Any flower this big has to be fun
Any flower this big has to be a fun thing in the garden. I don't say you can take this kind of blowsy flower seriously because it's a big, gangly plant with ginormous blooms. But it's a blast to see it unfold these blooms in the early morning and wonder at how nature could have ever put together something so preposterous as to be called a Hibiscus.
And the fun thing is that this is perfectly hardy into USDA zone 4. If you've not grown them before, here's how to grow 'em.
Just be aware that every time you see a flower like this, you'll put a grin on your face because you won't believe you grew it outdoors.
posted by Doug Green @ 11:18 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Thankyou for the information on hibiscus plants. Now I know how to nurture my birthday gift, but being in Ottawa I think I will opt to bring it indoors for the winter
Sheila
I have a magnificant 5-year old Lord Baltimore hibiscus that astonishes every one who visits my garden in late summer. It stands at least 6 feet tall and as wide in a moist part of my backyard garden.
Because it breaks dormancy so late, I decided this spring to see if I could "amp up" production by surrounding the growing area with black lava stone (found in building supply places like Home Depot). I figured that if the soil warmed a little more quickly, the plant would get a head start in my western PA zone 5 garden by the Allegheny River. Lava stone, being light-weight, wouldn't block the hibiscus shoots as they broke through the soil.
My plant did break dormancy earlier than usual and has bloomed furiously since late July. Japanese beetles were a pest but a beetle bagger took care of that. Another eater-of-leaves (small green worm or catepiller) also made holes in the leaves, but the flowers are many and perfect.
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