Hawaii hibs

Well, what a disappointment they were. You never see the pretties like you see right here on DG. The one below was one of only 2 hybrids that I came across - and I hit plenty of nurseries, gardens, etc. The other hybrid was an Amazon Queen outside a restaurant one day. They must be there but I just did not come across any. There are scores of your species reds and pinks and one that looks exactly like my Itsy Bitsy, a Monrovia introduction.

Other than that my trip was wonderful and I did see plenty of other tropicals.
alice

A schitzo.

An orangy red one.

...and a red red one.

Arde, those are kewl! Mine are just getting going for the summer.I may have to do some crossing again this summer.
Friends of mine on the big island say there is an older Japanese man that breeds some neat new ones. I sent seeds a year ago to the same friends and they got some dark browns with red eyes.

:-)

Kyle

Thanks, it was kewl. I even got to spend an afternoon with Carol. WOo HOo, what an experience!

You can't tell from this picture but the eye in this one was a deep mahogany brown.

Also saw a lot of these 4 petaled ones. That was strange.

ardesia, next time visit Charles Nii nursery (http://www.charlesniinursery.com/) and Jill Coryell (http://hibiscusladyhawaii.com/), they have a lot of hybrids.

Regards

Carlos

This message was edited May 20, 2009 12:35 AM

Thanks Carlos, I should have asked before I went. Perhaps, if we had visited Oahu I would have found the growers you mention. I wanted to experience what is left of the "old Hawaii" so we visited the Big Island and Kauai. The best nurseries, as recommended by the big botanical gardens, actually had very little in terms of the unusual plants. I saw a lot of petunias and impatiens and it was hard to picture Hawaiians using annuals. The plants were pretty close to what I can find at the big box stores.

I am sure the best growers are the little guys.

This is what we saw when I wasn't looking at flowers.......
alice

Were all the flowers you posted growing wild or in gardens? I thought they were beautiful even if not hybrids. Thank you for sharing the sights of your vacation. That water looks refreshing...

Welcome home and glad you had a nice trip. It's too bad you didn't see more hybrid hibiscus around, but in a way I'm not all that surprised. Do you see other people collecting hybrid hibiscus in your area? What's strange to me is that I live in a tropical climate, full of tropical plants in just about every yard you pass by. Since I discovered these beauties approximately two years ago, I have made it a point to really look at peoples yards when driving through residential neigborhoods. I've even driven up and down all the neighboring streets around my area. Although I see many many garden variety hibiscus, I have yet to see any hybrids. I lived here 17 years before I even knew what hybrid hibiscus were and that was only because I discovered/stumbled across them on the internet. I think the majority of people down here don't even know they exist. It's very strange.
Jon

You hit the nail on the head Jon. My neighbors think I am nuts to spurn the big box hibs (we don't get the Bahama Bay plants here in SC) but I am spoiled and only want the fancy ones now.

Juliana, they were both wild and in peoples yards. As soon as I get the photos more organized I'll post some more pics. The plants that grow wild along the roads are amazing; there is bright color everywhere.

Hi Alice! Did you see any Hawaiian Hibiscus while you were here?

We have 12 native species across the State. Here is Hibiscus waimeae subsp. waimeae, Koki'o Ke'oke'o, from the Island of Kaua'i. The flowers are very fragrant!

Yes, yes, yes, I saw wonderful species hibiscus and I actually grow the Koki'o in my own garden. The Big Island was fascinating to someone from the SC lowcountry where everything is beautiful but very flat and marshy. I did get to spend an afternoon with Carol which was an unforgettable experience. We were staying in Volcano and the folks at the big orchid place told me I should visit Rossett's nursery, which I did, also in your neighborhood.

I was just surprised not to see more of the fancier hibiscus. I guess when you are blessed with so much beauty around you who needs more. Seeing all the beautiful plants just growing wild along the road was awesome. Most of us on this forum fuss so to grow these plants and in HI the birds successfully plant them.

This was an interesting one.....

A, the yellow hibbie, very interesting indeed. hardy or tropical?

Love the orange-red schizo. I thought there was only red and a coral?

what does ko kio smell like? i want it

Somewhere in between Roses and Gardenias. Several Hawaiian Hibiscus have a scent, the Kaua'i species is the most fragrant.

Carol is among the best of folks! Several of my plants came from Rozettes.

Did you take the yellow Hibiscus flower photo on Kaua'i? It looks like Hibiscus calyphyllus of Africa. It was introduced very early on Kaua'i, and Western botanists thought it was native and incorrectly dubbed it, Hibiscus rockii.

Here is a Hibiscus from my Island, Hibiscus kokio, Koki'o 'Ula'ula. It is faintly scented. The variety is found on Hawai'i and Maui Islands.

Here is the unopened bud of the indigenous Hibiscus furcellatus, 'Akiohala. I'll get a photo of the opened flower in the morning. It has faintly fragrant flowers, but the calyx is armed!
This plant produces lots of seeds, if anyone . . .

I wish I had learned of some backyard growers before we went. It was amazing to talk with Carol and learn that certain plants that are thugs here are well behaved on HI and vice versa. Carol was having a terrible time with selageneilla and that is a prized plant here. On the other hand some of the gingers we have in common are well behaved for her but get huge and take over around here. The soils are certainly polar opposites but it also may have been the difference in elevation. I grow at sea level (14') and Keauu is much higher.

I've always liked seeing pictures of the Hawaiian native hibiscus, but they're so hard to get a hold of here, and I've never seen any in person. The scented ones would be nice to experience, as well.