It does seem odd but I assumed the potted Hibiscus was left by the previous owners since it was on the list of what came with the new home. I was going by the leaf shape and texture (they are more ovate and glossy) plus the way the buds are carried and the appearance of the calyx. I do grow H syriacus in my garden and I am familiar with H rosa-sinensis as a pot plant. So I just said what I thought. But I may be wrong. It will become clear which it is once it blooms. Maybe someone else can comment.

Kristi, just thought I should mention the Kordes perfume-fest Parole, aka Buxom Beauty. Was introduced to the USA in 2008, so it may have gone under your radar. Apart from its names (Jailbait/Dumpling - yeah, good work there, Kordes Marketing Dept), this deep cerise pink rose is pretty near perfect - no spray requirements, beautiful high-centred flowers with substantial petals (HUGE blooms in cooler weather), nicely productive with a fragrance that is really intoxicating and waft-y, richly sweet but sophisticated. No cold cream or myrrh. And it cuts like a dream. I'm up to six of these. They're my battery hens for vase filling. Just sayin'.

At this time removing spent blooms to make the plant look better and prevent seed production is probably all that you would need to do. When the weather cools in the fall and the foliage yellows I remove all the foliage down to about 3 or four inches for the winter. Al

Hi all, I've seen a lot of tomato and pepper swaps, and "edibles" swaps here on GW, but I think it will be fun for me to host one focusing on Greens & Salads for St Pats!! I've done a salad swap on GW before, a few years back. Rules: Newbies welcome, but if your email address is blocked, you won't be able to participate in this. Your seeds must arrive by St. Patricks Day (March 17). I won't hold up the swap for late seeds. They must be in a bubble mailer big enough to hold all your seeds, with a little extra room to spare. Please enclose a return address label and also enough return postage to get your seeds back to you... Whatever it costs to send it in, please include that much in the way of stamps so I can send it back. If your package winds up more than .15 short on postage I won't be able to send it back to ya, cause I live on a tight budget! No more than 3 packs of the same kind of seeds, please. Minimum 5 packs, maximum 20 seed packs per person. Seeds should be no older than 2007 unless kept in a refrigerated seed bank. Heirlooms and hybrids are both OK. If hybrid, they need to be commercial, not saved seed because otherwise they may not grow. The seeds should be for things you might use in a salad or its dressing, such as lettuces (NOT Iceberg though please). Purple cabbage, mesclun or "baby greens" mix, arugula, watercress, radishes, salad-dressing herbs like oregano, sage, parsley and marjoram, green onions, garlic and chives also are all good. Also welcome are cooking greens, including Asian greens like tat soi and choi sum, spinach, broccoli raab, kale, turnip greens and mustards, goosefoot, asparagus, etc. In this swap, MILD salad peppers (no hots!) are welcome too, as are cherry tomatoes (no big tomatoes, we want salad-specific bite sized ones.) Edible annual flowers that can be used in a salad like borage, salad burnet, fennel, violet, pansy, calendula, etc are welcome too. (No perennials such as roses!) Please include a list of what you are sending, so I can hopefully avoid sending you too many seeds that are identical to what you sent in. Include a wishlist of the 3 things you'd most like to get. Send packets with at least 10 seeds per pack, more is better but 10 is ok. Seeds must be clearly labeled (variety name, year packaged, and your GW ID so I don't send you your own seeds.) Growing info such as sun/shade is good too, but not required. If we don't get at least 12 participants signed up here by March 7, this swap will not "make". But I think we can get 12! :) Let's all March into some Green fun together with this swap! Post here if you'd like to join and make sure your email is not blocked. :) Thanks, grovespirit