those are all gorgeous! I hope you will have seeds to share. i love the "noid" one! i grew about 50 from seed this year. 3 have buds on them. do they not normally bloom the first year? i have 2 from last year blooming. a burgandy and the blush. i really wanted the yellow ones and deep pinks to bloom but no such luck. i also waited way to long to get things in the ground. i did sell a few with no buds or blooms. that was fun. i've been collecting seeds as i see them. i collected some off the plants from wally world also. nobody was deadheading! what was i supposed to do let them go shabby! i figured i was helping them make a sale. i also helped with the bicolored dahlias. they should thank me i would think!! :) anyway, have alovely day!
Tanya

Wow! Those are so beautiful. I've added them to my list! I think I need to go out & make a new lasagna bed for spring now!
Maggie

You are doing a great job with the Hibiscus plants, webkat. I love the Blue River II because it has no other colors or markings. The red ones especially look good, both your new Fireball and the Phillip's gas station Hibiscus. You could name it actually, right? Hibiscus'Phillippe' lol! That first photo of Old Yella, jumps out at me too. I am not really a fan of the white with the red center, but the form and texture of that blossom is tremendous! I also can see the red hibiscus in the background in that shot and wow, it looks wonderful from a distance too.

Tell me how you are choosing best locations on your property for them? It has been a really dry summer here this year, I am wondering how much water they need.

I would love to have more of them, I hope I have a good place to grow them and would love to trade seed if you end up with any.

Thanks for sharing your photos!
:-)
pm2

Hey PM2! You know it is difficult to see the coloration of 'Old Yella' until you have it next to a white one...it really is a creamy color....quite nice form, too.

Here it is side by side with a white:

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Oh, and the red hibiscus you see in the background of the 'Old Yella' pic is not the Phillip's....it is actually my first red one which is much more of a true red:

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I have had that one for about 5 years, I think...

Once they are established, they are quite drought tolerant, but really prefer, and will perform better, with plenty of water and rich soil. They bloom twice for me, once in the summer and then again in the fall. The amount of moisture they get during the summer will determine the length of their bloom time in the fall. They really are tough plants...

WeKat, Just beautiful pics! (Pause to wipe drool off keyboard....) I'm not a big fan of rose of sharon, but your dinner plate hibiscus moscheutos are sooooo lovely. I just adore the NOID mammoth and the Turn of the Century with the overlapping pink and white petals. I'd just love to have your variety of hibs. I am so jealous!

Thanks for posting your pics.

Alison

Hmmm....When you put them next to each other it almost makes the Blue River II look dull. But I do still find the all white and the pleating attractive, too. Will have to try to get both then. lol

That is a huge red blossom. This was one you started from seed, winter sowed, right? So what did you start with seed from? Was it just Hibiscus moscheutos? Is another term for it 'dinner plate' hibiscus?

My one and only hibiscus bloomed this year, and I posted pics of it. My first experience with having one in the garden and I really enjoy it. No pests, no foliage damage, late bloom, neat appearance all summer and no care and then that last fling before the frost. Beautiful photos...

Webkat, in the landscape, they are not in bloom all season, what do you plant with them to bloom in spring/summer? I have two beds that could accomodate a few of those, but the bed is narrow and I don't know what I would plant with them.

:-)

Webkat,
I just love the photos!
Remy

Webkat: Wow, those are gorgeous!

Karen

webkat,wow,those are absolutely gorgeous eye candy.I hope you have some seeds you are planning on trading.The 2 I have are 2 shades of pink.Both are beautiful.One has burgundy foilage and is perennial.I plan on wsing different colors this yr.I really love the red ones you have.Thanks for sharing...
moonphase

OH wow!! I MUST try again next year!
Thanks for sharing and inspiring :D

Vera

Love your hibs, Webkat. They inspire me to grow more of them next year, especially since they're so easy to ws !

Carol

Really stunning Kathy! I got one lone hibiscus sprout this year......it bloomed in it's first year though, so I'm thrilled. I'd love to try more, so if you'd like to trade again this year, let me know because I'd love some seeds from your hibiscus.

Deb

Fantastic!! This is the first year I've really enjoyed my hibiscus. Its bloom was always iffy up to now. But this year it has been spectacular - masses of blooms...stop to catch breath...go again like wild! Fantastic! I only have the one, though (white with a red eye - gorgeous, but still). All your other colors make me very envious!

Wow, those are all stunning! I absolutely love the "Phillips" variety, such a wonderful deep red color. I didn't realize some hibiscus have double blooms either.

Where do you get your seeds ... trades or purchased? I've noticed hibiscus seeds are hard to come by on seed sites, and ebay seems the most prevalent place for them.

Beautiful! I have two (H M) plants (interplanted) that are a pink and a darker pink. I love your different colors.

Do you cut yours back? Mine get so large I have discovered that cutting them back helps the sprawling and I get a nice second bloom. One of these days I'm going to cut them back in the spring to see how they do. I always chicken out until they get all gangly and then I get rather murderous :)

Lisa

Ok, I feel a potential addiction to hibiscus starting to form!
Those are beautiful!
Kathy

Lisa,

I do cut my H. moscheutos in the late spring when they start emerging....waiting until they are about a foot tall...knocking the terminal bud off while taking it back to just above the previous node. If I think there is plenty of time, I might trim it once more....

All of the Rose of Sharon will get hefty haircuts this coming spring....I will probably do it just after I see new growth....they really benefit from a harsh pruning (every stem)...but I wait until I know they are healthy and can handle it. The more stems, the more blooms....

Eventually all of the Rose of Sharon will look like this mature one I have ... 'Lavendar Chiffon':

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Your pictures are just gorgeous.
I had wondered about winter-sowing hibiscus moscheutos.
I've grown a lot of them indoors, but I think winter sowing would be a lot easier.

Wow - what a great variety you have, webkat

I loved your photos - they really are beautiful

Carrie

That red is to die for! So beautiful! Thanks for the pictures - looks like you have a fan club...

Webcat
Are your hibiscus ever bothered with those tiny green worms? They have skeletonized some of my plant leaves. I usually squash them when I see them, and tried BT one year, but it didn't kill them. Are you sharing any seeds from the red one?
Alberta

Alberta,

Which red one are you referring to? The Phillips?

If so, I will have to check to see if there are any seeds....haven't been collecting many seeds this year...just from a few plants....

Webcat
Either the red or the burgundy. I've got pink ones, one is a very pale pink with a white eye, the other is pink with a red eye. I've got so many seeds of the pink with the white eye that I finally started dead heading them, so no seed pods would develop. I snatched a few seed pods of a burgundy one last year or the year before, but it has not flowered yet. I've also got seeds of Texas star hibiscus, that is really growing slowly this year. I wonder do they peter out after a few years? I started white texas star last winter sowing season, wintered them over in a holding bed and one is setting a flower now, but it looks very spindly. I'm hoping to get seeds from it before the season is over. The reds that you have shown are just to drool for, LOL. They are absolutely georgous!!
So if you have some seeds for either red, please keep me in mind.
Alberta

Wekat,
Love those doubles!
I've been pondering WSing Hibiscus for next year...this goes a long way in convincing me to go for it!

Linda

Hi Webkat5,
Such beautiful Hibiscus pictures! Do you have a source for seeds? I am interested in the doubles. No one mentioned staking. My pink one gets so big that I have to stake it or it falls into the yard. It gets 7'-8' tall and often has 80-100 blooms open at a time. After reading your account I am going to cut it down earlier next year in hopes of getting a second set of blooms. Thanks for posting your beautiful pictures.
Tina