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Garden

How the hibiscus stole their hearts

By YVONNE SWANSON
Published June 10, 2006

	[Photos: Yvonne Swanson]
	Meet the stunning Melon Mania hibiscus.
	After some judicious matchmaking, the infant hibiscus plants require a little extra babying by Fred and Connie Roush and — a large part of the fun of hybridizing — a descriptive new name.
	Creating hibiscus hybrids Tropical hibiscus is one of the easiest plants to cross-pollinate by hand. All you do is take the pollen from one species and brush or rub it onto the stamen (the long anther-looking filament at the center of the blossom) of another species, and you can create an entirely new plant.

Drivers stop and look. Some park and walk around the property. One man even walked right in the front door to ask about the plants for sale.

It looks like a nursery, but the bright orange house on the quiet street in Palm Harbor is home to Fred and Connie Roush . . . and about 1,000 tropical hibiscus bushes in every color imaginable.

It's easy to mistake the retirees' home for a garden center. Most of the plants are growing in black plastic containers, or seedling trays in the greenhouses. The ground is covered with that black weed mat you often see at nurseries. Every plant is labeled, with names like Magic Moment, Whipped Cream, Gator's Pride and High Voltage. Even the sign by the front door reads "Connie & Fred's Hibiscus Hacienda."

Four years ago, the Roushes were just regular people. But then Connie fell in love with a bright yellow hibiscus bush down the street. Fred made a cutting of the plant, and it became their first hibiscus. Shortly after, they went to a local hibiscus show and sale, just to see more blooms. Life hasn't been the same since.

Now they travel around the state to enter their delicate hibiscus blooms in competitions - and they have numerous awards to their credit. They spend hours each day tending their enormous collection. There's the typical watering, feeding and pruning that you'd expect, but with an operation this size, there is so much more to do. Fred, 68, builds all kinds of trays and tables to hold the pots and mini-greenhouses that look like covered wagons. Connie, 65, keeps detailed records about the plants on a notepad and computer spreadsheet. Fred calls her "the brains of the operation."

Like other hibiscus growers, Connie likes matchmaking - not between people, but between hibiscus plants. With the stroke of a little paint brush, she collects pollen from one plant (the father) and brushes it onto the stigma of another plant (the mother). When the bloom on the mother plant closes, a seed pod forms. Those seeds will be used to grow an entirely new plant - a hybrid - that was created from Connie's cross-pollination.

Naming the new hybrids is half the fun. There's Fred's Runt, Connie's Torch and even Granny Eunice, for the neighbor across the street. With 287 varieties in their collection, the combinations are endless.

Growing the hibiscus isn't difficult; in fact, the plants require fairly low maintenance. "Just plant it, water it and fertilize it - and forget about it," says Fred, a Tampa native. He uses a 25-10-15 foliar fertilizer every week from November through September, to which he adds a few teaspoons of Epsom salts for added magnesium. He rotates brands of fertilizer each week to make sure the plants have a varied diet. "I figure I like to eat something different and the plants want to, too. I want to make them healthy, happy and make blooms come," he says.

The Roushes don't think of their hibiscus operation as work. It's a passion and a hobby they can enjoy together in their retirement, and it keeps them outdoors and healthy. "It's so enjoyable," Connie says. "When you get a fantastic-looking bloom, it's worth everything."

Yvonne Swanson is a freelance writer in St. Petersburg and a master gardener for Pinellas County.

JOIN HIBISCUS FUN

Fred and Connie Roush will be displaying blooms at the Hibiscus Show and Plant Sale, 1 to 4 p.m. today, sponsored by the Sunset Chapter of the American Hibiscus Society, at Pinellas County Extension Service, 12520 Ulmerton Road, Largo. Hibiscus plants in 1-gallon containers will sell for $15.

[Last modified June 9, 2006, 11:14:15]