Judging the Queen of the Tropics
An Island View of Hibiscus
By Gloria White

When I attended my first American Hibiscus Society Show in November 2000 at Fairchild Tropical Gardens in Miami, Florida, I was introduced around by Luc Vannoorbeeck and Russ Scobey to other members who included judges, junior judges, clerks, and other members. This introduction opened doors for me to meet people I would have not met so soon.

In this first group of people, Russ sat me down to clerk with Wally Neef, Ed Reynolds and Audrey McCarthy. During the process of judging the flowers (where I had the job of clerk), I got to know the people I was working with, and nothing helps breaking the ice more than laughter. But in this area I had a problem. I was told that I was sitting with a very serious judge, Ms. McCarthy.

Well, I think my enthusiasm and my friend Georgia’s delight in the blooms brought before us, soon had our table laughing quite frequently. After the show I talked to Ms. McCarthy about her home in the Virgin Islands and the hibiscus she had there. I learned about the recent problem they had on the island with the pink mealy bug and how it almost decimated the hibiscus. We discovered a common interest also in plumeria.

Since that Sunday, I have kept in contact with Audrey through e-mails, and I just recently missed seeing her again at the members meeting in Sebring, Florida. I chose her for this article because I think she is a well-respected judge and secondly because she has a wonderful sense of humor. I think this combination of traits has helped her in her 14 years as a judge for the AHS.

Audrey joined the AHS in 1985, and two years later was training at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with the senior judges in their chapter to be a judge herself. She has been invited to judge in Florida and throughout the U.S. and British islands and enjoys the process. If you ask her what is her favorite hibiscus, she answers she has “never met one she doesn’t like.” And that goes for all plants. In judging seedlings, she looks for “distinction.” Now, many flowers resemble other known cultivars so she looks for something that pulls that flower out of the ordinary and sets it apart.

Audrey McCarthy currently sits as a director for the AHS and will hold this position for a term of two years. She also sits on the seedling evaluation committee that must keep her on her toes searching for the one flower that stands above the crowd. At the St. Croix Chapter, Audrey has held the position of president, vice president, and treasurer and served as show chairman and show director. She has also served as show director at St. Thomas.

She has even put her hand to hybridizing, and I can name two cvs, Bradley and Gwen. Audrey was flattered that I would ask for an interview but really I am the one who feels honored to know her, especially in recognizing her abilities and who remains accessible to those who are new to the Queen of the Tropics.

Purdie On Judging

By Jim Purdie

I will try to tell you all about the judging rules here in Australia. Firstly, we should explain about registration, which is kept by the nomenclature officer. The person who cross-pollinates two flowers is known as the hybridizer. The person who plants the resulting seed and grows the bush is the grower. Often the hybridizer and grower is the same person. The grower has the right to name and register a new cultivar, but the name of the hybridizer must be quoted on the registration form. If a seedling bloom earns five certificates of merits at shows, the grower will receive a notice. If they have not registered it within six months, it will be added to the open register, denying it three years in the seedling class, and cannot be a H.O.T.Y entrant. A seedling remains in the seedling class for three years, and if in the H.O.T.Y. competition, it can be a seedling for up to five or six years. It could be almost at the end of the three years when nominated for H.O.T.Y, and then it has to be grown by the evaluators for another three years. Seedlings can only be those plants grown from seed, and sports or mutations cannot be seedlings and must be entered in the open class. Judges must judge blooms based on a comparison of the bloom being judged to perfection of that individual variety and not to another variety of bloom. They must determine whether or not a particular bloom is true to type in form, size, color and substance (texture and freshness) and after reviewing the condition of the bloom, decide if an award will be given.

Form refers to the shape and symmetry of the petals, style, stigma pads, etc, and should be characteristic for that variety. Symmetrical form in outline should be maintained for both single and double blooms.

Size refers to the size of the blooms according to the best that can be expected, allowing for seasonal changes.

Color refers to the color, typical for normal warm-weather blooms as this is the time of the year when color is at its truest. Allowance for variations in color should be made for the time of day and seasonal changes. The clarity of the color of each bloom should be true for that variety.

Substance or texture refers to the material of the petals for that variety and includes freshness. Thin or soft substance is not desirable if it is due to poor quality for that variety. The freshness of the bloom will include style and stigma pads and the epicalyx. There should be an overall quality of elegance and finish with a sparkle or sheen on the petal surfaces.

Condition refers to the damage that may occur by weather, insects and disease, injury, torn petals, discoloration and other surface marks caused by weather or damaging contact of the petal surfaces.

Seedlings are divided into two sections: Mini Seedlings and Seedlings which include Singles & Doubles. They are awarded a Certificate of Merit. The other open classes are Singles, Doubles, and Miniatures and are awarded Gold Seals in each individual class, and a Champion is awarded in each section if the judge thinks there is a bloom worthy of being a Champion. At Annual Shows, a Grand Champion is awarded and a Most Spectacular bloom is picked at each competition.

I hope this gives you some idea of how judges work and the rules they follow. I have quoted the rules from the Australian Hibiscus Society Exhibition & Judging Rules Book. There are a lot more rules in the book, and I have quoted the most important ones that I thought you would be interested in.

International Hibiscus Society
Membership Report 2000-2001

According to the calendar, the International Hibiscus Society has now completed a full year of activity. We’ve gained members, and we’ve lost members just like other groups, but over all we have held our own by being a caring and sharing group of hibiscus enthusiasts. When this committee was first formed, we decided to go slowly with promotional activities until we became more established and respected in the world of hibiscus culture. This has proven to be an important asset.

With the introduction of “Hibiscus International,” we have moved forward by providing the first cyber publication dealing with all aspects of the wonderful world of hibiscus. Both computer and hard copy versions are available, and this is a free service of our group, something that no other group provides to its members and interested parties. These copies are sent out to both subscribers and to people who need or want to know about our activities. The editor is also kind enough to provide copies to the BOD and to hibiscus societies upon request, and anyone asking for “Hibiscus International” back issues can be provided with this material on a one-on-one basis as attachments to e-mails. All expenses directed to the publication and distribution for this material has been on a personal basis and at no expense to the IHS.  

If anyone would like to find out more about our membership, this is available through our Internet web site or directing requests to the membership committee. There is no hidden agenda here. It is available for anyone who is a member or non-member who just wishes to check it out. As chairperson, I would like to encourage each member to tell their hibiscus friends about our group. This is already happening, but it also needs to be encouraged now and then. We are a success because of you, and we will grow because of you. I have asked several of our members to assist in special duties. Some are members of the board: others, regular members and friends. I would especially like to thank Bob and Allan, two of our board members who are spreading our accomplishments throughout the Australia/New Zealand region. And I also need to acknowledge some personal friends who are members of another gardening group for offering assistance in regions of the world that you will learn more about in future issues of “Hibiscus International.” For Anna, Dany, JFG, Esteban, Bill, Aaron, Stan, and others too numerous to name here, I offer you my sincere thanks.

Of course, I have to thank Dick personally because he is the IHS ambassador and is responsible for bringing us into existence. However, I couldn’t do this without the assistance of Nadeen and Damon, and I am very grateful for their help. I will try to do a short report periodically on our membership activities, but a lot of what we do is not the most exciting thing in the world. It’s a behind-the-scenes activity that does not warrant our standard caring and sharing agenda. Sometimes, it’s merely work, and work is often boring.

As we look toward the second year, let us all work together to make our group the finest of its kind. We can do this in a positive way that will be satisfying and rewarding for all involved. As this membership year comes to a close, we have 148 members, and our outlook for further growth is very good.   

Gloria White
Membership Chairperson.

Turning Over A New Leaf

By Damon Veach

Beginning gardeners, as well as those who are already into collecting and raising exotic plants, will find “The New Gardener” to be a nice addition to any book collection. This is not a new book. My copy is a First American Edition, 1995. Pippa Greenwood is the author, and it was produced for National Home Gardening Club, 12301 Whitewater Drive, Minnetonka, Minnesota.

What is nice about this one is the way it is broken down into usable categories and all the many pictures used to illustrate the content. One section that is of interest to all gardeners is entitled garden basics. It includes a discussion on weather, microclimates, making the most of your soil, improving the soil and the site, choosing plants, and tools and how to use them.

This may seem elementary to some, but it was good to see so much of this data in print and available for those with less experience in gardening. Another part that I found very helpful was container gardening. This one tells you how to utilize space better, how to choose containers, use of space on balconies, window boxes, and gardening with a limited space.

Hibiscus is mentioned in the cutting and sowing section, and tropical gardening is discussed under the greenhouse section. There is a little bit of everything in this book, and the sketches and pictures are all presented in a way to make them even more important for the reader to grasp the true gardening experience.

I also found the section on winter protection to be quite useful, and I plan to utilize a lot of this information before the next cold season arrives in the northern hemisphere. And also of interest was the section called plant doctor. Pictures of the beneficial insects was nice, but the pictures of the leaf problems was extremely interesting, especially in light of the fact that Marcos Capelini had asked for help on a fungus affecting one of his hibiscus.

Whether you are building or growing, this is a good book for you. I highly recommend this one for beginners, and I always find it to be a good reference work. It’s a hardcover edition, but I don’t recall the price. You would need to check with local bookstores or contact the National Home Gardening Club.

If it isn’t available in your part of the world, you can always check your gardening suppliers to see if there is a similar publication. Just don’t go it alone. A little help is only a book or a friendly hibiscus gardener away.

Tribute to Ken Perks

By Bob Rivers-Smith

(Picture Furnished by Ian Perks)

Part I

My friend and world famous hibiscus hybridizer Kenneth Leonard Clayton Perks died at the Royal Brisbane Hospital on Friday, April 27, 2001. We attended the same school, served in Fiji in the Colonial Service, and were members of the Suva Orchid Society.

Ken was perhaps best known in Fiji for his interest in hibiscus. Over many years, he and his wife, Joy, put together an extensive collection of varieties which experts from overseas came to examine. He also bred and raised many new varieties, many of which were named after prominent local identities.

I am privileged to have been touched by him. I have selected a few excerpts from publications as a tribute to Ken.

The Late Ross Gast wrote: We next visited with K.L.C. Perks who has the largest collection of hibiscus in Fiji, in so far as we could learn. Furthermore he is a hibiscus enthusiast of the Standiford-Gast school - all out for the flower. He too had most of the new Hawaiian hybrids, but he favors the older varieties, particularly the ones that originated in Fiji, varieties he is trying to preserve. Here again we have much in common.

Les Beers wrote: Ross Gast sought out and became acquainted with local experts, people such as Ken Perks of Fiji.

Seona Martin Fiji wrote: Without doubt the leading breeders of hibiscus have been Ken and Joy Perks who have produced 40/50 really top class hybrids from thousands of seedlings, flowered over 30 years.

The Late Dick Phillips wrote: The Perks grow little else but hibiscus, and Ken has been heard to say that orchids would be wonderful plants if they had flowers like hibiscus, but they are breeding hibiscus of world quality.

On a recent visit, Keith Woolliams of the Waimea Arboretum expressed very considerable surprise at the enormous number of new and old varieties growing in Fiji.

China Rose

By Daryl Tarte

What, you may ask, do the names Devil’s Gold, All Aglow, Mini Skirt, Blooming Blazers, Blue Berry Tart, Brown Bomber and Terry Smith have in common? They are the unlikely names given to some hybridized blooms of the Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis, otherwise known as the China Rose or, more commonly, the hibiscus.

 Arrangement by Carol Rivers-Smith

Developed by the gardeners of Emperors and Mandarins as something exotically new for their masters, the hibiscus is none more synonymous with the South Pacific Islands of Hawaii and Fiji and places like Florida, Australia and Madagascar. It is the state flower of Hawaii and the most popular carnival in Fiji is the Hibiscus Carnival.

No doubt, the plant was brought into the Pacific by the migrations of people from Southeast Asia, but there are known to be some indigenous varieties in Hawaii and Reunion, and a single one on Fiji’s lush garden island of Taveuni.

There are dozens of the genus hibiscus, but the queen of them all is the Hibiscus Rosa Sinensis. Hundreds of varieties of this can be found and they all have their own individual charm, yet they are but poor cousins to the incredibly striking blooms that have been engineered by man.

This is true of men like Fiji’s Ken Perks who has lived all his life in the islands and had a love affair with the hibiscus since boyhood. Following his retirement after 35 years in the public service, his infatuation blossomed as he honed his skills at hybridization. The results of his efforts are simply put – spectacular.

Ken Perks has few of the artistic refinements or academic pomp that is normally associated with flowers lovers. He is a rugged, private man who smokes homegrown Fiji tobacco and drinks overproof Fiji rum. But he is clearly driven by a researcher’s dogged perseverance. His reward is the beauty that results from hybridization. “After that,” he said, “I have no interest.”

It is his wife, Joy, who catalogues the hundreds of new varieties that he creates and of course reaps the pleasure of having a house full of blooms.

“Growing hibiscus is just something to do,” he says matter-of-factly.

But make no mistake, hybridizations takes many years of patient dedication.

Thousands of attempts are made to pollinate the flower with pollen of another hibiscus. The flower then falls off leaving a seedpod and the seeds are planted. If the plant grows, it remains covert, with a distinctive new bloom, but it is a hit or miss. You can’t design a new bloom and what you get is a surprise.

Out of a thousand trials, he might get only two hibiscus that are worth keeping. The rest of the creations will be too “ordinary” to retain. “Keeping them,” notes Perks, “would be like collecting the same postage stamp with only the perforation being different.

In the early years of his interest in hybridization, he didn’t have much success. It wasn’t until he managed to procure some of the magnificent Hawaiian varieties, which he crossed with local hibiscus and grafted onto hardy stalks that he was able to create something special.

Many who have specialized in hybridization have aimed at simply producing spectacular blooms with scant attention to the strength of the plant and little chance of reproduction from cuttings. Through grafting, Ken Perks has made it possible for other hibiscus lovers to grow his flowers in their gardens.

In Fijan, the hibiscus is called the Senitoa, meaning the flower of the chicken. Why? Perhaps because the stamen resembles a cock’s comb. But naming new blooms is all part of the fun. The names seem to be most often related to specific people, but they can arise out of other situations. Once he saw an exquisite bloom and exclaimed, “Oh.” And that was what it was called, Oh.

Hibiscus growers in Florida, Hawaii and Australia are usually members of a hibiscus society and members exchange their knowledge and share in each other’s successes. It is not so for Ken Perks. He has neither sought nor been given any international recognition for the uniquely marvelous flowers he has created, or for the expertise that he has demonstrated. It’s all for personal satisfaction.

While the hibiscus is a tropical bloom, Ken claims that he has seen better blooms in Auckland and Sydney. “Perhaps the variable climate is more agreeable….ours is more constant, but rather harsh. We probably get more blooms throughout the year, but they are better in New Zealand.”

While Ken has 400 or so plants in his garden, he advises the home gardener to keep only 10 to 12 plants and pamper them with care by regular fertilizing and pruning.

It is an oddity incongruous fact that while Perks has some of the best hibiscus in the South Pacific, the blooms are produced on plants that are scraggy, stunted and ratty looking. “At age 74, it has become too much work to look after them all. I don’t worry about bugs or diseases. I leave that up to Mother Nature.

It is a risk that he takes: hibiscus are threatened by a host of such pests.

But the blooms do give him great pleasure. “I often just sit and admire them and wonder how my hands managed to work so well with nature.” His success is a contradiction of Rousseau’s opinion that “Everything is perfect coming from the hands of the creator. Everything degenerates in the hands of man.”

But others have reaped the pleasure, as well. Ken’s wife, Joy, was Personal Assistant to former Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara (now Fiji’s President) for 25 years, and each day throughout that period, she took a selection of flowers to Ratu Mara’s office for him and his visitors to admire.

Fiji artist (and the first Miss Hibiscus in 1956) Liebling Marlow comments: “Looking at hibiscus blooms gives me a feeling of joy, happiness and peace. It makes me feel good to be alive.”  

Hibiscus are the favorite choice of exotic island girls, and the flower tucked behind the ear focuses attention on both face and flora.

Unlike many flowers, hibiscus have no scent. Its appeal lies in the rich blending of colors, the unusual curl of single and double petals, its luster, size, and sheer overall beauty. While most flowers, like the roses or carnations, display beauty in the cluster of folded petals, the China Rose had only five petals which unfold in the morning to blatantly reveal its charm. By nightfall, after only a few hours of exotic loveliness, the petals of the China Rose wrap around the staminal column and die.  

After wandering around Ken’s garden in Suva, I was invited into his lounge, where a magnificent pink hibiscus about ten inches across stood in solitary splendor on the center of a table.

“Strike me pink! That’s magnificent,” I blurted out, and he smiled and said, “I haven’t named it yet, but thanks for the idea. I’ll call it Strike Me Pink.”