Hibiscus "Rojana" Blooming Under The Rainbow

Just thought I'd post this picture from 5:30PM today of Hibiscus "Rojana" blooming out front with a rainbow in the background. Must be some rain coming our way off of the Atlantic Ocean from the east.
Jon

Here are a few more new photos. This is Hibiscus "Wahine"

Hibiscus "C N Stars" With Gerbera Daisy "Lollipop Pineapple"

Hibiscus "My Way"

Hibiscus "Eye Of Kali"

Hibiscus "Key Largo"

Hibiscus "Suede Buttons"

Hibiscus "Creme De La Creme"

And lastly (nothing to do with hibiscus) its Artichoke "Imperial Star"

Beautiful Jon. Just wondering...I have been looking at 'Key Largo' but that one looks completely different than the one I've had my eye on. Are you seeing a big difference in the color of the blooms throughout the year?

http://www.hiddenvalleynaturearts.com/acatalog/keylargoinfo.html

d

Beautiful blooms Jon! Love when you get that one backdrop which just makes the photo. I've never heard of a lot of your blooms but plan to do some checking on what Florida has to offer. Gorgeous!

Way to go, keep them coming, there just to beautiful, not able to keep away from looking at them, somebody HELP!!!! LOL. Great photos Jon.

Wilfred

Enjoying the blooms, Jon. You should see all the unopened blooms on three of the plants that Matt sent. I am in heaven. I had my first blooms open today on one of the hibbies that Matt sent Friday.

I like it a lot and think it will even be prettier in cooler temps. I think Wisdom will be the next one to open.

hibiscus 'Twilight Mist'

Thanks mucho guamsorbit, juliana, Wifred. Yes, I kind of get into looking for something to add to the photos to compliment the blooms. The rainbow thing fell right into my lap today. Just walked out the front door for a minute and there is was. Hibiscus "Key Largo" blooms can vary quite a bit from bloom to bloom and from season to season. I ordered "Key Largo" back in 2007 from Hidden Valley Hibiscus. Here's another photo I took in Oct 2008 of "Key Largo" with "Mr Ace" in the background.
Jon

Twilight Mist is a beauty Patty. I have a feeling the bloom color will be MUCH deeper when it blooms, in say< Sept ember or October. Some of the blooms in cool weather are so different you would think it could be a different variety. Not all act that way, but I'll betcha the lavender hue in the center will be a bit darker. Sometimes I'll pluck a bloom and bring it in for the day. Some of them you can even extend another day by putting them in the refrigerator overnight while you're sleeping. I had a feeling your new obsession with Hibiscus might get worse after you received your new Hibs on Friday. Not to worry, it happens to all of us.
Jon

Hey Jon

As far as winter goes, can you leave all of yours out or do you ever have to protect them? I think my winter may be a little cooler than yours and I'm wondering how they will fare. Our winters are usually fairly mild with maybe an occasional dip in the 30's. Also when do they stop blooming? Do they go dormant at a certain temperature?

Sorry so many questions but you've been a treasure load of info to this newbie who has fallen in love with these beautiful flowers.

Patty

Hi Patty

In the two years I've had mine I've had 3 nights where it dipped below 40 degrees. I brought every single one of them that is in a pot into the garage. The ones in the ground I watered very well in the evening. The moisture acts as a protection. The first year I didn't know about the watering thing and had quite a bit of damage to the Hibiscus in the ground on a 35 degree night. All of those plants recovered in a month or two except for one that went to Hibbie Heaven. This past winter on a 35 degree night I watered in the evening and had no damage.
They never stop blooming Patty. They actually bloom much more in cooler weather compared to the hot summers. They do seem to go in blooming and growing cycles though. There are times when they bloom like popping popcorn and then they slow down for awhile and seem to be more focused on growth. Every one of them has their own quirks and characteristics and you begin to recognize them after just a few months.
Jon

I learned about the watering thing a few years ago. I taught with a lady who actually contributed to my learning especially about composting and soil amending. She told me about how watering helps with protection from cold.

Can you imagine what Hibbie Heaven must look like? When I die, I want to go to HH!!!

I usually wait at least several weeks before I fertilize new plants. Perhaps it's a good thing to let them settle into their new environment first. Another reason I don't fertilize immediately is that I don't know when they were last fertilized prior to me receiving them. If I hold off for a few weeks it lessens the chance that I could possibly be overfertlizing the plants. It would seem the first priority would really be adapting the plants to your climate and sun's intensity.
I wouldn't worry about trying to keep the blooms coming as fast as they are right now. There are times when they bloom like crazy and other times when they do more growing with fewer blooms. If you take care of them, keep them healthy and prune them back when they get too leggy, you'll be rewarded in the long run.
Here's a photo of my Gerbera's along the front sidewalk this morning. This is/was also one of my gardening mistakes when I first started. I have them a little too close to the sidewalk which means they dry out faster and have to be watered every day or two. Oh well...we live and learn.
Jon

I like how you have them lining the walkway. Looks good. How much sun do they get? I know most tags say that gerbers need full sun, but here in South Texas they croak if placed in full sun. I've always planted them in pots on my covered patio, but really would like to put some in my front flower bed.

They get too much sun (about 3/4 of the day). As long as I keep them well watered they seem to do fine. If I wait to water more than two days they start screaming at me!!!

Jon

Wahine is a real show stopper. Also liked your Twilight Mist Patty. Your other flowers look so pretty, Jon. Thanks for sharing.

Judy

Thanks Judy. Wahine (translates to "woman" in Hawaiian) has been around awhile and is a hibiscus that was created in Australia.

Thanks Judy

Thanks for the info on Wahine, Jon. Learn something everyday! I'm still cutting back my GV Hibs & the plants look so much better & one has even bloomed. I've been dragging those tall things into the GH for 4+ years so this is going to be a big help. Appreciate your encouragement & advise about them. Got to get up the courage to do the ones with double flowers. Not only getting tall but wide! Going to follow Wilfred's advise & trim them on the 14th & see how well they root. Not that I need any more of them but will share them with others. Thanks again, Jon.

Judy

You're welcome Judy. So many things, not just hibiscus, respond to a good pruning. It's like giving them encouragement to do some growing. I like to spread my pruning out over the course of a couple of months. That way you always have something that can still bloom for you and keep you happy.