Garden Pic Wednesday: Giant Hardy Hibiscus!

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I'm very excited today---I captured a fantastic photo of a adult Eastern Pondhawk Dragonfly!
He was poised on a stick in the back yard near the back fence. I was looking out the sliding glass door and saw him land he stayed there until I walked back their to take his photo! (That they perch to rest is something they're known for.)  I'm pretty sure it was a male, which has a blue back, but he was in the sun with his head facing me, so mostly his black-filigree wings and large blue green eyes were prominent.
Also, I discovered I can take a pretty good picture of a bird right through my sliding glass door! I got a really good shot of a Blue Jay today, eating a piece of popcorn on the nearby fence! (He was about 12 to 15 feet away.)
I'm still getting used to my camera's capabilities!

Today's Garden Pic of the Day is my giant Red Hardy Hibiscus
in the front yard!
This thing is towers slightly more then 8 feet tall! I have an 8 foot stake in the middle I secure it's stems to as it grows.
(Otherwise the weight of the blossoms would it flopping over everywhere!)



This one has always been unusually tall and  grows this big of it's own accord every year. It creates a great visual barrier between our yard and the neighbors front window, which you can see in the back ground.
I have number of Hardy Hibiscus in a range of colors in various locations: a couple are deeper crimson then this one in the photo; I have two shades of pink: dark and light; and white, which has a pink tinge and a maroon center.
You can purchase seeds in a broad color range: white, creamy-yellowish, various shades of pink, various shades of maroon to red and even some bi-color.
About Hardy Hibiscus: It dies back in winter, then sprouts fresh stems from the same root, which slowly expands.  It has a tall, leggy form comprised of many stems, normally about 5 feet tall. It's beneficial to stake them, so they stay upright. It also seeds itself quite easily.

Next: a  nice photo of my friend, Jacqui's, Agapanthus she has in her garden. 
This one has a very full head, but they vary that way from breed to breed.  That's yellow flower in the background is a unique looking Cosmos. It's yellow with a burgundy center.


That's it for today! Come back tomorrow for Mama Kat where I'll be sharing my youthful 4-H experience!

Comments

Elisa said…
Beautiful hibiscus! I only have one, which is a tree. I'm in Zone 4, so I have to pull it inside for the winter. Would love to have one I can keep outside all year long.
Jun 28, 2014, 12:19:00 PM

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