This is the "Roseflake" - with its fabulous red, green and pink foliage. The red flowers almost pale into insignificance amongst the foliage on this.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis variegata "Roseflake" and "Snowflake"
Two great tropical shrubs for any garden that gets little rain but lots of harsh sunlight, high summer temperatures and high humidity levels, are these variegated forms of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis. These two hibiscus shrubs flower all year round in full sun and they look fabulous with their striking foliage colours.
This is the "Roseflake" - with its fabulous red, green and pink foliage. The red flowers almost pale into insignificance amongst the foliage on this.
Here is the single red bloom of the hibiscus flower on the "Roseflake". The flowers do have lovely frilly edges to their petals.
Now here is Hibiscus rosa-sinensis "Snowflake." It has green and white variegated leaves.
It also gets a single red frilly-edged bloom.
Both shrubs have a semi-pendulous form and look terrific with their great arching branches of variegated foliage. I have around eight stands of these shrubs in various spots around my property and they reach between two and four metres high ... two, in particular, are high enough to peek over the railings of a high set Queenslander home!
This is the "Roseflake" - with its fabulous red, green and pink foliage. The red flowers almost pale into insignificance amongst the foliage on this.
Hello Bernie - There is something very warming about seeing a tropical hibiscus bloom while sitting here on a very wintry Victorian evening :) I was completely unaware that you could get variegated varieties!
ReplyDeleteI have seen many different kinds of Hibiscus, but never one with variegated foliage. It is just beautiful!
ReplyDeleteI have never seen a variegated Hibiscus before, it quite stunning.I think I like snowflake best.
ReplyDeleteI have these variegated leaves hibiscus in my garden too. I like their names Roseflakes and Snowflakes. I think mine is Roseflakes. The foliage of yours is beautiful and lush.
ReplyDeleteJust visited your beautiful garden,
ReplyDeletefeel so much like at home.
I wonder whether both of the species are but the same plant? They change colour due to the intensity of the sunlight?
Regardless - they are really spectacular!
So very pretty are the variegated Hibiscus. I love how the red flower peeks into the verandah. I grow the Roseflake, did not know its name. It grows well but bears rarely flowers. It is always so interesting to see what others grow in a similar climate. You have got a great collection of wonderful shrubs. Thanks for always naming them.
ReplyDeleteHi James ... I'm not sure they're the same plant. The nurseries here sell them as two different varieties and while I've seen some of the green and white variegated branches on the Roseflake bushes, I've never seen the red, green and white branches on the Snowflake.
ReplyDeleteI know both bushes can revert back to the plain green leafed branches as they get older and taller ... but a trim will see the variegated branches come back.
Titania ... thanks for your comment. I'm not sure why your Roseflake doesn't bear flowers ... each one of mine bears blooms intermittently all year round. While each shrub is certainly not covered in blooms, there's always a few on every one.
ReplyDeleteI've made a deliberate effort over the past year or so to find out the botanic names of my plants ... it has certainly helped me take better care of them once I know exactly what they are.
Wow both beautiful foliage and flowers but I think I like the rocking chair best. I spent hours in a rocking chair on the front verandah when I was a kid.
ReplyDeleteJoan Elizabeth ... I can tell you that hubbie and I spend a lot of our weekend rocking away on the rocking chairs out there on the verandah! It's a favourite spot for breakfast, the morning cuppa, the afternoon snooze and the evening tipple!!!
ReplyDeleteVery Beautiful! I think I saw "snowflake" for sale in local nursery here (south florida). Even it is labeled as "snowflake", but I can see some pinkish leaves on the bush. I remember I read somewhere the color changes with the sunlight. hmm, I wonder if your "snowflake" is different from what I saw here.
ReplyDeleteHi Ami ... I've had Snowflakes and Roseflakes growing side by side for many years and no Snowflake has ever developed the red in its leaves. Some of the Roseflakes have, however, on occasion developed the green and white variegation.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen these shrubs, but I would love to own either of them! I love variegated foliage, and these are outstanding. I think the red flower is a perfect complement to the amazing leaves.
ReplyDeleteBernie, I have Snowflake growing in my garden too but I didn't know its name till today. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI am so delighted to find your blog as i am also a subtropical hot climate gardener like yours. The plants and flowers on your blog are mostly the same which we grow here in lahore pakistan zone 10b. Will be visiting often for sure.
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie
ReplyDeleteI am so behind with blogging at present but so gald I caught up with this lovely post.
hi Bernie, looking at your garden is just looking at ours. We always cut the green-leafed Hibiscus because they overpower the variegated one. We also have the variegated white but we dont have the red-whit-green, seem like they are more prone to aphids. By the way, i took photos of my tall Ixora javanica which i saw i your older post. It has lots of flowers too, nothwithstanding the very dry and hot temp here. Other plant die but it seems to be happy.
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie, that's a pretty hibiscus! I came across a really bright red one at a nursery recently. The leaves are all green though. Each time I visit a nursery, they are bound to be a new colouration.... never ending! Nonetheless, they are always pretty.
ReplyDeleteI have these Roseflake Hibiscus in my garden.
ReplyDeleteThey look wonderful but do get grubs which eat most of the leaves.
I control them most of the time but they now have a disease which makes the leaves and stems very knobbly and deformed - what should I do.
Kathy/ Brisbane