President's Message: IHS Milestones|Greetings From The Editor| Welcome From The Membership Chairperson|A Changing World|Hibiscus En Passant|Hibiscus Around The World|Florida Shines In Tahiti|Hybridizing In Hawaii|Morning Coffee With Nadeen Pickard|What Viewers/Readers Want - Poll Results|Grafting Made Easy|Hibiscus Notes|Secretary's Report|Why Use 'K' For Potassium|Seeds And Seedlings|Garden Views|The Genie Chronicles|About the IHS Logo & Theme Flower|IHS Membership|IHS Elected Officers / Board Of Directors|

IHS Milestone

(Richard Johnson)

Official Inauguration:

The IHS was officially announced on June 22, 2000. It was created by Richard Johnson, a native American and naturalized French citizen, who lives in Tahiti. The IHS was founded on the belief that hibiscus enthusiasts around the world could together find new and interesting ways to enjoy what is arguably one of the world’s most beautiful flowers. It was felt that established as an Internet society based on the democratic principles of civic organizations, the IHS could be developed by the collective interest of its members, which would determine its future.

Communications:

Accordingly the society communicates via their mail list. Subscription to the mail list also constitutes membership in the IHS, which is free of charge. Hence, members are in contact with each other on a 24-hour basis to discuss anything of interest: the triumphs of their hibiscus day, to information of interest to others, to problems that they might be having with their plants.

Membership Categories:

When members sign up they can do so in one of several categories:
1) E-mail — meaning all communications automatically are forwarded to their email address as they are posted by others, 2) Digest — meaning they can opt to receive just one email message each day which includes all the day's messages encapsulated into one, however, photos and attachments are not visible in digest version, and 3) Web Site Only/No mail — which means one receives no email but can go the host’s website (http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups) and view all messages posted or access the many other features available to IHS members.

Photo Capable and Achievable:

The IHS mail list is both photo capable and archived. These are great features, which makes it very easy to illustrate messages with digital images, and all of it is archived for later reference. Accordingly, one of the features widely appreciated is the daily hibiscus photo received to brighten every day and keep the blues away. Moreover, members can post photos of interest, such as a mystery bloom for which the name of the variety is sought, a particularly beautiful bloom of the day, disease problems, etc. Also, all communications are archived and searchable, meaning that if someone wants to refer to a previous communication, they can go to the mail list’s host’s web site http://groups.yahoo.com/mygroups and under the IHS group click messages. To facilitate finding things one can either: 1) enter a key word in and click on the search button, or 2) go to the files menu and look in the folder where certain things have been placed for easy access, e.g., the folder for "hibiscus of the day", where such photos are easily found and viewed (at this writing the files section is still under construction). Using the search function and files reference, this feature will make the IHS a veritable Hibiscus Encyclopaedia, increasing in value as data are posted into the archives.

Officers Elected:

On Monday, August 7, 2000, the IHS proceeded to elect its first officers and regional representatives, which together form its governing body, the IHS board of directors. (See associated list of IHS Board Members and their contact info.) The board communicates on business matters on a separate IHS BOD mail list, the significant actions of which are posted monthly by the IHS Secretary on the main IHS mail list. Some of the first matters of business of the IHS BOD are the establishment of bylaws, legal non-profit status, this cyber publication, and membership development. Regarding the first two items, the present situation can be viewed on the IHS web site under Statutes, which will be modified as these aspects evolve.

IHS Interactive Programs:

The IHS is much more than just a mail list or discussion group. It has activities in which its member can participate. Such activities include:1) contributing to the Hibiscus Cultivar Archive, which features photos and information on varieties of Hibiscus rosa sinensis and other Hibiscus species (hopefully to be developed as one of the most important resources of its kind); 2) contributing to the articles section including categories for: A) Hibiscus Care, B) Grower Essays, C) Hybridizer’s Corner, D) Garden Tours, etc.; 3) IHS HOTY Program wherein members can nominate varieties to be considered for the IHS Hibiscus Of The Year which is determined by popular vote of the membership; 4) IHS MOTY program, wherein on a point system the IHS Member Of The Year is selected; 5) Quarterly Photo Contest with numerous categories. Winner of certain of the activities receive recognition and awards.

Hibiscus International:

November 1, 2000 marks the inauguration of this cyber publication, called Hibiscus International, which is the official bi-monthly publication of the IHS. It is hoped that we will eventually attract international contributions which will make this one of the important hibiscus publications. It may eventually be produced in hard copy, so that those hibiscus enthusiasts without computer access may appreciate its contents. These subscribers will essentially become IHS MALs, members at large.

The IHS is a Hibiscus Society:

The main difference between the IHS and classic hibiscus societies is that its members have in common Internet access rather than being from a specific geographic location. Like classic HS organizations, the IHS is democratically constituted and designed to evolve as per the wishes of its membership. If you have an interest in hibiscus and access to the Internet, the IHS is a must and a superb way to supplement your hibiscus interests.

Greeting From The Editor
(Damon Veach)

It is a pleasure to be your first editor, and I only hope that I can do justice to the title. The purpose of this publication is to offer positive and constructive information about one of the most beautiful flowers in the world. Anyone wishing to submit articles for publication can do so by sending material directly to my home address or by e-mail. This information will be found on the last page along with a list of our board members. It is indeed a great honor to work with so many knowledgeable professionals from all over the globe.

Questions and answers provided by others can be directed to any of the IHS board members, and these will be posted on the IHS mail list and be printed in the next edition of Hibiscus International under the section hibiscus notes. That's one of the purposes of our group, to help new hibiscus fanciers and to preserve the knowledge that has already been gained from hybrid specialists all over the world. There are many benefits to membership, and it's free. All you need to do to be a member is to follow the directions as given in "The President's Corner," and then begin to enjoy the wonderful world of hibiscus. Actually to make it easier, if you want to join the IHS just say so in an email sent to the President, Dick Johnson at diveta@mail.pf and he will automatically inscribe you.

For now, just sit back and enjoy this first effort. It's not worthy of any major literary prize, but it is well worth your time to indulge yourself in a little hibiscus chitchat, trivia, and well-documented data.

Damon Veach, Editor.

Hibiscus Anderson’s Double Red Photo by Damon Veach

Welcome From The Membership Chairperson
(Gloria White)

As both the chairperson for membership and the mysterious flower genie, I welcome you one and all to the International Hibiscus Society. The IHS is an ever changing and growing organization, and with a current membership of nearly 120 we have exposure to experts from around the world. Moreover, with the added advantage of no physical boundaries, we can accomplish much as a Society.

We have the opportunity to make a very real contribution to the hibiscus world in dynamic and rewarding ways. With our combined strengths, we can make a solid foundation for a global hibiscus library, photo archives, an international newsletter and other not yet conceived projects that will take hibiscus and us as a group into the next decade and then onward.

I'd like to close with something special I have composed for the group.
On a sunny day, the mysterious flower genie was walking in the enchanted garden and low and behold a ray of light shown from the sky onto a gem of many colors. This gem was rare and beautiful. This gem was of untold riches and was going to be the crowning glory of her garden. The sun's rays brought out the colors of amber and a pale pink like rose quartz. This gem so delicate, so wondrous to her eyes and the mysterious flower genie decided that this was going to be her gift to the world.

Hibiscus Amber Suzanne Photo by Chris Noble – Hibiscus World

From the chronicles of the mysterious flower genie from the peninsula of flowers - Amber Suzanne).

A Changing World
(Larry Johnson)

The world is changing constantly with all the modern marvels of communication. It's awesome! What's even more awesome is how the world is shrinking so fast with all the new ways of sharing ideas and successes. Take hibiscus, for instance.

Someone is collecting seeds off a hibiscus bush in Australia, west of Brisbane, and also in South America, about 30 kilometres from Rio de Janeiro and somewhere in Tahiti seeds are being collected from calculated crosses between two cultivars of hibiscus. These are pollinated by hand, recorded, and guarded for 40 days and 40 nights with hopes of realizing seedlings that have abundant blooms that do not resemble either parent too much.

The best hibiscus cultivars haven't been crossed yet. The quality is getting better each season. Size is getting more reliable. The 7-11" flowers are slowly but surely coming on better blooming plants. The 4-6" size blooms are becoming even better bloomers as well. The seedlings have a lot to offer this world of hibiscus culture, especially if we carefully select the parents and realize the improvements in their prodigy. Some of my favorite blooms are still the smaller ones, like Corona, A-May-Zing, Erin Rachael, and Jaffa.

We've only just begun to create new hibiscus traits - colors, spots, bands, ruffles, tufts, textures, sizes, singles, crested singles, doubles (in all their forms), and in all these combinations.

What excites me about hibiscus? It's simply the best and for me this would be Pink Splendor - a 7" double with a red center, a light pink body and rich pink edges. It's a great bloomer on a strong upright bush and a great combination of Seminole Pink x King David, the proud parents. The pod parent is always mentioned first. Just always remember that it's ladies first followed by the pollen parent.

Beautiful plants and bloom combinations are always exciting, like Mallory, for example. She has those dark green, glossy leaves on an upright 6-8' well branched bush that blooms well and displays its 6" double flowers that are rich red in the center with a broad white edge. Quite showy!

What else is exciting for me to see as a commercial grower? Well, it's the extreme blooming ability of 5th Dimension that blooms from nodes that are down on the bare limbs after the main leaf has fallen away as well as at almost every node on the tips of the limbs. The ability to re-bloom on older nodes is unusual and rare.

Also of interest is the extreme blooming ability of Pagan Love. It has the ability to put out two bloom stems with buds at many of the nodes rather than just one, producing an abundance of flowers. It is a 6" single with bright red center, an orange tint on a yellow body, medium texture, 100% overlapped, ruffles, tufted, slightly reflexed, and with broad petals. It's a heavy bloomer on a three to four foot bush. It's good container plant for those patios and balconies that need some color.

It is all so exciting discovering what is available in hibiscus around the world and which ones do better in some regions and not in others. Yes, it is an excitement that is not nearing an end. Hibiscus can change the look of your landscape for the better, and many people are now enjoying their beauty.

(Larry Johnson is a native of Miami. He and his wife Sylvia operate Lots of Hibiscus, and they grow five to six thousand plants each year for retail, wholesale, and evaluation purposes.).

HIBISCUS En Passant
(Damon Veach)
Tips for Collecting Unique Hibiscus

I've been collecting my favorite flower for more years than I care to remember. In fact, I couldn't if I wanted to, but that's a story for another day.

My real interest in hibiscus has been in the back of my mind even back in my college days. However, when you have a family to care for and your job requires you to move from Louisiana, to Texas, to Pennsylvania, and back to Louisiana, it is difficult to keep your favorites in perspective. During this early period of my life and career, I collected iris, lots of iris, and even belonged to the Fort Worth (Texas) Iris Society after I graduated from Texas Christian University. (For all you Longhorns and Aggies out there, that makes me a Horned Frog.) When I was transferred to Pennsylvania, my iris went with me, when I came back to Louisiana, they moved back with me. Finally, without knowing if my home base was permanent, I gave them all to friends who would care for them until I asked for some babies for my own yard. That actually never happened, and I just bought a few others, but in the meantime, my permanent residence got to be more stable, and hibiscus came to the forefront.

This actually started several years ago when a fellow newspaper copy editor and friend moved off to Puerto Rico to become copy editor of the San Juan Sun. We worked together in Baton Rouge on the copy desk of the Morning Advocate. It was at this time too that the local paper as well as others picked up my genealogical column from the Newhouse Syndicate (owners of The Times-Picayune in New Orleans, and a few major magazines, such as Conde Nast Traveler). It was the extra column money I was receiving as well as profits from a little publishing venture I owned that allowed me to invest in a guesthouse he purchased in San Juan.

With a free suite at my disposal, needless to say I was a frequent visitor to the island and other islands in the Caribbean. It was here that I became enamored with hibiscus, and it was from this point on that I started my collecting.

I've been classified as a collector, and I really am, but shows are not necessarily my interest although I have participated in the Baton Rouge show, actually winning best collector single and collector sweepstakes on my first time to exhibit. The ribbons are nice, but going out into my garden and gazing upon my beauties are more my style. I have yet to begin grafting and making little hibiscus babies, but that will come in time.

I wanted to share just a few tips on what I do in the late summer and fall of each year. The comments to follow have nothing at all to do with our major hybridizers and nurserymen who supply us with beautiful plants. I'm talking about the stores that these people sell their products to.

Local nurseries, like my favorite here in Baton Rouge, called the Louisiana Nursery, buy from several different sources. I buy from them in the spring, but I try to limit my budget because all those better ones are always more expensive usually than what you can buy by mail order, and in some cases you don't know what you are getting. I also like to support those who support us with great advice on their web sites.

I study the local nursery's sources, record the ones that seem of interest, and if I don't buy them immediately, I make notes of which I would like to have. I have learned that usually most people who don't know their hibiscus by name will only buy those with flowers in bloom at the time they pass by them. In other words, they buy exactly what they see, planting them in the yard and not really knowing how to care for them properly.

I'm using my notes, both mental and handwritten, now to pick up some bargains. If you have been reading our correspondence on the IHS web site, you will know about some of my bargains. However, before you buy those bargains, think it through thoroughly. Where will you store them through the winter? Do you have a greenhouse? Do you have a space in your garage or a porch area that can be covered during cold snaps? Do you have window space to accommodate the new additions?

After you figure out where you will store them, go back to the nurseries frequently and watch for the markdowns. My local nursery goes 20, 40, 60, and 80 per cent at different times. It's 60 now, but it also helps if you buy enough and become friends with the manager or some of the employees. They can tell you of approaching bargains and even put them back for you to pick up later.

Recently, the Louisiana Nursery manager told me he had a "Chocolate something" left over from a show they had conducted with numerous garden sources in May. This "Chocolate something" I knew had to be Chocolate Mousse, and it had been lost in the shuffle, left back in the back by the gazebo, and when I finally located it, this beauty was wilted and completely neglected. Thus I gambled on paying $4.21 and coming up with a prize for my garden. The result today is a beautiful plant, fully recovered and about to bloom again.Only yesterday, I went to my nursery source to buy some more pots for some other hibiscus I recently purchased directly by mail order. Of course, the pots were selected (also on sale at this time of the year to make way for winter supplies), and I immediately made my way out to the hibiscus collection, or leftovers. I had just checked out the plants a week earlier, and this time I came up with one for only $1.70. It was Hot to Trot. And so was I at my luck with this one.

If I want to put something in the ground, I usually do so by cuttings that I've rooted. When I purchased my home, I immediately started my overall landscape project for providing shade and the proper conditions for certain plants. Last year, I filled the interior of my front yard with potted hibiscus. This year, I put them on my parking area, which is in the back of my house. Since the green house is where my patio was originally, I decided that it would be simpler to leave all those large pots nearby so that they would be easier to move into the greenhouse in November. It also keeps people from picking the prize blossoms by keeping them hidden away in the back. Lots of people walk down my street or drive by to see the old homes and gardens. It's a historic part of Baton Rouge, and also a block away is the Catholic/Presbyterian complex where older people come to live. I have encouraged these residents to come by and enjoy my garden. If I'm there and see them, I can offer them a flower to brighten their day. A local property owner also donated a plot of land behind the complex for a park strictly for the older residents to enjoy. The hibiscus plants are beautiful there and in full bloom because of the care they are receiving from volunteers and from the residents themselves. Some of those cheap hibiscus bargains, the garden varieties that I purchase at extremely low prices, will be placed in their original pots around the base of the larger plants during the winter, or in a secluded spot where they can be protected from frost. In case of a freeze, I sometimes fill my foyer, or utility room. I have learned that I don't mind washing clothes in a jungle as long as my garden will benefit come spring.

If you watch your local nurseries, you can come up with many great buys. Some will need more tender loving care than others, but the end result is a beautiful garden in your future. For expertly-cared-for-plants, you need to stay with the big guys that you know from our numerous hibiscus web sites. They know what they are doing, and they always give you the best products. I just happen to know how to shop for bargains locally, and I find them because no one else has made the long-range plans for the following year. If it's late summer or fall, think spring. It arrives before you know it.

HIBISCUS AROUND THE WORLD
Florida Shines in Tahiti
(Richard Johnson)

There were also modifications of adjacent walkways, plus an entirely new civic area (Tahua To'ata) on land mostly reclaimed from the sea. The divider between the incoming and outgoing lanes has been planted mostly with impatiens, while one of the principal traffic circles and the grounds around the new civic area have been planted with the latest and greatest varieties of hibiscus imported from Hidden Valley Hibiscus in California.

Hence, these areas (not to mention countless private residences) now sport daily blossoms of hibiscus varieties from Florida, Texas and for that matter from around the world. No longer are these incredible hibiscus tucked away in private gardens, as they are now in the plain view of everyone, residents and visitors to Tahiti alike.

Since plants in Tahiti are a valued commodity, they are protected by city and government employees in order to reduce mysterious disappearances. They are cared for daily, seem to have been planted in good soil, and have been fertilized as evidenced by the presence of the time-release granules of Osmocote.

However, they do seem to have been planted a bit close. everyone, especially flower lovers, the Magic Flower Genie has blessed Tahiti with a new collection of innumerable gems of many colors.

Hybridizing In Hawaii

Although hibiscus hybridizing was tried at earlier times and in other places, Hawai’i was in fact the place where any large scale hybridizing took place, and the first recording of this was in the mid 1800s.

Large scale interest took off around the turn of the century, and by 1911 we had a Hawaiian Hibiscus Society. Several thousand hybrids were displayed at their first show.

Native Hawaiian hibiscus such as H. kokio (koki’o ‘ula’ula) and several varieties of native Hawaiian whites (Koki’o ke’oke’o) were often used as parents, crossing with plants introduced from other places.

As a volunteer at Waimea Arboretum and Botanical Gardens with our nearly 700 in-ground hibiscus plants, I am currently working on “cleaning up” the plants in the Hibiscus Evolutionary Garden where we grow some of these early hybrids. These include my favorites Elsie Wilcox, a 2” lovely light orange single with darker orange rays, Peachblow, Pride of India, and many others.

These early ones are really so very lovely, as are the original species plants.

(Special thanks go to Jill Coryell for providing this information)

Morning Coffee With Nadeen Pickard

This really has nothing to do with hibiscus but does follow the thread of
"Special Days" of which our hibiscus collections are all a part of. We tend to our beauties, and we relax. I think of all of you each morning while I'm having my coffee. Come in. Sit a spell. Enjoy a cup with me.

Well, dear friends, my son is now 20 years old, out on his own in the world and determined to make his fortune. He is and always has been strong willed and at times a true challenge. It seems so many centuries have passed since he used to look at me with the eyes of a child. Then to him, in his small world, I was super-human and I was perfect. I could do anything, and I knew everything. Time passes, and they look at you differently. The love is still there, but they have acquired the knowledge that we are not perfect. We are only parents, and then the teen years arrive when they doubt every word of advice you give and push the boundary lines of the rules you set in place.

Last week he came out for a visit, and we went fishing. It was a windy day, and the waves were strong, making trolling extremely difficult and anchoring in our small bay impossible. I turned the boat into the wind and headed out into open water. "What are you doing?" he shouted over the noise of the motor and wind. When I stopped the motor he asked again. "We'll let the wind push us, and we can start to fish from here" was my reply. That was not on his agenda at all. He wanted to fish along the shoreline where we'd be almost sure of a bite, and I was almost sure we'd end up crashing on the rocks. Those of you who have raised teenagers know that look. It tells you in a flash that you know nothing, and they know everything. I dropped my line in the water and glanced over to see the scowl still etched like stone in his face. "I'm going to catch a monster," I quipped. Nothing, not a glance or a chuckle or a hint of a smile. Some minutes later he too dropped his line in the water with obvious reluctance. At that very instant, Poseidon decided to bless me with a "hit." I won't go into the details, but suffice to say, it was a mighty battle. When the fish broke the surface of the water, my son's mouth dropped open. It was a 4-foot Northern Pike, a master-angler size for that species and a prized game fish for this area. In the end, we let him go and watched silently as he slowly made his way back to the depths from whence he came. I looked at my son, and there in his eyes was the look of days gone by. He just stood there smiling, and for that moment I was perfect once more. My one regret was not having a camera with me, not to take a picture of the fish but of that look that I have missed for so long, but the picture remains in my mind's eye and etched into my memory. It was a day the two of us could share one of those rare moments I will treasure and hold close to my heart.

Nadeen, lakeside in Manitoba, Canada

What Viewers/Readers Want - Poll Results

1 - Articles on hibiscus care
2 - Hibiscus Archive, photos with basic data
3 - Digital publication
4 - Articles on growing hibiscus
5 - Articles on hybridizing

GRAFTING MADE EASY
(Richard Johnson)

The following is a grafting technique developed by Jean Francois Giraud in France. He was kind enough to take the time to email me a description of his method and has agreed that I can pass this information on to those that might be interested. As far as the grafting of hibiscus in concerned, it doesn't get much easier than this. J.F.G. has about a 90% success rate with it, and the two grafts I did for this demonstration are now growing some 5 weeks later. The beauty of the system is that not only is it simple, it requires no specialized materials and those that are used (clothespin and plastic sack) can be used over again. Try it and maybe you will like it. Any feedback about results utilizing this system or suggested improvements can be sent to me at diveta@mail.pf or to J.F.G at hibiscus2002@voila.fr.

Another thing that is unique about this system is that according to J.F.G., it works just as well with green wood as with more mature brown wood. In my case the scion used had both, i.e., the graft union was with brown wood but the green growing tip was left on, and it was from the growing tip that the new growth began on the plants I grafted.

Just briefly, one takes a rooted plant which grows well on its own root (root stock) and attaches a branch (scion) from a fancy variety that normally does not grow well on its own root. The idea is to attach them so that the tissues transporting the fluids necessary to the growth of the scion are in contact. This means it’s basically a question of connecting up the plumbing. In reality, it is only the exterior tissues (cambium layer) which is the green layer just underneath the bark, which constitutes the plumbing that has to be connected, so the theory is quite simple. Once the tissues are in contact, the joint or union must be kept humid for the healing process to commence, which in this case is accomplished by placing a plastic bag over and around the graft. The graft should first be sprayed with a fungicide and the plastic sack should be fairly snugly in contact around the root stock so that condensation becomes visible on the interior of the sack sometime after the grafting has been done. Generally speaking, J.F.G. feels leaving a few leaves at the tip (more than in this demo) helps to draw the tissue fluids into the scion from the rootstock. Take a look at the photos and the captions to better understand this method.

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