It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a Favorite Things post. The gorgeous hibiscus cultivar has inspired me.
Hibiscuses are in the mallow family, Malvaceae.
Hibiscuses grow wild on Martha’s Vineyard and we’ve always referred to them as rose mallows. They tend to grow in wet areas, ranging in color from white to pale and bright pink. Here are some rose mallows in a marsh near my house.
More rose mallows in another wetland on the island.
These pink hibiscuses are the type that I was first introduced to, typically kept indoors. Small beautiful tropical flowers.
One winter, starved for a touch of spring, I visited a local nursery to admire the plants. I immediately fell for the rich colors of their hibiscuses.
This one really wowed me with its elegant transitions from one color to the next.
There are many dramatic large hibiscus plants showing up in New England gardens. Here’s a beautiful pink and white one. I love the brilliant red in the center and the velvety texture on the inner part of the petals.
Here’s a bunch of those same hibiscuses growing near a beach in Gloucester.
As with all flowers, their anatomy is just amazing. If I were a bee, I’d be so happy about the easy access to pollen.
I snapped this bunch, with their dark red centers, in Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard.
Red veins run toward the outer edges of this white hibiscus in my garden.
This pure white flower was hiding in the shadows of the plant’s abundant leaves in an Arlington garden.
In the same garden were these vibrant red beauties.
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