Garden Photo of the Day

Hot tropicals!

Michelle Gervais, Associate Editor

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Michelle Gervais

Click here to enlarge this photo.

Michelle Gervais

Click here to enlarge this photo.

Photo: Michelle Gervais

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OK, let's kick off a few days of combos from Central Park's Conservatory Garden in New York City with this stunner. I'm guessing on a few of the plant names this week, so chime in if you can ID something I can't or if I get something wrong. This one includes a cream-edged plectranthus (Plectranthus cv., USDA Hardiness Zone 11), orange-flowered Mexican firebush (Hamelia patens, Zones 9-11), and a dark and dramatic tripocal hibiscus (Hibiscus acetosella cv., Zones 10-11). Can we say dreamy?

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Out-of-the-ordinary texture and color

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Serenity in Central Park

Comments (3)

sheilaschultz writes: I'm making a 'note to self' to try the hibiscus and Mexican firebush in containers this summer. Great color. Posted: 1:58 pm on February 7th

PeonyFan writes: This is a beautiful combination. I have grown Hibiscus acetosella for several years; in my garden (zone 4, short summer) it gets to about three feet but I've seen it grow to five feet tall even here in the upper midwest. I've seen several named cultivars at the nursery but they look pretty much the same. Cuttings root easily in a vase of water, and carried over the winter on a sunny sill, will bloom but the deep burgundy flowers of classic hibiscus form last only a few hours. It is a superb foliage plant for garden or containers. Posted: 1:03 pm on February 7th

margetalken writes: i had the same plectranthus in my missouri garden last year and loved it. trying to overwinter it indoors. the hibiscus looks like the one called maple sugar. i grew that last year also and will certainly add it to my 2011 garden. makes quite an impact with size, leaf shape and dramatic color. marge Posted: 10:37 am on February 7th

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