Saturday, March 16, 2013

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Cooperii', Snowflake Hibiscus


Hibiscus rosa-sinensis 'Cooperii'
This Hibiscus has long been a part of the indoor plant trade and its delicate small variegated white leaves, which have a hot pink tinge at certain times of the year, have given it the common name of the 'Snowflake Hibiscus'. The variegation or lack of chlorophyll in the leaves means it is is not a particularly vigorous grower in all but tropical climates. I keep it in a pot and it makes a nice contrast with darker foliage plants. This is the first time mine has flowered and the pendulous pillar box red blooms are very attractive.
It needs a warm spot over winter as leaves may drop if it is very cold. For some reason insect pest find the leaves particularly tasty and again this could be due to the lack of green pigment which may inhibit predators.

3 comments:

  1. Tudo o que observei neste blog, fascinou- me! Gostei de ver, ler e aprender! Bem haja por ter o gosto de descobrir a beleza da natureza e de partilhar com os outros.

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  2. Hello! I have one of these in my house. It's really pretty. Actually my mother had it in the backyard, but when I moved in we decided to try and move it to the garden in the front of the house. I moved it myself, and it was doing fine until a peculiarly heavy storm knocked it down slashing its roots half the size they used to be. Even so it's struggling to survive and it's produced a couple of flowers so far, about two weeks to summer in the south of Brazil. I wonder if you could give us some tips on how to take proper care of it. thank you very much and congratulations on the blog! Cheers

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  3. Hi Kwiney, if you live inSouth Brazil this Hibiscus should feel right at home .It is a vary hardy plant but likes regular water and small amounts of fertilizer every few months in the summer.It prefers to go in the shade as the leaves may burn in the hot sun. Thanks for your comment.regards Ian

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