Well, today is the first day of Winter, time to start a new discussion thread. Although there are still colder days to come, rejoice in the fact that from now until mid June, each day will be a little longer than the previous day.
I know there will not be a lot going on to talk about until it gets closer to spring, but if anything of interest comes up feel free to discuss it here. This would also be a good place to talk about your experiences, successes or failures of the past year and plans for the future.

Yessiree, I will be counting until spring arrives.

Well my potted Hibiscus are still sitting outside and doing pretty good so far. They have been through two light freezes of 30 and 32 degrees with wind chill in the twenties. Two of them now have buds on them.

Jay, are those tropical hibiscus'?

Yes, there both Hibiscus rosa-sinensis.

Horntoad said:Well my potted Hibiscus are still sitting outside and doing pretty good so far. They have been through two light freezes of 30 and 32 degrees with wind chill in the twenties. Two of them now have buds on them.

Well, they bloomed today.

Pretty blossoms. The 2nd looks like Painted Lady. Apparently these plants can take more cold than plant guides indicate. I have a couple of my hibiscus sitting in the garage next to the wall near the doors. When the doors are open, they get plenty of sunlight. But when we get temps in the 20s for several nights in a row, I'll have to move them away from the door and may even have to bring them indoors. It does not freeze in the garage, so I may just move them further into the garage and cover them, if needed.

Deebie said:Pretty blossoms. The 2nd looks like Painted Lady. Apparently these plants can take more cold than plant guides indicate.

You are correct, that is 'Painted Lady'. Some cultivars may be more sensitive, but common garden Hibiscus are grown in the ground around here. Here's one I photographed today that has been grown it that spot for years. I see them all over the area.

for sharing that tidbit and photo. I feel a little zone envy coming on. We get frequent frosts here, so the hibiscus plants will have to be protected. I should leave one of my common ones under the eaves and only bring them in when temps dive into the 20s, to see how well it or if it survives our winter. I'll see if I have another that I can plant in the ground in a microclimate, cut it back and mulch it very well. If the rootstock survives, that should be good enough, as these plants flower on new growth. What do you think? I am in zone 8a - SE by the way.

I know that slightly south of here, even in Charleston and Beaufort, SC (zone 8b), they can be grown in the ground, although the tips may get frost damaged. Of course both cities are closer to the coast (warmer air temps) than I am.

'Painted Lady' gave me a twofer today.

I got new Hibiscus in the mail today.
Hibiscus arnottianus subsp. punaluuensis

Oooo!
Would you believe, I was just crushing on some images of that species about 40 minutes ago!

Wow! Those leaves look huge. Congrats on your newest acquisition.

Those leaves are about 4" long on an 18" tall plant. According to the description the leaves on a mature plant can get up to 10".

That's amazing! Keep us posted on it's progress, especially when it blooms.

Have you guys seen the amazing color on this Hibiscus cannabinus? Sadly, it's not for sale.

https://www.facebook.com/Busta...

Wow, that is nice.

I noticed earlier this week that my Texas Star in the front yard is putting out new growth. I just remembered to take a couple of photos yesterday because a friend on the list sent me a photo of his barely starting to show.