Perennials - Confederate Rose
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  (October) I have some questions about two plants I brought from the Mississippi gulf coast. One they called a Confederate Rose. I think they told me it would bloom in the fall. I have had mine two years and it has not bloomed. It is a beautiful bush, but has no blooms thus far and now it will be too late I think. Do you know anything about this plant? The other plant came from near Mobile. It is called a potato vine, down There. It has beautiful heart shaped leaves and has potato like things growing on the vine. They look kind of rough and are growing on the vine right next to where the leaf joins the vine. Any information on this plant? I have only seen one here in Arkansas and it was on a fence in Monticello. I was wondering if these "potatoes" were edible for animals or if they are just a nuisance and something to clean up.

  The confederate rose is actually a hibiscus -- Hibiscus mutabilis. It has powder puff blooms in light pink, usually in October -- so it isn't too late for yours to bloom. They are marginally hardy in central Arkansas, but need to be lifted if you live in the northern part of the state. It needs plenty of sunlight, and prefers a somewhat moist site. In years when we have an early frost, we often don't get to enjoy the blooms for long, but with mild falls, these plants can be spectacular. As for the potato vine, it isn't as uncommon as you think -- it is usually called Aerial potato or potato vine, since the potatoes are grown above ground, versus underground, like most potatoes. It is unusual and does produce all these aerial potato-like fruits. The Latin name is Dioscorea batatas. The fruits are not edible. If you bring one indoors, it will eventually sprout and send out a long runner. It is more of a conversation piece, but it is interesting vine.

  (November) Before I put my tropical hibiscus away for the winter, do I need to prune them? I did last year, and they bloomed this year, but not in abundance. I re-potted them the year before last, could this hinder them from blooming, or should I repot before I put them to bed? Also, can I plant my Confederate Rose now or should I wait until spring? It has tripled in size, but I still have it in a BIG pot, and wintered it in a protected area last year. It is blooming now.

  I would not prune too severely, nor repot when you move the hibiscus inside. They normally do lose some leaves and don't thrive during the winter hiatus indoors due to lower light and less humidity. When you move them back outside, or a month before, you can cut them back severely, and repot. Remember that tropical hibiscus only puts on flowers on new growth. If you have an older plant that is root bound, you won’t have much new growth, and you won’t have as many flowers. Many people find that the plants they over winter, don't bloom as well the second or third year, because the plants are getting older and woodier and or root constricted. I would not plant a confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) in the ground this late in the season. While they have over wintered well the past five years or so, you would not be allowing much time for root establishment before winter weather sets in. They would be best planted in the spring as they begin emerging to allow them to get well established and therefore more winter hardy.

  (November) Can I plant my Confederate Rose now or wait til spring. It has tripled in size, but still have it in a BIG pot. I wintered it in a protected area of my yard, and it is blooming now, which you indicated it was a "late" bloomer.

  I think it is awfully late in the season to begin planting a somewhat less than hardy plant in the ground. It hasn't been that many years since confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis) were regularly winter damaged in central Arkansas. While they have done very nicely in overwintering the past five years or so, you would not be allowing much time for root establishment before winter weather. However, if you still plan to keep it in a pot outside all winter, planting in the ground would be preferable to that. You may want to take a cutting from the plant prior to frost as a piece of added protection.

  (November) I sent you a leaf of a bush (tree) that I got as a cutting in Louisiana. The friend who had it called it a "Confederated Rose" for lack of a proper name. It was basically a tree, and covered with double "rose" shaped blossoms. My question is...will it survive in Central Ark. (Conway)? I had it in a huge pot last year, and put it close to the house among bushes. I thought I had lost it, but it came back up from the root. Can you tell me something about this plant?

  The confederate rose is Hibiscus mutabilis. It is a hardy hibiscus, but in a pot, would probably not survive yearly in Conway. In the ground, they have done fairly well, except in severe winters. Here they die to the ground usually in the winter. I recently saw one in Savannah that was 20 feet tall, with an inch sized trunk. Their winters are much more mild than ours. This hibiscus usually blooms only in the fall, in mid October with powder puff pink flowers which fade to white. It can produce a fairly large plant during the growing season, and in years when we had an early frost, the flowers were not all open.

  (December) In a recent column, I wrote about the confederate rose, Hibiscus mutabilis. Several people have written to say that their flowers opened white, and turned pink, others had plants that opened pink and turned white or red, and still others that opened pink and stayed pink. There are numerous varieties, and also single flowered forms and double flowered forms. The species name 'mutabilis' does give you the idea that something about the plant mutates-or changes colors, and usually the flowers do alter their color somewhat after opening. This is a semi-hardy hibiscus, and if you live north of central Arkansas, you may want to take some cuttings to ensure you have a plant next summer. This hardy hibiscus blooms in the fall-typically in October. Thanks for all the responses!

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