Wouldn't Want to be Without.........
8 years ago
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Modern Hybrids, raves or rants?
Comments (62)I guess I haven't been keeping up with how many new Hibiscus there are. Yes, 'Midnight Marvel' and 'Summer Storm' and 'Brandy Punch' all look very good. I've been looking at my 'Kopper King' with a more critical eye this year because I've had it long enough for it to be settled in. I realize that there is the side of me that is just a plant collector and the side that loves a great landscape. I think in the case of KK, my plant collector side is pulled to this shrub. I really anticipate seeing those huge flowers open every year. They fascinate me for the short time the shrub is in bloom. But as a contribution to the landscape, I'm not loving it. In fairness I haven't attempted to shape it so, one more year before I decide whether to keep it or get something else. I'm glad there are other choices....See MoreTen best Hoyas as houseplants for the beginner
Comments (18)Don, I find many of the 'scented' ones listed here have no fragrance to me. (But growing up in a house of smokers, I have a "stunted" sense of smell!) I would recommend H. austrailus ssp. tenuipes. I recently did a huge hack job, pulling it out of my tree (I also grow 98% of my hoyas out of doors year round) because the pot hanger broke. I did a real 'hack job' on it, and threw the bits in a tin wash tub... only to have it root quickly and rampantly. I took bits and stuck them in the ground around my property, and they've put on new leaves; deep burgandy with a lime green dot at the tip. The leaves are aging now so the burgandy color is fading to the usual lime green. (SueTran this goes for you too!) I'd be happy to provide you both some cuttings from the mother plant as I am thinking about moving the 18 inch pot in to work and I can almost guarentee some damage from that transport! For the neglectful type (as I am, also) I usually pot my hoyas up in self-water pots. Mostly hanging pots, but I've branched out in many directions. I can't recommend H. bella for S-W pots because it has seasonal fluctuational needs for water and S-W tend to kill them in fall! I've hade austrailus, kerrii, pubicalyx RHP, multiflora, obovata, fungii and carnosa in S-W pots for nearly four years now, and they really do aid in the 'neglect' arena! Good luck, I've been branching out recently and this Neglect Post reminds me I need to go water my newly arrived plants! Good Luck, Don! Don and SueTran, leave a note here, I will contact you. GW ate my DropMeALine ability! Tough having been here since '97, lots of changes!!! (Sue, you can reach out and contact me!)...See MoreYour must have equipment
Comments (30)My most used and cherished tool is my #8 Felco pruners. I actually have two!! Thought I lost the first pair and bought another and the old one showed up. I use one for the in the ground roots and nasty cutting jobs and the other w/ holster is at my side every work day and any time I head out to do Anything on the property. The first one is over 20 years old and the second about 15. Talk about value and all the parts are replacable thru Felco. Show me a pruner that has that kind of craftmanship, durability and stand behind their product and I might buy it for a gardener friend as a gift otherwise I will go with Felco every time. It is made with surgical steel so it won't hold rust like so many do that use cheap steel. It fits the hand extremely well and even has a wire cutting notch when needed. I compare it to a gun in the old west. If your life depends on it you get the best. Buy it once and enjoy it for a lifetime of gardening pleasure. This ad brought to you by a felco rep........ Ok how about a professional horticulturist that can't leave the house without his felco.:) Happy Growing David...See MoreYour favorite Old Garden Roses?
Comments (16)I wanted to learn about old roses, so I planted a bunch, from many different types -- whatever I could fit in my tiny yard. So I have a few each of Bourbons, Chinas, Damasks, Gallicas, Hybrid Chinas, Hybrid Perpetuals, Damask Perpetuals, Mossy Perpetuals, and two species ancestors -- R. moschata and R. fedtschenkoana. I also have a few each of different types of modern roses, such as Floribundas, Hybrid Teas, Hybrid Musks, Polyanthas, and whatever you want to call David Austin's roses. This may sound like I have hundreds, but I don't. In some cases, it's just two or three or four of each class. Then, since I ran out of room, I asked if I could plant some date-appropriate roses at an old church cemetery in my town. Great! So starting with the once-blooming oldies, I got to plant Albas, Centifolias, Mosses, Hybrid Chinas, Hybrid Bourbons, Gallicas, Damasks, and some old-but-not-OGR tree-climbers. So, smithdale1z8pnw, what's an OGR? Well, roses were divided into three basic categories -- Species, Old Garden Roses, and Modern Roses. The dividing line between OGRs and MRs is often repeated as being 1867 -- but that's only part-true. It's not when the rose came out, but when its class came out. So while the Tea rose 'Rosette Delizy' came out in 1922, it's still an OGR because the Tea class was around before 1867. Polyanthas as a class were recognized after 1867, so they're technically not OGRs but rather MRs. So even though the Polyantha rose 'Perle d'Or' (introduced 1883) is older than the aforementioned RD, PdO is considered a Modern Rose because Polanthas were introduced as a class after 1867. Why the year 1867? That's the year 'La France' was introduced, and was later granted a new class -- Hybrid Tea. While a few older hybrids between Teas and Hybrid Perpetuals were around from before, this was the first one considered different enough that it didn't easily fit into either Tea or Hybrid Perpetual -- so they came up with a new class. And that was deemed the dividing line between the "old" and the "modern". But there are Modern Rose classes which are embraced by fans of the OGRs. Why? Because even though they came out after Hybrid Teas, they retain an "old charm". Hybrid Musks (Modern Rose class) were bred to emulate and expand upon Noisettes (Old Garden Rose class). Polyanthas (Modern Rose class) were sort of like hardier Chinas (Old Garden Rose class). And then David Austin came along, and the "old flower form" became popular again -- even if the plants behave more like Modern Roses. Now, here's the rub -- where does "antique rose" fit in? I think of the word "antique" as referring to something at least 100 years old -- and I'm not alone in using the 100-year mark for the definition. Since 1867 was 150 years ago, that means a lot of Modern Roses are also antique roses. And since a few breeders continued to dabble with the oldies, we have some Old Garden Roses that are too young to be antiques. So, in my book, 'La France' is an antique rose (i.e. over 100 years old), but also a Modern Rose (i.e. a Hybrid Tea), and not an Old Garden Rose. Meanwhile, 'Rosette Delizy' is old, but not quite yet an antique rose -- give it another five years for that title. Being a Tea, it is still an Old Garden Rose and not a Modern Rose. And, to those of you who are curious to dip your toes into the OGR pool, I'd suggest learning a little about the general habits of each class before falling in love with a picture of a beautiful bloom and buying the plant. For example, if you don't get much Winter chill -- or if Summers come in hot and fast -- Gallicas and Albas will likely be disappointing, but you'd do well with Noisettes and Chinas and Teas. The classes among OGRs are a bit more ancestry-based than are how Modern Rose classes are put together, so that makes it a bit easier to figure out if something would do well in your climate. Oh, and don't be afraid of once-blooming roses -- think of them as azaleas or lilacs, mixing into the garden as "flowering shrubs", and you'll understand how to use them. While their annual flushes may last only a few weeks, they'll produce at least as many blooms in that period as similarly-sized repeat-blooming roses would all season. Also, generally OGRs will perform better as bigger plants than what you may be used to if you've grown mostly Hybrid Teas and Floribundas. They can be trained and pruned, but not generally as harshly as is recommended for "show roses". There are so many beautiful roses out there, it'd be a shame to miss out on so many because you want to grow "only Modern Roses." Or, for that matter, "only OGRs." :-) ~Christopher...See More
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