My confederate rose is kicking in today

Didn't know they change color. This was white this morning with a light yellow center.

Have a tropical blooming too.

Just goreous! Does your tropical winter over in the ground? Those Colors are wonderful!

That tropical right there has not over wintered outside. This year it will. I have other common tropical hibiscus that do fine outside but I'm not sure how that one will do.

Seeing your picture gives me yet another plant to try.

The tropical is called rodeo drive and the other is a double confederate rose, hibiscus mutabilis.

very nice

my confederate bloomed the first time yesterday first bud opened a beautiful double pink and then one opened today a pure white. My first year plant is at least 6 ft tall spindly and kind of skraggly looking, three blooms on the very top with cluster of 4 or 5 large leaves surrounding is this the way they are supposed to look? Safe in the ground overwinter in zone 7?

Core, where did you get your Rodeo Drive? It sure is pretty and I never see the named varieties around here. Is that a FL find?

More Hibiscus to lust after ~ 8 ) Very pretty...

CoreHHI on leaving your tropical Hibiscus outdoors ~ have you taken cuttings to save a start should it not make it? I would have to cover all the bases.

Jackieshar ~ Yes to the Confederate rose appearance. They grow quite tall and bloom at the height of the plant. A little out of scale.

I have often wondered about pruning them to create stalks at different heights and therefore blooms from top to bottom. I believe they will only bloom on new growth so it might work.

Hardiness zones are 7-9. Here they will freeze to the ground and come back from roots. I do try to mulch the roots adequately. Some milder years, the stalks will put out new growth in the spring but mostly new shoots from ground level. Is your plant in a sheltered area ( like south side of a building ) ?

Pod, I tried pruning a big old Confederate Rose one year and I cut it back by half at least 4 times during the growing season. In September as it set it's buds I left it and sure enough it still shot up to about 10'. It was pretty however with tons of flowers.

Jackie, give yours another year and it will be much fuller and full of flowers.

Then it will do no good to stagger the pruning to get flowers at all heights. Darn! This year mine put on a few stalks midsummer that had blooms at a lower level.

This has been a wonderful year for these guys. Mine have steadily been blooming. Usually a frost will nip them shortly after they start blooming.

my sweet pink bloom

ardesia - Hidden Valley Hibiscus had Rodeo Drive on sale earlier this year - perhaps they will have more for 2008 - check on their site in January when they take pre-orders...

Yes I got the Rodeo Drive from Hidden Valley Hibiscus. I had to pre-order that last spring and if you really want it you should too. They sell out of many of their hibiscus. Also it took for ever for me to get mine because of the cold weather. They're real picky about when they send them out etc.

OK, I was hoping you had found a local source for the named varieties.