Louise that looks similar to the one I have. Got it for 5 bucks 2 years ago, overwinter it indoors. I love the color.
Vicarious winter gardening - or Show me da blooms!
Are they easy indoors, Deb? Do they bloom in the winter? Sunny room or just bright light?
They don't bloom indoors, the leaves start falling off, we keep our house cool, and I don't have a lot of bright light - but they survive and do great once outdoors again!
Do you cut them back at all before bringing them in?
I did this year because it got so big it wouldn't fit - Pirl said I could!! She assured me I'll never know I cut it back once the weather warms up and it gets going again.
Go ahead and put the responsibility on Pirl! How big was it? How big is the pot? (Sorry for all the questions!)
It was about 3' x 3', I cut it back to about 2' x 2', it's in a 15" square pot - will probably need a new pot, and this is the second winter I've brought it indoors. When I bought it towards Fall, I thought I would just have it until the end of that season, so I'm happy to still have it. I'm no expert.
Thanks Louise for the comments on my cardinal pic. Love the hibiscus! It is beautiful. Eleanor
Fabulous hibiscus, Louise. Now if I can just find the perfect site for the perfect winter hardy hibiscus... x, C
Louise:
Congrats on the Thanksgiving cactus!! I agree, Valentine's Day needs it's own cactus. (Oh, I can just hear Victor's comments on that!)
I agree - with a heart stuck to it!
Thanks everybody! Glad you got some enjoyment from the hibiscus bloom! As to the questions about having them up there.....I think they do quite well if you can put them out in the sun with a cooling off period in a bit of shade for part of the summer day. They seem to be able to handle a lot down here. Cut them back, give them water before they dry out, put them in a window with some light, give them balanced fertilizer in the spring when you move them outdoors and they should do very well. Many are grown in pots here. Even rootbound, they seem to bloom a lot. You need a 3-in-one insect spray for aphids, mites, etc.. when they are outside, but they really don't require much care for the return they give.
Victor - yes, I have gone online; our plantfiles lists them, but no photos and no specifics. In a geneology website for hibiscus, I found them listed, but again, no info and no photos. It will be a fun hunt around here. If nothing else, I can probably go to their old house and snip some cuttings from the present owners - provided they have a sense of humor!! LOL
Candyce - actually not a bad idea Victor has of sticking a heart in my cactus basket.......I think I'll do that when the blooms open up! LOL
Are you in touch with those friends? If it was their dad that hybridized them, perhaps he would know?
I can't wait to see the photos of your Thanksgiving cactus, Louise. The one you gave me is doing pretty well, but not as well as the Christmas cactus. I just try to treat them both the same, so there's no animosity between them (LOL). Hopefully, in a few years, I'll have Thanksgiving blooms on Valentine's Day too!
Cool, Candyce! I'm glad mine didn't skip the whole year!
Anita - their Dad is no longer living, and I have not kept up with the girls for years. I believe one died many years ago in a car accident.
ah well. It was a thought.
...and appreciated, Anita!
Kassia - LOOK!! LOOK!!! The blackeyed susan vine you gave me bloomed this morning!!!! Isn't it pretty??? Thank you, Thank you for the seeds!!! I love the color of these flowers!!!
That's beautiful Louise! I tried to collect seeds from mine last year - got a few but don't know which color they were. I had the yellow, orange and rose colored ones all in the same container and the vines were so tangled I couldn't tell what plant they came from. I just bought "Spanish Eyes" (Burpee) seeds at Home Depot and I'm going to try and start them from seed this year. They are the rose colored ones. Eleanor
I didn't get any seed from mine last year- but did the year before.
That rose-colored one is very pretty too, Eleanor! I would think mixing the colors would be pretty anyway!
Deb - I'm hoping I'll be able to harvest some seeds from these. I think the gold/orange shade is just stunning! I will try to dig the plants and bring them north with us.
I love all of the colors and they are so much fun to grow. I think the orange and the yellow BESV blossom much better than the rose colored one. I'm going to get seeds for the other colors also - I think Park Seeds had them. I hope you are able to bring them back up north when you come. I posted another pic and this shows the yellow and orange. Post more pics as it grows. Eleanor
Oh, Wow! That is so pretty, Eleanor! If I can get some seeds from mine, I'll gladly send you some!
Thank you Louise! I'd love some but don't have anything to offer back! That was at the end of the season after 4-5 months growth. I also had 6 plants packed in there!! It was crowded and tangled but I enjoyed all of the blooms I had. Notice I didn't show the bottom! By the end of the season the bottom part of the plant didn't look so good. Has anyone ever planted some kind of filler in with it to keep the bottom of the container looking good? Eleanor
Eleanor - no need to offer anything back!! I'll do my best to collect us some seeds. I've planted some bush green beans in the same pot in front of the BES vines, so maybe they'll cover up the bottom part if things get yucky!!
Thanks so much Louise!! What a good friend! Eleanor
Back Atcha, Eleanor!! (That's southern spelling! LOL)
Oh it's wonderful!!!!!!!! I am so glad you can garden and enjoy flowers!!!!! I loved those flowers... come spring I am planting again... but this time I am planting next to some of the roses...
Thanks for posting the pictures... keep them coming!
You guys have me almost convinced that I need to get BESV to wind along the south side of the back patio. Gosh, but those blooms are gorgeous!!
How long do they bloom?
Mine bloomed all season, but I deadheaded as much as possible. They tend to bloom on the newer growth but once they become so tangled it looks like it blooms all over. At the end of summer I definitely had more blooms on top than the bottom but some of the vines were growing back down when they ran out of room at the top of the obelisk!! Does that make any sense!! Anyway they are fun to grow!! Eleanor
That makes perfect sense!
Thanks! (And good morning!)
Eleanor - I'm training my "Kassias" (they are named after their benefactor :)....) to come back down their little trellis as well. There are more blooms this morning. I'll get another shot soon. They are the most cheerful and bold little flowers ever! My DH and I used to buy a pot of them every year at Five Acre Farms near Northfield, Mass, and we referred to them as the "beautiful plants". They charged $25 per pot for them!!!!, but they would brighten up our fence garden so beautifully we thought they were worth it! Now, I'm so excited that Kassia gave me the seeds, as it is always so much more fun to start a plant from a seed....something of a miracle every time I see the blooms for the first time from a seed or cutting I've started.
Kassia - I will show you some more blooms soon!
Candyce - YES! You will love the BESV for along your patio! Hopefully, I will have success in harvesting enough "Kassia" seeds to share with you as well!!
They look very nice! Might have to try some myself.
Careful, Victor....you might end up liking orange flowers!!! Although, these are more a deep golden orange color.....like tangerine juice. I'll add you to my seed list if you want to try some from seed......of course, I'm counting my seed chickens before they've hatched! LOL
Thank you! So are they different plants in Eleanor's photo or are there multiple colors on one plant? I know nothing about this plant.
I think she planted different colors of the BESVs in the same pot. The only ones I've had are the golden orange ones I posted. I've seen the yellow though.
I've had yellow and orange.
Victor, you don't like orange flowers!!!????
I love BESV! I want to get some seeds for the multicolored ones too... I loved cup and sauce vine too , but it took forever to see any flowers... almost at the first frost! I want to try cardinal vine too.
Keep the pics coming...
I don't like 'hot' colors in general, but I make exceptions!
Not even hot pink?????