Ddmom said:Hi! I am new to all things plants forum. I love hibiscus . I am looking to grow hardy hibiscus from seed(not including rose of sharon). If anyone has seed to spare I could send SASE. I don't have hibiscus seed but I do have foxglove to trade . Thank you

to ATP! I don't have any hybrid cultivars but I do have some wild species if you are interested.
I have Hibiscus moscheutos subsp. moscheutos, Hibiscus moscheutos subsp. lasiocarpos, and Hibiscus laevis.

Ddmom -

I see new little sprouts on some of my hardy hibiscus!

that's always one of hte last thigns up in my garden... every year I think I've killed them, and then lo and behold I spot a tiny shoot, and before I know it the things are 5 feet tall and blooming their heads off!

Which ones have the best foliage for you?

Danita said:My MM must of heard us talking about it and started to push out some new leaves just after
I posted. Is sawfly breeding season over or will I still need to watch for them?

Pretty blooms, Rose!
Hooray for MM blooms, Critter!

Still got them up here in the mitten

I love the dark-leafed hibiscus varieties... 'Plum Crazy' has great foliage, deeply cut and colorful.

Does anyone know where to get Blue River II?

evelyninthegarden said:Does anyone know where to get Blue River II?

Hallson Gardens has it. They are an awesome source for these plants!

Oh, Clint! Thank you SO much!

I have been looking for this for a while now. I Googled it and everyone who carried the plant was "out of stock!"

Does Blue River II produce seeds?

I read some place that it does. The plants didn't look identical to the original to me.

I accidentally broke off the only shoot from a cutting I overwintered in an unheated garage while repotting it. I hope it survives!

I bet it'll sprout again if it has good roots.

I was breaking off old stems yesterday, and one came away with roots attached. So I potted it up, natch. We'll see!

I noticed that I posted that some of my hibiscus were sprouting on April 26th last year... I'd better start checking on them. We had an even milder winter this year, so I might have some early sprouts!

I have started Hibiscus 'Red Shield' from seed. Maybe I will try to do some more. Has anyone here grown it? Does it get up to full size in one season?

Phenolic said:I accidentally broke off the only shoot from a cutting I overwintered in an unheated garage while repotting it. I hope it survives!

Update: The plant grew another shoot from the crown!

Hooray! Mine aren't showing shoots yet, but my neighbor has a plant next to her pool patio (heat sink), and hers is up about a foot already!

I haven't grown 'Red Shield', but other hibiscus (like most perennials) will take a couple years to bloom from seed.

But 'Red Shield' has colorful leaves to enjoy while you're waiting for blooms, right?

Hey, I just looked it up, and it might be faster growing than most Hibiscus species...

Jill ~ I guess that I will find out. The seedlings are about an inch wide now. It's funny, but that part of the garden isn't weeded yet. I have been focusing on the White Flower Border, and then after that, the Cottage Garden Border.

(So many weeds, so little time!)

So true, especially with all the spring rain we've had around here! (The lawn was cut a week ago and is already overgrown, so you can imagine the state of the garden.)