By:
Jim Purdie (All photos
used: Jim Purdie © 2003)
I would like to tell you about the way
I stake my hibiscus plants when I plant them in the ground. I consider that it
is necessary to definitely use a stake to tie the plants to as whenever I install
a new plant in the ground, because if you do not tie them to a stake when you
get strong winds, the plant will move in the ground. Because hibiscus have a lot
of fine surface feeder roots these fine roots break up as the plant continues
to move in the ground from the wind and, as a result, the plant does not get a
lot of the essential nourishment and the plant will decline, unless you stop the
movement by tying the plant firmly to a stake.
For this purpose, I use hardwood
stakes 25mm square and 1500mm long and drive them into the ground alongside the
root ball after I extract and plant the hibiscus from the pot making sure you
do not drive the stake through the root ball. I prefer to install the stake when
I first plant the hibiscus as there are no roots yet to be broken but if you leave
it until much later roots will have by then spread out into the soil and you will
damage them as you drive the stake in.
I use old metal Venetian blinds as
my tags (photo at left) and I cut them up into strips of about 3 or 4 inches and
then punch a hole in one end to be able to tie them with some tie wire to the
stake. To write the name and date on the tag I use a HB or a 2B pencil and unlike
marker pens, which fade quickly, the pencil will stay there forever. Do not use
4B or 6B as the lead is too soft and will wash off.
If you have a plant which wants
to grow sideways instead of growing upright, I start staking it when it is a young
plant especially when I see that it is going to grow prostrate on the ground and
take up more of its share in the garden than it should.
 |
Historically,
for some two to three centuries, man has gathered, collected and transported hibiscus
from many origins. Planted in gardens or green-houses, collectors of hibiscus
started to distinguish differences they observed on growth patterns; the shape
of the plant ; and, the characteristics of flowers. Gradually, these various observers
began to develop classifications based largely on various dominating criteria
and, at the same time, learned about the possibilities of propagation and hybridization.
From a largely broad point-of-view we can observe that the first hybridizers,
working locally with avail-able resources found in their particular environments,
did not significantly improve the potentials of hibiscus. On the other hand, others
with more adequate resources, privileged environments and a broader availability
of varieties from different origins, in particular Hawaii, succeeded to advance
the performances of hibiscus in a number of areas.
For clarity of discussion we will speak only about
hibiscus rosa-sinensis. In
the course of time, various groups of amateurs and passionate collectors gathered
and formed societies. Through this avenue came about the meeting and exchange
of many ideas that allowed a further improvement of knowledge in this field. To
make lively and animate these societies various persons in charge developed shows
and quickly determined that these were necessary to reward those with extraordinary
results. These were done according to geo-graphically situated establishments
and according to local practices. Different awards were bestowed ranging from
a diploma of merit; a certificate; silver and gold medals. Sometimes, such awards
were accompanied by particular decorations, ribbons, art objects and so on. In
Europe from year 1960 onwards, hibiscus has started to make its appear-ance in
many ranges of flowered plants despite the low number of available cultivars in
some rare collections and difficulties attendant with international exchanges
of plant material which do not support a broader establishment of cultivars. It
thus became necessary to carry out hybridization within the region to try and
widen the range and availability of new cultivars.The
very rare experiments undertaken by horticulturists did not make it possible to
carry out extraordinary jumps and advances. Most often, it was necessary to wait
for results brought about through the Research Center of Wageningen in the Netherlands
to begin seeing the appearance of a true evolution in the cultivars intended for
the pot culture. Having
been in contact with these specialists, I thus followed their example and added
my own contributions in the widening of these collections. The characteristic
of the Dutch researches were particularly based on observation of plant performances
resulting from their successive hybridization programs. Objectives being obligatorily
based on rigorous, powerful and non-emotional economic results in order to obtain
pot plants for commercial interest. It
is through such analysis of European-specific criteria that I invite you to consider
the following: a.
Observation No.1: The breeding of plants
are done in greenhouses. This imposes an investment which easily goes from simple
to more complicated financial arrangements depending largely on the geographical
localities of producers. This investment implies some rigorous management on the
surface and costs of exploitation. b.
Observation No.2: To address the preceding
requirements above, multiplication of plants must also take into careful consideration
such performance elements as time and economy. The best way is propagation by
cuttings for as long in-vitro propagation does not require a broad level of work. c.
Observation No.3: According to trade flows
and seasonal phases and settings markets, production must also undergo climatic
risks such as changes and requirements to adapt. It is thus necessary to take
into account this particular specificity which, in turn, is translated for the
hibiscus plants that includes an essential factor of precocity at the time of
its setting of flowers. d.
Observation No.4: The selected hibiscus must
find its place in an increasingly broad range of plants. This will be concretized
by performances of plants themselves on the qualitative level. Finally, we will
note that the European market is primarily a fast market of consumption and that
99% of plants will not be used in garden for obvious climatic reasons. The totality
of these observations makes it possible to describe a great number of require-ments
to which hibiscus cultivation in Europe must answer if it wants to find a place
in such market. We
will now consider an approach of various criteria to determine a good cultivar
in Europe: 1)
It's propagation: As an imperative, this
is achieved by cuttings of young growths because the desired rate of success should
not to be lower than 90%. What will be eliminated ? Cultivars with difficult and
delicate rooting including those having a time of rooting higher than 6 weeks.
The propagation with ripened wood cannot be retained as a means because the waiting
time frame of culture is too long in relation to economic objectives. 2)
The breeding of cultivars: Since its settings
are out in on pots cuttings will have to be established quickly and grow regularly
with pinchings which are essential to have well-branched plants. The cultivar
must at least develop 3 or 4 branches following the characteristics of its foliage.
What will be eliminated ? Irregular cultivars in emission of new growths or those
too slow to produce uniform growths. 3)
During the course of culture: Particular
observations will be carried out as to regularity of growth; the shape of the
plant with general importance to vegetation; color of the plant's dress ; and,
reactions to various plant health or growth regulator treatments. Moreover, the
cultivar will be in competition with other cultivars of equivalent colors which
imposes the problem of achieving a general homogeneity of various cultivars in
competition. What will be eliminated ? Cultivars exhibiting fallen ports; too
spread out; too rigid; dull foliage; malformed plants; and, irregular and badly
structured dresses. Also, Some cultivars develop deteriorations or react to manures
and treatments, as with the food deficiencies, various chloroses. 4)
Setting of flowers: It is generally this
first criterion that selections are based. The flower must have a beautiful form;
round with petals overlapping regularly; well-directed towards the top; and, covering
the foliage well. The distribution of floral buds is a not to be neglected criterion
either. The drawing of the flower and stability of color is also of primary importance.
Precocity is essential because it determines the possibilities of rotations of
successive production. What will be eliminated ? Cultivars having blooms which
fall of easily; hollow flowers; dull colors and tones; petals having irregular
pigmentations; and, cultivars that take too long a time in culture to become florally
ripe. 5)
Market setting: With all the above, the final
product is expressed in preparing departure of the cultivar to its markets. This
stage requires that the plant have good stability; resists variations in temperature;
and, satisfies all the requirements of packaging. The transport of plants plays
a great part in the behavior of a cultivar. It must be able to resist a lack of
light of approximately 72-hours and not be too sensitive to ethylene. This gas
is naturally released from the plants and hibiscus often have a particular sensitivity
to it. It is at this stage that stability of the floral buds will be tested. If
the plant does not experience a brutal falling off of buds then we can estimate
only the course of selection as satisfactory. This then is a tour of sorts as
what makes possible the determination of the true qualities of a powerful product
that is well-adapted to the European markets. Conclusion:
If you follow well the course of the various stages of selection, you will observe
that at any time, the size of the flower was not evoked. It is in fact only one
minor element of the process. It is at this level that we affirm the ways of European
selections which are definitely more drastic than those traversed by other selection
procedures in other continents. We
will also point out that a name as garden hibiscus (gv) would have its full and
whole reason for existence whereas nowadays, it is an erroneous and not very clear
definition. Finally, allow, the selector to dream of the days when we will exchange
photographs of flowered plants and either only of flowers. In my next article
we will consider more specific details. Jean-Francois
Giraud When
I hybridize, I firstly look for cultivars that have good growth characteristics
i.e. Rosalind, Ronda D (and others). I have discarded many cultivars with very
nice blooms (like Touch of Class) which bloom rarely on poor growth bushes, although
I realize that there is still a slight chance of a good result if crossed with
a cultivar of better growth habit. I
also lean towards larger blooms rather than small as there seems to be more general
acceptance by the general public. In my honest opinion, a miniature has to be
really special to stand the test of time although I realize they may bloom more
frequently than larger blooms. of
men and women in several parts of the world who have found satisfaction in following
in his footsteps. Dublin-born Telfair was a surgeon with the British squadron
which took the Island from the French in 1810. He resigned from the military service
and settled on Mauritius where he continued in his profession. Telfair
was a dedicated plantsman and in addition to his work with hibiscus, he collected
plants on all of the Mascarene Islands and the East Coast of Africa and sent them
to Kew Gardens in London. He is also credited with developing Botanic Gardens
at Curepipe and Pampelmousses on Mauritius. Most of Telfair's hybrid hibiscus
were described in contemporary English horticultural publications, together with
colored drawings made by his wife, an accomplished floral artist. Perhaps
the most widely grown early hybrid in the world is said to have been originated
in the Mascarene Islands, a cross between H. liliflorus and the single
form of Linnaeus' rosa-sinensis. It is a pink single with a dark eye-zone and
vertical striping on the reverse side of the petals. Often this stripe, which
is white, shows in the eye-zone as well. It is known in California and Texas as
Texas Star. In
fact, there was no significant improvement in the quality of the flower until
1902, when Walter M. Giffard, a Honolulu businessman and garden enthusiast made
the first crosses with native Hawaiian white as one parent and one of the many
imported cultivars as the other. The resulting hybrids showed great hybrid vigor,
but most important the flowers remained open for two or three days. This was due
to the fact that the heavy petal substance of the native whites is a dominant
character and is transmitted to its progeny. During the next two decades, thousands
of hybrids were proudly shown by hobbyists. Quite a large number of parent plants
were available to them, and the range of color and form of their seedlings seemed
endless. In 1911, Hawaiian hibiscus enthusiasts founded the Hibiscus Society of
Hawaii. This organization put on an annual hibiscus show at the Honolulu Armory.
In 1917 it is reported that 2500 different cultivars were shown !
Checking
on parentage, Gast found 33 imported varieties were used for the breeding. Most
of these were brought from the Orient, but an appreciable number were from Fiji
during this period, but on two visits to these Islands, Gast was unable to find
any old records. After
World War I, a new group took up the hobby. Most prominent at this time was J.
A. Johnson and John Walker. Johnson's seedlings had wide distribution and are
still grown in many parts of the world. He sent many to Florida and California
in the later 1800's. During
the early decades of this century interest in hibiscus in India and Ceylon was
shown by gardeners as well as authoritative agencies. In 1912, S. Percy-Lancaster,
writing in the Royal Horticultural Society of India's 'Proceedings and Journal',
presented a review of the work done with the flower and named 46 cultivars on
the Society's list. oooOOOooo
he function of a hybridizer of hibiscus
is particularly noble because it involves creativity and innovation. But the function
of a selector is completely ungrateful because few respect the work carried out
by the preceding function. For a long time, I've been astonished by a lack attention
given to the many selections that circulate on the mail lists. I think that it
would be useful that I employ objectives that retain a European selector's point-of-view
in order to draw some attention of hybridizers towards a better directed research
and more selective approach towards hybridizing. 
ear after year, rules were laid down and
specialized classifications created to accommodate a wide range of candidates.
For example, we have observed a particular tendency in some criteria of selection
to obtain increasingly large, increasingly colored and better designed blooms
but without too much regard on specific characteristics of the plant itself.
he totality of all these cri-teria can
apply on an inter-national scale as well. But if one considers that hibiscus is
an ex-cellent pot plant, it is also a very beautiful pot plant in large containers
as in gardens plants.
With each one of its vegetative
levels could be estab-lished qualitative classifications which would have some
comparative value at the international level and would allow the professionals,
as well as the amateurs, to be better informed on aptitudes of various cultivars
(Upper right photo: Hibiscus Monoculture Nursery Operation
in Sunny Cities, The Netherlands - J.F. Giraud © 2002).
June 2003
I next look for a prolific bloomer
when selecting parents. New seedlings which do not bloom frequent-ly will soon
fall by the wayside. With the above in mind, I now look for different colors,
other than pinks and red which seem to be more common. This is why I have been
trying to add some mauve, purple and brown blooms to my stock hybridizing plants.
Multi-color blooms always stand out from the crown and I am always happy to see
this in new seedling blooms. Color is not always easy to predict, however, as
this can be influenced by the grandparents and great grand-parents as well as
from the mother and father. A family tree
of your hybridizing plants can be very useful (Upper left
photo on previous page: Allan Little). 
I personally look for doubles (although
I still like a good single or miniature) and that is why I continue to use cultivars
like Anna Elizabeth (Left photo: Barry Schlueter © 2001)
and Rosalind which oblige more often than not.
On any competition bloom bench here in Australia, the singles usually outnumber
the doubles by a large margin. In the next few years I would like to see this
trend halted with many more doubles in the bench. 
Texture always plays a part in my
selection of parents and commonsense tells me not to cross breed with two weak
textured plants. I like blooms which do not recurve and strong textured plants
help in this regard. I also find that strong textured plants generally last more
than one day -- Evelyn Howard (Right inset photo: Richard
Johnson © 2002), is an exception.
Having said the above, I still
remember my first seedling bloom and I guess by today's standards, it was pretty
ordinary, but for sentimental reasons, it took me a full two years to trash it.
Just a few of my thoughts on the subject.
In Florida it is
usually referred to as Versicolor (Photo, Right)
and in Hawaii this 'hybrid' is variously called 'Puahi Bishop' or 'Cameroni'.
While English nurserymen continued to offer new hybrid hibiscus of their own breeding
during the middle and late nineteenth century, interest was limited because one
had to have a green-house to grow hibiscus.
Back to home
page
© 2004 International Hibiscus
Society
