This is another volunteer in my garden, drafted into service to provide summer color in the unirrigated wilds of the garden. These tough shrubs just pop up here and there and once established are very difficult to get rid of. My neighbor’s Hibiscus keeps growing through the fence and after about 5 removal attempts, I gave up and began espaliering it to the fence instead of trying to get rid of it. Time will tell how that works out.
Most people call this Turk’s Cap Hibiscus (Malvaviscus penduliflorus), however, my favorite common name for this plant is Nodding Hibiscus. The shrub itself is a bit rangy looking, shapeless and branchy with light green foliage. The flowers make up for the green part, being prolific and attractive to pollinators and hummingbirds. Originally from Mexico, it has naturalized on the peninsula and is tolerant of South Florida’s extreme variation in precipitation. My Hibiscus thrive in partial shade with benign neglect, no fertilizer and roots in sugar sand (dare I call it soil, I think not)
I like to cut these for arrangements, they add a bit of draping over the side drama and last well in a vase, but you have to be careful not to knock the flowers off, the stems are somewhat delicate.
This is a great vase, especially since you are using a not so loved volunteer.
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Thanks, the weirdest things pop up here! People included.
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I do like them in your vase. What are the milti-colored leaves?
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Thanks. The leaves are Mammey Croton.
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I thought they were Crotons. I guess you can grow them all year.
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Foundation planting on my peach colored house!!
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How tall will they get there?
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Three feet..dwarf variety
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Pretty arrangement! It is interesting that these hibiscus flowers never fully open – they make pollinators work hard for their nectar.
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Thank you. It is truly hard work for pollinators – I think they skip it!
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I like the name of nodding yucca. It sounds like something that would agree with anything.
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That is a good way to describe it – an agreeable plant.
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(Not many who know the desert or chaparral yuccas think of them as agreeable. I happen to really dig them.)
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I am visualizing you chatting with the yuccas about Starbucks coffee and things.
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Starbuck’s?! um, no.
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When I was a little girl, I was fooled to drink the nectar of Turk’s Cap Hibiscus.
It was sweet. I was laughed at by other playmates and teased forever.
Anyway, I once experienced how to become a butterfly. LOL
This post is great. Reminded me of my childhood.
You’re very creative:)
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Thank you, I am from Atlanta – we used to drink Honeysuckle nectar.
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That’s cool! I don’t know about that.
Kids don’t do that anymore:)
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