Thanks to Mikec...the first of a whole raft of hibiscus blossom!

Lovely shot. So clear, the little droplet stand out.

thank you Tog. Good thing I got this shot when I did...they were touched by frost last night and tonight it's supposed to go to minus 3. (Celsius)

Is it growing outside? The Hibiscus during our very warm winter have been flowering like crazy! :>)

hello D1! They are so beautiful, aren't they? I decided to cover the bush with some leaves and let the snow be an insulator. They survived the previous winter being uprooted and kept in a holding bed at my cousin's place. They can be grown successfully where I lived before but I'm not sure about our present location as we are about 180 kms. north and west, in a climatic pocket between the Great Lakes and the Ottawa valley and at a higher elevation as well. Fingers crossed...will report when spring arrives.

Yes, they're beautiful! Is this Hibiscus rosa-sinensis or H. syriacus? All the varieties grown here are of H. rosa-sinensis.

I'm not sure, D1. I think it could be syriacus because it has gray-green foliage, soft velvety leaves, multiple shoots from soil level and the flower stamen are more numerous arranged in a whorl around the style and much shorter than the pictures I've seen of sinensis. What is your opinion? I know it's hardy to zone 5b as a neighbour used to grow it and it started well from seed in my previous garden. It bloomed very late in the season...and we experienced a very early frost (first week of Sept.) which killed my dahlias, singed my hibiscus and stopped the further blossoming of other perennials. I was not happy about that but there's not much I can do about it besides cross my fingers and hope that it comes thro the winter. will certainly post any progress.

If it's growing in the ground, it must be H. syriacus, because H. rosa-sinensis is very tropical.

I thought the leaves of your H. rosa-sinensis were waxy and shiny...whereas the leaves on my H. are soft and hairy. Am I right? I planted the seeds not expecting anything and this plant (if it has survived the winter) will now be three years old!

Lori:

Yes, the leaves on most varieties of H. rosa-sinensis are very shiny.

Hope your Hibiscus survives the winter!

That is so pretty !

Thanks Amy! Can't beat them for sheer beauty!
D1: It has survived! I cut it down to ground level as the shoots from last season were quite dead. It survived in the garden with only a light covering of leaves...I am so thrilled...the shoots are only now peeking through the soil!...Will post a pic. I hope it grows very quickly. Seems the extremely early frost of last September was a freak occurrence so my hopes are high for this year.