In this case... the Luna Hibiscus I got just about a month or so ago. BIG HUGE beautiful blooms, but a dwarf. Heck... I even paid full price for it. We've been having decent amounts of rainfall lately and things in the ground have been looking okay. I knew they'd be ready for a good drink this weekend since the rains have left and the 100F temps have arrived. Everyday, I walk around and check on all the plants. This one looked okay on Thursday evening. When I got home late on Friday, it looked as if it was suffering from heat stroke. Really sad and droopy. So... I gave it a quick drink and promised to give it more water on Saturday morning. It looked a little more perky in the morning so I thought it was just thirsty. So... I gave it (and everything else) a good slow drink. This morning... still looking sad but "better", so I gave it another quick drink. Then around 3pm. I noticed it looked practically dead! Yes... it's in full sun (which the label called for)... but it was also in the 100F temp range again. (my thermometer is in the shade.. and still shows those temps). I knew it couldn't be thirsty... and decided to dig it up. Yikes... it was TOOOOOO wet. I mean standing in water wet. Poor thing went from burning up to drowning all in 24 hours. :'( So now it sits in a container under the tree where it can only get brief morning sun. I sure hope it makes it... I feel terrible.
Have had my dinner plate one for about 6 years. Even had flash flood. And it was under water for few hours. it came back and put on a good show. Here in Iowa--slow to poke it's head out. Just now coming back
Gosh Cheryl, I hope your Luna makes it! I have a pink Luna and it is so pretty. Good thing you thought to check it's roots. I see a lot of customers that kill their plants with the kindness of water (or too much water) I know they are suited for full sun, but the 100°F temps could make any plant a little stressed! Good luck!
I think we've probably all done much the same as you Cheryl. I've learned, the hard way, over the years to let my garden plants look after themselves with very little 'help' from me. I murdered dear knows how many favourites before I decided to stop interfering too much.
Yep those suffering morning glories I pulled yesterday was in soaking wet soil in the bottom of the container. I added more holes on the bottom and changed the soil before putting in the Ivy. Cheryl just keep an eye and pamper your new baby for abit I'm sure your Luna will be ok...
Kay... I try to very careful with my watering, but I think this is the first time I've damaged something in the ground with too much water. Eileen... I've been known to baby something to death... so I try not to interfere too much. But this poor guy looked so sad I had to do something. Just wish I had reacted differently... or better. Laura... I had to laugh yesterday... I have a Sunpatien that's not staying wet enough to battle the heat, so I had to make larger holes in it's pot and set it in a bowl so it could soak up more water as needed. Then I had to make larger holes in another container because it was holding too much water! Man... these plants sure keep us on our toes! I checked on the poor Luna before I left home this morning. It doesn't look any better... but it doesn't look any worse. I guess I'll know whether it will come back to life or not when I get home this afternoon.
Deanna... it doesn't look good. The leaves that had, in my opinion, any chance of bouncing back, were pretty much crispy when I got home this afternoon. BUT.... I haven't given up hope just yet. The little thing was only about 10-12 inches tall and had 4 "branches". One of them was broken at the base, so I went ahead and cut it off. Another was looking rather brown at it's base. So I chopped it off too. One still look pretty green and actually had an itty bitty spot of new growth. I cut it off and applied some rooting hormone and put it in a potting soil, perlite, vermiculite mix and brought it indoors. The last branch that was hanging on for dear life... well... I just left it in the pot under the tree. I guess that's all I can do for it. I'll have to keep an eye out for another one... those blooms were just tooooo awesome not to try again.
Ohhhh Cheryl I feel another Lowes run coming on. Haha. I went yesterday after work, got a Jade plant for a dollar. Its cleaned up and resting nicely in its new container in the center of my dinning table. I seen a bunch of hibiscus and I'm pretty sure I seen that same kind there, didn't see the prices but they weren't clearance. But beautiful blooms I know what you mean.
Yeah... I'll have to check to see if they have any more left. Their markdown rack has very disappointing this year... so far.
It maybe just getting wiped out quick, I've been checking a lot and that stuff hasn't been lasting day to day.I'm watching for bluberries but I've seen all kind of fruit trees and no bluberries. They were on sale last week and I'm kicking my own butt for not getting them! 2 for 10$ not sure if that's a good deal. But I stink booo me! Normally they are 7 a piece. Waahhh! Hehe
I lost several plants last summer that claimed they preferred FULL SUN. Not in Missouri they don't! Rosemary was one of them. The full sun here can kill a lot of plants. I hope your baby makes it. Mine did not. Full sun here in the summer is torture for most things...
Well... I'd pretty much say it's a goner... but I do have the roots in a pot. Who knows? Maybe it will put on new branches? I'm not holding my breath... but it doesn't hurt to try. I really don't think it was the sun... but instead... too much water. Dummy me didn't raise that bed after taking out all of the irises. So it was lower than everything else. I did put quite a bit garden soil in that spot yesterday to get it just a little above the rest of the bed. I also ordered a couple more of the Lunas from eBay. They were pretty cheap... hope they are in good shape. I'm going to put one back in that spot... and the other in a container that gets a little more shade.
Two fer $10 for blueberries is a GREAT price. A few years back, they were $10 EACH here.. and all 7 of them died. I have not found blueberries for sale since then. If you grow blueberries, do NOT put them near any black walnut trees.
I do not know how different your hibiscus is from it's tropical cousin here in FL. but I do know our hibiscus do not like wet feet! they prefer dry over wet any day. Ours love the morning sun as do many flowers.
