TimeOut

I used this title because my post is following the one on machinery for farming... otherwise they have nothing in common.

On our walks in the past few months I began to notice the prevalence of HIBISCUS flowers. Not really having any plant knowledge (other than raising orchids for about a decade), I just took pictures and stashed them away. Now I have so many I'm beginning to take a liking to these beautiful semi-tropical flowering plants. They seem to be extraordinarily happy in San Diego but I saw plenty up in Washington too.

Here's a compact description I found on the web:

The Hibiscus plant grows about 6 feet tall, 6 feet wide, and has medium-sized, glossy green leaves with large tropical appearing flowers. The flowers occur towards the ends of the branches and have a strong, sweet fragrance. Hibiscus flowers may come in pink, red, white, orange, salmon, purple or yellow and have beautifully colored centers. All Hibiscus flowers are similar -- conspicuous and trumpet-shaped with five or more petals. The size varies from a 2-inch diameter blossom to 10 inches or more. The center of the Hibiscus flower has a long stamen that gives this bloom its striking appearance (hummingbirds love them).

Some Hibiscus flowers last only a day -- the reason why they've been called “Flowers-on-an hour”. They open in the morning and wilt late afternoon. However, the buds grow quickly and new Hibiscus flowers continue to open over a long period, usually from late spring to mid-autumn.

Parts of the Hibiscus:

Pollinating action:

I'm not a biologist or a bee, so I can't identify the sexy bits of a hibiscus, but here's a diagram so you can figure it out for yourself.

Here are some varieties I have seen, organized by color:

I suppose there are lovers of hibiscus are there are watch lovers here, able to describe many of the 300+ varieties, and knowledgeable of their peculiarities, regional differences, etc.

I'm not one of those. I just like how they look.

Cheers,

Cazalea

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