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!