I found a hibiscus to replace the one that has been dead for about six years. It wasn't until I saw this picture that I realized that the plant on the left has visions of being a topiary tree - except for that random shoot that comes out of the same root system and stands about 6 inches from the rest of the tree-wannabe. These poor things died back in a bad freeze a few years ago and one did not survive. So now we have the big bushy one, the wannabe-tree, and the short, squat new arrival. But at least they are all peach double blooms - it's as matchy-matchy as it's gonna get.
We had a double-blooming hibiscus (with bright pink flowers) in our yarn for years. It was here when we moved. The thing is, we live in central/northern Vermont (zone 4) and it is not supposed to be hardy here.
ReplyDeleteI don't know how long it was around before us, but the main trunk was several inches across. However, the winter (or old age) finally got to it and it died two years ago. I knew it wasn't healthy and rooted shoots of it (which took forever) and gave some away and kept some, but every last shoot got weedwhacked because in Vermont, these things don't even get leaves until the end of JUNE! So while everything else is in full bloom, having a one-foot stick in the ground with no leaves spells disaster.
Thus endeth the hibiscus.
Glad to see you have some!
hibiscus dont' do well around here in the winter, so they get brought in. i've tried to do it, but my kids have this tencency to leave doors open, and they get too much draft :(. those look very nice (even the offshoot topiary wannabe, lol)
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed that they lived that far north - VERMONT!? - at all, when these died back in a freeze about six years ago and only two came back. The new one on the right is how they are supposed to look, the other two are the oddities that grew after being abused by Mother Nature for years. I'm hoping I can feed and nurture the gangly ones to fill out.
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