THE HOME OF UNBELIEVABLE PLANTS

Once we decided to get involved with growing hibiscus we had to get information on what to do. The one thing that has been the most helpful to us was our Tropical Hibiscus Handbook that we got from the American Hibiscus Society. It sheds light on every subject that can come up in more depth than the University of Florida and Herbs2000.com have said on their sites. The covers contain beautiful pictures of Georgia's Pearl, which was created by Barry Schlueter and Silver Memories from Dan Bandit. Between these amazing specimens of reality you find 120 pages of the most useful information you will find necessary to breath life into a new hibiscus that no-one has seen but you. This is one of our first hybrids called Marge Hine after Kathy's mother.

                                                                                              Marge Hine

                                                                             (above)

These are two hibiscus that we have hybridized, we are still deciding on the names. If you have a suggestion for these new additions, feel free to comment on the issue. You never know, we may go with your name or three may be another lucky recipient down the road. We have had several creations that have made us proud and we hope to enable you to do the same with these Unbelievable Hibiscus.

This photo was taken at one of the past American Hibiscus shows. If you thought that you would only get to see a few select blooms, were you wrong? These showsare filled with the best of the best of the hibiscus around. Some of the blooms that you will find may be from a plant that you will neversee again simply because there are so many new varieties coming outeach year. If you find a plant that you like buy it and help keep that strain going. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single hibiscus, I mean step.

This is an introduction to the American Hibiscus Society (AHS) for anyone who has not seen, heard or been involved with us or hibiscus in general. Two things helped us gain knowledge fast, The Tropical Hibiscus Handbook and the Seed Pod. Now I am not talking about a pod with seeds in it; this is "The Seed Pod"! It has all the information anyone getting started could need. You get one every season that you are a member of a chapter of AHS or you can get you hands on one at an AHS show.

The Seed Pod has information pertaining to judgements in shows as well as promoting upcoming ones. List of grower's nurseries can be found in it's pages as well as tips on what works for theprofessionals. The best thing is you get to see all the unbelievablehibiscus for yourself and find which one you fall in love with.

The easiest thing to do is contact the AHS Chapter near you and get involved in the sensation that is sweepingthe nation and bringing a little beauty at the same time. Once that isdone you will start to meet people who will be glad to help you withyour problems and answer any questions that you may have. Somesocieties do not do not value all members equally but this is something you will not find here. So sign up and we hope to see you at a show soon.

Jackie Ripley came and interviewed Don for THE ST PETE TIMES and had some very interesting things to say once she once he brought her up to speed on Hibiscus. The original artical is posted below and found on tampabay.com but Deja vu for Louisiana is what has our attention. We are concerned for the Gulf Coast and are looking forward to a blooming Summer.

With these showy hibiscus, even seeing isn't believing

The large hybrids are the mainstay at a nursery with six greenhouses.

By JACKIE RIPLEY, Times Staff Writer

Published October 19, 2007

WESLEY CHAPEL

Hibiscus the size of dinner plates. Shades that look almost incandescent. Hard to believe? That's what's growing at Unbelievable Hibiscus, a plant nursery in Wesley Chapel.

"Unbelievable is what everybody says when they see them," said Don Mixon who owns the nursery with longtime companion Kathy Grandoff. "You have to reach over to touch it to realize it's real."

Mixon, president of the bay area's Sunset chapter of the American Hibiscus Society, has been growing hybrid hibiscus for nine years. And while he likes to refer to his operation as a hobby, it now includes six greenhouses and still is growing.

"I just started growing more and more," said Mixon, whose collection of hybrid hibiscus numbers 1,000 varieties and 10,000 plants. "The first year we grew more plants than we could protect from the cold."

That's when Mixon started building greenhouses on the couple's 10-acre spread, and Grandoff told him to get the paperwork in order. She was going to start selling to the public.

"The joy of hybridizing is when you get a seed, plant it and it grows into something you can name," Grandoff said. "Then you can register it in the International Hibiscus site that goes around the world."

Mixon and Grandoff have registered three hybrids. They named the first, "Utterly Confused," because the petals don't open until around 4 in the afternoon. They named their second - a plant with a pastel lavender bud - "Angelic Rose." And the third they named "Red High Heels." It's a bright red flower that looks as if it's been sprinkled with powered sugar.

"When you graft two, you can get offspring that looks like the mother or the father," Mixon said. "Or you get one that looks like neither, and then you've got a new kind."

Those new kinds of hibiscus are what drew members of the Town 'N Country Garden Circle to Unbelievable Hibiscus last week. Members toured the nursery and then were given some hands-on advice on grafting.

Some of the tips Mixon shared included the type of grafting knife to use, which in his case is a $5 model that he tosses when the blades get dull.

He also talked about his preference for biodegradable rubber and paraffin to wrap newly grafted stalks.

And he discussed the best time to graft, which for Mixon is based on the phases of the moon.

"In the beginning when I'd see a full moon and had not grafted, I knew I'd missed my chance that month," said Mixon who grafts on a new moon, or the four to five days preceding it.

Hibiscus at the nursery are nearly three times more expensive than the more common plants, and they require a little more care.

"The garden variety you can walk off and leave," Mixon said. "You can also do that to these, but if you really want them to bloom, you need to fertilize."

Mixon charges between $15 and $20 for a gallon-pot size hybrid hibiscus, and about $12 for a 4-inch plant.

The couple also have a hybrid way of doing business.

They don't keep regular business hours but ask customers to call first and to knock on the front door.

"We sell between 4,000 and 5,000 plants a year," Mixon said. "But that's not a lot when you compare it to big nurseries that sell about 100,000 a year."

Jackie Ripley can be reached at ripley@sptimes.com or at 813 269-5308.

Fast facts In bloom

Unbelievable Hibiscus, 9224 Old Pasco Road

For more information, call (813) 390-6040.