Genus: Hibiscus

Some have germinated for me and I overwater some... :( I'm not great with seeds... I've got one that I transplanted to a larger pot. I'm afraid to put it outside...it's been so hot.

These always gave me a fit too, I finally gave up and dug up all my hardy hibiscus and gave them away. I never knew they were sawfly larvae though, I just knew they were a pain in the butt...lol

great pic! I have one of them doing the same to my Explorer Rose. squish, squish, squish...then I soap the plant down,,then give it a hosing down with a strong stream of water to loosen and wash away any other eggs... plant takes a bit of a beating but the recovery is swift.

Or red ovipositored! lol. thanks for the great ID...I have seen plenty of these, witness my ravaged VC...sorry about your hibiscus.

Gr8 picture, but must admit i hate to see the poor old plants leaves eaten away :-)

they look great together

Great colour contrasting too!

Saw 1 of these @Eden Diohio there Beautiful :)

Naughty little things!!

So thats what a sawfly looks like. Something eats the edges of my Acer Ginnala every year and I never see anything. Maybe it's a sawfly.

Hi you say you have 17 Hibiscus in side. I take it from this they are in 18ins plus pots in a greenhouse what soil do you keep them in ?

I grow about 20 different hibiscus but only three in the garden. The garden plants have only recently burst in to leaf (I'm in Devon) the remainder are flowering frequently - your plants are most likely too cold where they are.

Hibiscus is a tropical plant, grows readily in Florida. It is therefore accustomed to 12-14 hours of light per day to open blooms. The most common reason for blooms to not open is lack of water - the plant conserves water for the leaves, forfeits water for blooms. It is also accustomed to a humid environment. A common pest is Thrips - open a bud and shake it over a sheet of white paper. If tiny black specs shake out, your buds are infested with a bug which feeds on the interior (soft and moist) part of the bud. You would need to consult a local expert for treatment of Thrips in your part of the world - good luck!

Hi
Yes i fertilize the plant and have been using pelleted chicken manure and home made compost in the spring.

In an attempt to get the buds to open I have for the first time this year used rose fertilizer.

The colour of the buds are a purple colour when i open them up and there are lots of buds all over the shrub.

Do you fertilize this plant? What color are the buds?

That's brill ! Really vibrant !

Good Luck, Tasteyg... hope the seeds germinate for you.

Spritzhenry- I was wondering the same thing... I'll try to start a few in a sunny window. I read that you should sow these in ealry spring, so I'm a little late. We'll see. Good luck :)

I bought some seeds to try to grow this great flower - I haven't planted them yet. Do you think it's too late for this year?

Lori this is hibiscus trionum. The center looks black to me, but I think that it's a deep, deep purple. You can see a tiny hue of purple at the edge where the dark center meets the white. I collected some dried seeds pods and I'm going to try to grow it. Wish me luck. It's a beauty isn't it?

WOW!... is that black at the centre? or is it very deep purple or blue?
Gorgeous, gorgeous flower. It's like an artistic composition, so perfect in colour and proportion...What is the name of the variety? Gotta have one.

very pretty ..and exotic... colour is quite amazing.

Please post some Seed pod pics Tasteyg 2 show us :)

I love this flower and the seed pods a pretty cool as well.

Quite stunning!

Very Sharp Colour :O

You're very talented with a camera.! A very colorful, crisp, clear picture. Keep them coming !

I love them too, and now have another hardy red one and 2 tropical ones, white and the other one is shades of pink. You're in zone 5?? or Zone 6? I think they're hardy to zone 5, so I think I'd probably worry too. Maybe you could mulch them heavily in the fall to help them through.

Great capture on camera!

I love these and have a couple clupms in white. They come up so much latter than my other plants and i always think that they didn't make it through the winter.

Love all your black and white photos

Is this a Hibiscus? Lovely colour