The BIG Hibiscus had to be cut back this morning. It was in full bloom, but was so heavy it fell over so I had to hat rack it and prop it up with a broom. These are some of the blooms. It was so beautiful, and I didn't even know what kind it was.
Pati
oh gosh, lots of cuttings there!!! it sure was beautiful!!
These are just a few I put up on the AC unit in hopes that someone could tell me what it is. You should see the huge pile that is laying out of camera range! BTW, I'm so proud that I actually got a picture with my camera. It seems to have a mind of it's own.
did you start any cuttings?? I hear it's easy, put them in perlite, anyway, check out the propagation forum.
They're super easy to root.You might even get some started in plain water in the meantime.
Great color. Mine never bloomed that well.
Do you root the tender growth, or the harder wood? There are two of these bushes, both had to be cut back, and I would really like to start a hedge with them. They seem to bloom all year.
Pati
Here's a great site about tropical hibiscus. http://www.trop-hibiscus.com/cprop.html
You lucky thing, you...We sure can't plant them outside here! :)
WOW!!! What a great site. I guess living in Miami so many years I just took Hibiscus for granted, they were always there and blooming. I definitely am going to try and root these. Will let everyone know if I have any luck.
Pati
What beauties! I would love some cuttings if you can get them. Oh, yes, they are so easy to root. We do them all the time at Powell Gardens.
OK all you wonderful people. I went outside, rescued a few likely looking branches from the pile and brought them inside. I cut them as the website instructed and when mine looked like theirs, I took them back outside and put them in a pot of Perlite. So far, so good. I just happened to have a bag of Perlite that my daughter gave me and I had no idea what to do with it, so it came in handy. NOW.....if they live and grow leaves I will know I did it right and I will send cuttings to everyone that wants them. The next step will be to find out how to send them. My ignorance knows no bounds!!!!!!
Pati
Don't worry it will grow back soon. I have one beside my front entry, for years it was a manageable size. Recently it has to be cut back a couple of times a year so that I can get in the house. It is growing like everything and is above the roofline of the house.
I especially loved the tip about rooting them in perlite that's in a shallow pan of water. I'm all over anything that makes remembering to water things easier!
GW. Checkout photos . Does this look strange? I need your help.
Does what look strange? Can you hyperlink to the thread, Monterey?
It,s photos forum under my name it,s a spoon daisy
I know I am late with this post, but hibiscus respond really well to pruning. They are a tree, after all. I have to keep them smaller because they are houseplants for me here in MA but I have one that looks like your picture which is trained as a standard and is 5 feet tall in my sunroom. If I didn't prune it back every fall to bring it in, I couldn't bring it in! I feed them and they bloom all winter inside. They love to be outside all summer on my brown deck which gets hot! don't be afraid to prune your hibiscus.
Hi Gardenmart. It's funny you would pick up this thread now. I'm on my way to Home Depot to buy Hibiscus! Sadly, my cuttings didn't root. I had them in Perlite in shallow water, but apparently my thumb was brown at the time, not green *Grin* I moved here from Miami where pruning was a way of life if you ever expected to see the street again. And you're right, Hibiscus just love it! The ones I pruned here already have big blooms on the few whisps I left. Seems like I do all right with the big shears, not so good with the rooting. BTW, Bougainvilla grow to be monsters here, so I always have some color in my yard.
Pati
patischell
it seems like i've heard that when rooting hibiscus cuttings, they lose all their leaves before making roots, and they take *forever* to root..
so, maybe yours werent dead afterall?
we've got several hibiscus cuttings in a bucket of water right now.... no signs of anything yet, tho
I only had one out of six that looked promising. All of the others just turned black, but this one had a little band of green that stayed. Unfortunately my container was knocked over by the cat chasing the Doxies in their ongoing game of tag, so I just gave it up. The only luck I have is with Coleus and Impatience. I just cut them back and stick them in the dirt and they grow. I wonder if the Hibiscus would grow that way? Maybe I'll try that. Good luck with yours.
Pati
I am about to do some routine trimming of my hibiscus. I will try a little rooting hormone on the ends. Hardwood cuttings are tougher than annual or perennial cuttings. Some people are really good at it and others, like myself, have spotty luck. Since my last post to this thread which had me thinking hibiscus when I went out plant shopping yesterday, I bought this small beauty, a pink double. Pale, looks like a ballerina tutu and it appears to be 4 plants in the pot, all rooted cuttings, I bet. It will join my single and double reds, two double peachy orange {one is the tree}, and my 4 single yellows and pinks. Um, I may have to get rid of a teenager to keep these all in style since they share my sunroom with the video game. What kinds have you all got?
