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September
12th

‘Dey As Big As You Head: Dinner Plate Hibiscus

Published by Hanna | Filed Under: Plant Encyclopedia
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I really wish that had used something to show the scale of the flower in this picture. When I say that this flower is as big as your head, I am not exaggerating (unless you happen to be a Macy’s parade balloon).

This is a picture of a Dinner Plate Hibiscus aka a Mammoth Hardy Hibiscus. And for anyone who would like, if you click through on the picture, it will go through to a computer wallpaper size of that photo.

Despite the tropical look of this flower, it pretty routinely blooms late in the season around here. I started to see blooms on mine and my neighbor’s about two weeks ago. I have to say, they are a nice turn around from the brown and green muddle my garden is for most of August.

My Dinner Plate Hibiscus are late bloomers in more than way. Every year I come within days of digging it up, pitching it and planting something else there simply because it take forever for it to show any signs of life in the spring. By the time other plants have shoots, leaves and flowers, this plants still looks like a dead ball of roots. And since it looks dead, I get the shovel all ready to dig it up.

Luckily for my Dinner Plate Hibiscus, I am a serious procrastinator and something always prevents me from getting around to digging it up when I mean to. By the time I get around to it, shoots have finally appeared. This has happened so often, that I am beginning to think it is just a lazy plant and the threat of being dug up is what gets it going. I am thinking that if I go out in March and lay a shovel down next to it and make a few threatening statements, by early April the shoots will be coming up and the plant will be on the same timetable as the other flowers. *shrug* It’s always worth a try.

Dinner Plate Hibiscus are a relatively new introduction to the world of plants, meaning that they have only been around a few decades. They were developed by the hibiscus world famous Bill Morrison.

I love the flowers, but there just one small problem with them. When it rains, like it is doing today, the whole plant collapses under the weight of the water laden blooms. They don’t recover all too well when the flowers dry either. The answer is to stake them, but, of course, I never remember to do that until after it rains and the huge flowers are laying face down in the dirt.

In the end, this issue is a small price to pay to have such glorious late summer flowers. Of course, I think I would like it better if I got gargantuan flowers in mid-summer but I am hopeful that gardening by death threat will help this plant achieve that end.


Published by Hanna on September 12th, 2006
Filed Under Plant Encyclopedia | Permalink

4 Responses to “‘Dey As Big As You Head: Dinner Plate Hibiscus”

  1. [...] love one in her yard. I came across this person’s blog, looks like she is in Cleveland, OH. ‘Dey As Big As You Head: Dinner Plate Hibiscus I will be on the lookout for this, my SMIL would LOVE this!!! __________________ There’s more, [...]

  2. I live in Zone 5 – SE Mass. Where can I purchase dinner plate hibiscus?

    [Reply]

  3. maureen kreiser Says:

    we have a mammoth hibiscus with flowers that reach to 12″. we have been trying to find out where we can purches more of them….we planted our about 3-4 yrs ago…it grows to a height of about 12 ft….it is an outdoor plant…all we do is cut it down when it is done for the year….cove it up with mulch for the winter …clear it in spring and what for it to sprout …..we love it and so does everyone else…..maureen kreiser….i have pictures i can send….

    [Reply]

  4. Sharon in Florida Says:

    Our neighbor planted a pink and white dinner plate hibiscus about 3 years ago. She said it “died” twice,but you should see it this year. It is low (not needing stakes) and the most beautiful flower we have ever seen. None of the nurseries in Central Florida have them. She got hers at KMart, probably just by accident. Do NOT give up on them! It’s worth the wait!

    [Reply]

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