We woke up Thursday morning to this gorgeous flower on our back patio. It is a hardy hibiscus (as opposed to a tropical hibiscus). Other names for the plant are swamp mallow, rose mallow and dinner-plate hibiscus. The blossoms only last a day but it is a prolific bloomer and there are lots of buds on the plant. It's a bit hard to tell in this picture but the blossom is about 8" in diameter. The petals have the texture of crepe paper. In past years we have had blossoms that approach 12 inches. In looking up the plant to make sure I had the correct name I learned that it really is a wet-lands/marsh plant. Therefore it wants LOTS more water than I have been giving it. We did transplant it to a bigger pot this year so maybe I can better keep up with it's water requirements. 
Beautiful flower! Nice to wake up to that.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful flower! I'm learning as I get older that I like working with plants too. It's very rewarding to see plants come back each year and experiment on new ones. I hope you have a nice summer.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture--your green thumb is really coming through.
ReplyDeleteGreat flower picture! It looks like it likes its new home. I've never seen one of those hibiscus here in the west. Hope you enjoy a summer full of blooms.
ReplyDeleteAs you said, it's hard to appreciate how big it is. You might want to place something for reference next to it. A ruler would work. Maybe next time. Beautiful bloom!
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