I recently turned a $25 gift card from The Home Depot into two Hibiscus ‘Kopper King’ plants. They were sitting in hiding between hundreds of tired looking Arborvitaes and figured “It’s not like I’m going to spend the money on anything else in this store. I couldn’t fix a leak or patch a wall if my life depended on it.” So the decision was made. Let’s give these babies a try.
I found the perfect location for these plants and was all ready to plant them when a very vital and critical decision came into play. Keep the gigantic, otherworldly and beautiful blooms on the plants …
… or be the smart gardener and cut off the blooms so the plants could focus their efforts on root growth. The plants will already be stressed being planted in the heat of summer (my bad) so removing the blooms will not exhaust them completely trying to maintain those flowers. Plus, the exhausted plant is much more prone to insects and diseases.
The classic long term versus short term benefits debate. So I figured, let’s try both and experiment a bit. Let’s get all scientific and shit. Plus, it’s not like the appeal of this plant is all about the blooms. I love the large, dark colored leaves.
So plant #1 remained as is with the buds and blooms attached:
and plant #2 had all of the buds and blooms removed:
We will track this experiment closely and I am hoping to see visual proof that the removal of buds and blooms really does benefit the plant in the long run as expected. This sort of reminds me when scientists closely monitor two twins who are raised under different circumstances. Well maybe not … but you get the point.
Later
ONG
Do you get Japanese beetles there, or is that just a South thing? I have no idea. They’re the reason I don’t buy those hardy hibiscus. They munch the hell out of those things here.
Great idea – I had never thought of doing that when planting in hot summer. I can’t wait to see the end results. I’ll be here waiting to find out! By the way it’s a beautiful plant!
I look forward to the results. Too bad they won’t grow here. Only as annuals, sadly.
Great post. Like your thinking…..look forward to the results.
ooh! I LOVE a good experiment!
Great idea to solve the problem! We grow Kopper King in southeast TN and have to say, it is more about the foliage than the flowers which only last one day. It is late to return in spring, so mark it somehow so you don’t plant something else on top of it. Good luck!
Frances
A great addition to your garden. The foliage is striking. I’m anxious to see the results of your experiment as well. I used to have perennial hibiscus in my old house and they grew at least 6′ tall in some areas with rather large trunks at that. I also collected the seeds from the pods that formed in late summer and was able to reseed my own the following year. Nice choice.
Great idea! Whenever I have two of a plant and am unsure of how to proceed, I too like to split the difference. You gain a lot from watching the successes and the failures!