Friday, October 22, 2010

Pink Sturday!

Happy PINK Saturday everyone!
I have been waiting for this plant to bloom so I could share it on PINK Saturdays since I first joined Pink Saturdays back in July.
Meet Confederate Rose or Hibiscus Mutabilis. The name is deceptive because it is not a Rose nor is it native to the South. It is actually a member of the Hibiscus family and is a native of China.

The variety growing in my yard has very large, double pink flowers but there is a variety that has flowers that start off white, changing to pink and finally turning a dark pink, hence the name "Mutabilis" which means changeable. It is possible for a single Confederate Rose plant to have all three colors at one time and as you can imagine, is quite spectacular! Confederate Rose usually blooms mid-October till the first frost but in some areas may start blooming earlier.

Confederate Rose will grow in zones 7-9 and may die all the way back to the ground in the winter. It can reach heights of fifteen feet in one Summer. This is a picture of the Confederate Rose "tree" growing in my yard, sorry it is not a very good picture but I wanted to give you an idea of the size of this plant. 

If gorgeous blooms weren't enough, Confederate Rose is one of the easiest plants to propagate. Simply cut off a green branch before the first frost, stick it in a glass of water and it will quickly sprout roots. By the time Spring rolls around, it will be ready to plant. You can also propagate Confederate Rose from seeds. After the flowers have died, a seed pod will form on the tips of branches, wait for these pods to turn brown and pop open, then remove the seeds and plant in a potting soil mix.
Please stop by and say hi to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound, for more PINK Inspiration!

13 comments:

  1. My gosh - this is sooooo beautiful. Happy Pink Saturday to you!!!

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  2. I enjoyed seeng all your pretty flowers all in pink today. I love Hibiscus, but they do not do well for me.

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  3. Oh how pretty. I;m so glad it vloomed and you could share this marvelous flower with us. I live in Michigan and it wouldn't do well here.

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  4. Happy Pink Saturday Nan, Your flowers are just beautiful, have a wonderful weekend! Hugs Marilou

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  5. That is so cool! I wish it would survive in zone 5. It is beautiful!

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  6. Hibiscus is one of my favorite flowering plants. It grows really well in Texas, but I must say I haven't seen one make a tree like the one you have in your yard. Love this variety of the Mutabilis Confederate Rose with it's changing blooms.

    Thanks for visiting CollectInTexas Gal today for my Featured Pink Saturday...and OMG OMG OMG thanks for the Kudos! So happy you stopped by...always glad to meet another Yankee/Southern Gal...I was born in Iowa and raised in Texas. I'll be a Follower, too!

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  7. Oh how fun! What a beautiful plant! Thank you for sharing!

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  8. Hi Nan,
    I love Hibiscus blooms. They do quite nicely in FL, where I live.

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  9. I just love ruffly flowers! Happy PS

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  10. How pretty that is! but I really love your Halloween birthday party. It looks so festive! Thanks for stopping by and Happy Pink Saturday!
    Chris Verstraete
    Searching for a Starry Night

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  11. I had no idea that hibiscus could grow that tall! I had one that I thought was dead, so we cut it back to the ground. A year later it's alive, and the color of the flower is different! My husband thinks I'm crazy, but I remember what I planted!
    I'm catching up on your older posts today too, and I love the party you threw for your great nephew! The decorations are fantastic, and I bet the little guy had a blast!
    Happy Pink Saturday Nan!
    Carol

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  12. Gorgeous! Thank you for sharing!

    HaPpY pInK sAtUrDaY!
    Sarah

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  13. that's so pretty! The petals almost look like tissue paper. Happy way late Pink Saturday. xo Lynn

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I appreciate each and every one of your comments! Thank you for taking the time to leave such nice words!