A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2007 mysterious hibiscus

Last summer an avalanche of trees crushed my back deck and all the ornamental shrubs that surrounded it including a 10 foot tall white hibiscus. I cut it back to the ground and this summer it began to come back but not like the tree it had been. Also dozens and dozens of "things" sprouted all around the area. I thought they were weeds and began pulling them but didn't get them all.
Today one of the "things" that I missed bloomed and produced a beautiful purple hibiscus flower!!! How did this happen? The original plant has been white for the 12 years I've lived here. Also, how can I harvest and transplant them? They are single stems with one flower on them. Will they turn into a tree like the one I used to have?

HI mrsmessy What kind of hibiscus is it?is it a rose of Sharon?it is possible that what is growing is coming up from seeds.where you white one was it may have cross pollinated with a purple one so now the seeds are growing from them being knock off of the original tree.and the white one died when you cut it down to ground level.hope this helps.your friend in gardening.mike57

hey Mike - I think you are right. I looked at some pictures of hibiscus and mine must have been a white rose of Sharon. The new plants are everywhere but so far only one has bloomed and it was lavender with reddish center.
Can I just dig them up and replant them since they are growing under the remains of the old deck?

HI mrsmessy yes you sure can just dig them up and replant them where you would like them to grow.who knows you still might get a few white ones to.good luck with your hibiscus rose of Sharon plants.your friend in gardening.mike57

So you CAN grow rose of sharon with just the flower droppings. I saved some last year, but didn't get anywhere with it.

I'm woikin' on it though . . . I intend to get a lot of it together this year and have something to show for it come spring planting.

Maybe I haven't been paying attention for the last dozen years but I never saw any droppings or seed pods, and we never had these separate flowers growing all over the place until the tree got crushed. And I'm real sorry I weeded a couple dozen of them last week.

Carly - would you have the same result as I did when you are about a thousand miles north of me?

HI Carly after the bloom drops off of the rose of sharon hibiscus it will grow a small seed pod.in side the pod will be lots of seeds. the seeds are small,flat and fuzzy.pick them when the seed pod turns brown or just when they begin to open up.you can plant them about 1/8 inch deep in potting soil water them and keep them in the shade so the soil will not dry out. then just wait till they sprout up then plant them where you would like them to grow.hope this helps and good luck with growing them.your friend in gardening.mike57

OK Mike I'm hoping you have an answer to this too. The same plant has opened another flower and it is NOT the same color as the first one. The first was lavender and this is violet - I can see the empty hip or pod or whatever it is that holds the flower and the wilted lavender petals on the ground and right next to it on the same stem a new violet flower. I saw in one of the links a patriot hibiscus that had red, white and blue flowers on the same plant but it was bred to do that - what is happening with mine? Is it a fluke or does this happen routinely?

HI mrsmessy sometimes on newly started rose of sharon plant the first bloom can be a different shade of the same color since the first bloom has dropped off.the plants roots have grown a bit and has tapped into a different soil mix would be my guess.the color that you now have should be the true color of the blooms on that plant.diffrent soils will give you a different color variation of the blooms.the richer soil would give you the best color on your blooms.the first bloom was probably from the top soil the second bloom is from a different quality soil.hope this answers your question and make since to you.hope this helps.your friend in gardening.mike57

Yup - that makes sense. Sort of like hydrangea changing colors with the pH of the soil. Thank you.

You are very welcome.anytime i can help.your friend in gardening.mike57

You're probably right - it wouldn't happen the same way at all. Yours would grow faster, for one thing - warmer climate.

We have a problem with the roots getting tangled in the snow sleds - that's when the husky teams are in a bad mood.

Thanks, Mike - I have some planted in what I call my 'scrub pot' right now. I'll keep my eyes open for them to come up and separate them.

I usually separate everything once it starts popping up.

Hey Bev . . . I'm kidding about the husky dog team and the sleds - you knew that, eh?

Well Carly - The husky dogs around here get cranky when the Kudzu grows faster than they can run.

Mike - I'm thinking about adding some of these little shoots to my memorial garden - can they grow on a slope? Also - would they get so tall they shade everything else? Or, if I planted them under the trees would they get enough sun? Thanks for the info.

HI mrsmessy they will grow just about anywhere.there a slow growing plant so they should not shade everything out for quite awhile a few years or so.as far as growing in the shade i think it would be just fine.i have some in the shade,and full sun,and partly shaded areas also. they all bloom just fine.hope this helps.your friend in gardening.mike57

I just learned a lot. I have 3 different colors singles and doubles. I get new ones from stem cuttings. Just put them in root starter stick them in soil and have a new plant. I've done several like that. I love this site. Told my sister bout it.

HI lwilk56 yep you are right.here is the best way to start new plants from cuttings.And a BIG WELCOME to the fourm.

Thank you. Take a look at my other post and see if I am right about my saxifrage.