillions of seedlings? I'm thinking I'd like one of those if it's not high maintenance.

X

Dutch Iris have just started in...

love this frilly Daffodil...

Alba Akebia - who doesn't love Chocolate Vine LOL

Xerantheum, thanks - Yes, I'm trying to do pink, blue and white with some yellow and no or little orange, but that doesn't always work out. The lorapetalum is just the common contractor landscaping plant, and wish there was a fragrance, but not on mine. Mine is pretty well behaved - occasionally it sets out a layered stem which goes away when it's clipped off.. This one in the front is really flamboyant - have one in the back which we moved the second year, and it barely gets by. Need to soil test that bed. I'm not usually here this time of year (gone on the boat), so not sure how messy these flowers will be when they drop. They'll probably be covered by pine pollen and unnoticeable?
Entlie

I wait all year and most of the winter, but now two years in a row my White BOP hasn't disappointed. Beautiful plant. Two more flower stalks on the back too just waiting to open. Can't wait to get it out in the yard in a few weeks.

OMG! That's stunning!

I am totally jealous John!! been waiting on mine for 3 yrs now :( absolutely beautiful...you'll have to share your fertiliz. secrets! lol

I think it's all in the, eh... neglect. Ever since I stopped fertilizing it and watering it a lot, it blooms. Go figure. Same with the other Orange BOP. Seems like the more I leave it alone, the better it blooms. Just give it plenty of sun and let the rain and/or sprinklers do their thing and it seems happy. Odd thing is I have another BOP, even larger than this one, and it never blooms. So strange. I wonder if they might be different types, if memory serves me right, there's two types of giant white BOPs? The one that blooms I got from the Florida Key's. The others mostly came from local nurseries, though I think the largest did in fact come from Florida too. I wish I knew my own secret, lol.

Neglect = blooming is not as odd as you might think .. since a plants biological imperative is to reproduce itself, the more stress it's under the more it blooms - that's why a lot of plants that are root bound bloom profusely. When I get plants that won't bloom, I quit feeding them and water sparingly and usually blooms aren't too far behind .. go figure.

well I did find out I was giving it an incorrect fert. ratio - so I bought one that is a 12-4-8 in hopes that might help. I know they need to be rootbound to flower and at least 3-4 years old so...here's hoping this will be the year for all of us John LOL

Now that mine are outside, I'm goignt o fertilize them and will try that ratio - 12-4-8. We'll see!
Barb

There are several things that disqualify me to be a resident of the south- don't follow college football, dislike azaleas, hate loropetalum, despise pimento cheese, etc. However, I like the psychotic nature of my neighbor's loropetalum, hope they never trim it. It makes me laugh every time I pass it.

This is one of my favorite plant purchases of the last few years, Iris japonica "Wuhan Angel." It's great for dry shade, and it was promised to spread 10' in 3 years, and it's making good inroads in that direction. Darn thing is almost impossible to photograph, but it has beautiful white blooms with a hint of lavender markings.

O.k., so not a bloom, but this hosta is screaming yellow when it emerges. Love it!

Bridal wreath spirea.

Viburnum. Don't remember which one. I threatened to shovel prune it for years, thank goodness I was too lazy.

Species tulip. Planted 100 or so in the lawn, and they're just starting to bloom. They're way too cute.

Cinnamon ferns emerging.

One of the cats ate his bloomin' tail....does that count for bloomin' in March :)

I'm sure my pink camellia is blooming by now. There was a bud almost completely open yesterday. Can't post a pic since it's 4:38 Am, but I will try to remember this afternoon! ;)
Barb

I just had to add this - blooming and exploding all over everywhere!
Entlie

When I lived in Kentucky I loved to photograph tobacco barns and someone told me you can tell a Yankee because they are photographing tobacco barns! Probably the same applies to pine trees, wisteria and jessamine, but I couldn't resist these beautiful wild things.

This message was edited Mar 27, 2011 5:42 AM

Entilie - you're not alone, this yankee loves Wisteria too...never saw it grow until I moved to the Carolina's so it's not common or ordinary to me - on the road to school there is a huge patch of white wisteria I've been trying to gear myself up to stop and ask the owner if I could have a piece...it is stunning amidst the purple...

Entlie, I'm with you. I know we're supposed to disdain wisteria as an invasive species, but I love it, too. Beautiful photo.