Hibiscus Love

I have a confession.  I am mad about hibiscus.  They come in such beautiful colors and the blooms are just so magnificent.  I can imagine myself in a tropical island brimming with them.   Now that would be a dream come true!

I recently had a beautiful coral colored hibiscus that I got from a local nursery.    My daughter Lindsay’s friend Brandi works at a florist/nursery and I popped in to say hello one day.    While chit-chatting I noticed a lonely hibiscus looking withered and worn in a spot under the stairs.    Naturally I asked about it.  “Oh, it’s full of bugs.”  Brandi said.  “So you’re throwing it out?”, I asked.  “Yup.”, she said.  So it was MINE!

I took it home, set it out on my deck and gave it a work over.   I plucked off the dead leaves as well as some of the older ones.  Over the course of last summer the “ugly duckling” grew from about 2 feet tall to about 3 1/2 feet tall and produced lots of beautiful blooms.  Like this…



Then when the seasons began to change, I had to bring it inside to over winter it the best that I could.  I don’t have any sunny rooms in my house so I knew for sure that there would be no more blooms.    So all of it’s energy went to getting taller.

In March, Ms. Brandi popped in for a visit and spotted the ugly duckling.  Her jaw dropped.  “Is that the one from the shop?”, she asked.  Indeed it was.  Now about 4 1/2 feet tall – lush and green but bloom-less.  She offered to take it into the shop to put it in the greenhouse.  I thought it would be a great opportunity to kick-start the blooming season since the proper weather for tropicals in the northeast was at least 2 months away.  Apparently a lot of customers liked it too!  Last month while Brandi was off for the day, one of her co-workers sold it.  For……$65!  C’est la vie I guess.

So I have been hibiscus-less so far this year.  Until yesterday!   I was in my local super-market yesterday and I found this…

A variegated hibiscus!  I didn’t know they existed!

It wasn’t in the greatest shape but it was a “Manager’s Special” and for $9.99 who could resist!

A pink one at that!

So after some plucking and watering, I’ll leave it alone for a few days.  Don’t want to completely traumatize it!  Then repot.  And pluck again! 

Oh, and I got another one today.    It will be given the royal treatment tomorrow, weather permitting!