I've been wanting to put some Texas Stars in the garden for a while but the trouble is here in Europe grown plants are extremely hard to get: the only nursery I found which listed Texas Stars as "available" had actually stopped propagating them two years earlier. I wonder what they pay their website for.

So I've been thinking about starting Texas Stars from seeds: I take it's not much different from hardy hibiscus, right? Or there's something else I should know, such as low germination rate, need for scarification etc?

One last thing: I see all sorts of seeds advertised already for the 2021 growing season. Given disappointing experiences with several seed companies in the past I'd like to buy good seeds, even if they cost me a few dollars more. I'm chiefly interested in deep red colors (think "Lord Baltimore" and "Fireball" hardy hibiscus) and snow white.

Thanks.

FYI: I think I read somewhere that Lord Baltimore is almost completely sterile so, just be aware of people selling "real" or "good" Lord Baltimore seeds.

Hi Luis: I am using Lord Baltimore merely to describe the kind of deep red I am looking for. I have enough H. moscheutos already and I am very happy with them.

I am open to all Texas Star varieties, as long as their seeds have decent germination rate and they have that same gorgeous shade of red as Lord Baltimore. And I also wouldn't mind some advice on a pure white Texas Star.

Thanks.

Normally I order seeds of the Red Star hibiscus off ebay though, there is a local grower that sells them fairly cheaply as adult plants. It doesn't hurt to ask for a bit extra padding wise when shipping especially if it starts its journey through the US Postal service. I normally start the seeds after an all night soak in water with a few drops of hydrogen peroxide to sterilize the seed surfaces. Then I sow them on a slightly moistened paper towel in a plastic bag. The water I moisten the towel with has a few drops of hydrogen peroxide in it to kill anything in the bag or on the paper towel. They tend to really go crazy and I have gotten 80+% germination rates which came as a surprise when I sowed 50+ seeds! Be aware they grow astoundingly quickly after germination. If you order off ebay make sure you order from someone in the south like Louisiana, Texas, Florida etc etc. The snow white version grows and behaves exactly like the red version save it has green stems/leaves with no reddish tint and no red flowers. They can grow in garden soil but if you have a swampy/boggy sunny spot they will be happier. I find that if they stay in regular soil they tend to only live a few years.

Oh, I was looking at ebay italy and there are several offerings for the Red Star hibiscus.

expand your seed search to include "Hibiscus coccineus Walter" ...also ..."Rose mallow, Star Hibiscus, Scarlet Rosemallow, Crimson Rosemallow, Wild Red Mallow & Texas Star Hibiscus"

the species name "coccineus" "in part" means "scarlet" that should narrow your search for any reds you might want ...and the "Walter" distinguishes the "star" growth form

https://www.wildflower.org/pla...

https://plants.usda.gov/core/p...

Pictured is a Louisiana native ... this plant re-seeded itself year after year .....until one day, the entire plant went missing ....the plant resembles marijuana so much - that somebody stole it - roots & all - thinking it was a pot plant ...am sure they ended-up disappointed

I am only aware of only two colors of the Texas Star. Red and White of which I have both. Both are a very attractive color. And have on several times grown them from seed. Here in my zone it returns annually. The best luck I have had growing them from seed is with the Dr. Deno, method. With about a 90 percent growth. Good luck with your growth. And as one of the other's mentioned above I gave a few to a family member and the Postman, warned her she had better be careful because the police would be visiting her home in the near future arresting her for growing marijuana. HA, he had not seen it in bloom yet.

I appreciate your feedback, but I have decided to give them a miss.

Thanks everybody.

Txtea said: I am only aware of only two colors of the Texas Star. Red and White of which I have both. Both are a very attractive color. And have on several times grown them from seed. Here in my zone it returns annually. The best luck I have had growing them from seed is with the Dr. Deno, method. With about a 90 percent growth. Good luck with your growth. And as one of the other's mentioned above I gave a few to a family member and the Postman, warned her she had better be careful because the police would be visiting her home in the near future arresting her for growing marijuana. HA, he had not seen it in bloom yet.

What is the Dr. Deno method? Would like to try it.

We currently have both the Red and Alba growing in our yard, which were started from seeds.
I just tossed them where I wanted them to grow. Both were well over 8 feet tall last year.