Beautiful New Hibiscus!

[Miss Lily]

Today I bought Amy/Amos a new larger Hibiscus. S/he loves eating the small one and at the rate s/he's going it won't last very long! We went to a few garden centres today and I found a whole stand of Hibiscus to choose from! Well, I just had to have one for Amy/Amos! I chose one with the most amazingly coloured flowers! The photo doesn't do it justice - it's a really vibrant, vivid orange!

 

[CleaTheChameleon]

We have those all over in FL but very pretty im sure she/he will love it

 

[gary1621]

I cant seem to find any!!!

I did manage to pick up a small one at a tiny garden centre the other day, but not a nice sized one that would be able to survive a cham attack hehe

That does look like a nice colour Tiff, I'm hoping this small one is orange

 

[Miss Lily]

They are a seasonal plant in the UK and are sold as houseplants, which is why I was so pleased to find some!

 

[Miss Lily]

I cant seem to find any!!!

I did manage to pick up a small one at a tiny garden centre the other day, but not a nice sized one that would be able to survive a cham attack hehe

That does look like a nice colour Tiff, I'm hoping this small one is orange

They had loads in Thompsons Garden Centre. I think they are a national company rather than local so there may be a branch near you. Gotta be worth a google! This plant is 15" tall - a bargain me thinks!

 

[gary1621]

We have a thompsons... my parents were there yesterday! They wouldnt have known what to looking for

Could mean a bus ride in the week they have a donkey sanctuary/farm attached so could be a nice little day out

And yep, i totally agree, yours was a nice bargin!

 

[dyeguy65]

I got a great deal at a local nursery. $6 for a good 20 inch hibiscus. Now that its in the cage...it decided to bloom in the back...how convenient.

lily...can you please give me some advice on caring for them as indoor plants? Mine doesnt seem to be doing too well. Things like your watering schedule? Placed near a window? Most of the leaves at the bottom and in the middle are starting to turn yellow =( Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Miss Lily]

I don't do anything special to them. The smaller one in the cage has been sat on a window sill for a few months before I put it in there and I gave it a good watering whenever it looked dry. I'm not very good with plants, so I don't know what would turn the leaves yellow. Perhaps another member does know and can help! I just thought that when the leaves turn yellow they are the older ones and I just picked them off.

 

[AJA]

The Home Depot in my area has some for $18 in a five gallon pot. I have been picking them up , but realized one of them has a red flower. Does anyone know if this will cause issues with chameleons?

 

[MandaRyan]

We live in Arizona and we bought a beautiful pink hibiscus. Our cham loved eating the flowers as well but it didn't seem to last long in the cage. We thought there was no hope left for it but stuck it outside and put a sprinkler hose directly into it. Shockingly, it's gorgeous with huge pink flowers on it now.

 

[Miss Lily]

Is it safe though?

Just found the till receipt for the Hibiscus in my bag. The plant I bought is a Hibiscus Ankora Orange. Does the Ankora part mean anything? Is that variety safe for chams? Don't wanna poison my little green friend! Better safe than sorry, so I thought I'd double check!

 

[hallenhe]

Ankora orange is a variety of cultivated hibiscus - it has been given a fanciful (possibly patented) name by its breeder, but shouldn't be producing toxic chemicals. For a blurb from a breeder on hibiscus edibility (including different species, try this.

RE the red-hibiscus-and-chams question - the first hibiscus I had was red, and it didn't bother the cham a bit (until it dropped its flowers; then he wanted nothing to do with it - go figure). On the other hand, my chams haven't been bothered by red clothing or any other color or color combination, so they may not be the best indicators.

 

[laurie]

Usually leaves turning yellow means too much water. Try putting some drainage under the pot and a plant light about it. The plant will most likely get pleanty of water from the dripper/mister on the chams.

 

[Miss Lily]

Ankora orange is a variety of cultivated hibiscus - it has been given a fanciful (possibly patented) name by its breeder, but shouldn't be producing toxic chemicals. For a blurb from a breeder on hibiscus edibility (including different species, try this.

RE the red-hibiscus-and-chams question - the first hibiscus I had was red, and it didn't bother the cham a bit (until it dropped its flowers; then he wanted nothing to do with it - go figure). On the other hand, my chams haven't been bothered by red clothing or any other color or color combination, so they may not be the best indicators.

Thanks Hallenhe. That website is amazing! I'll read through all that in the morning. Haven't put my hibiscus in the cage yet, I am waiting for the current flowers to die off then I'll wash the leaves. Don't want to risk Amy/Amos eating any flowers that may have something nasty on them!

 

[WelshOneEmma]

Tiff, you always manage to find the best plants! My hibiscus is growing well, but no sign of flowers yet, just lots of very leafy leaves!

 

[Miss Lily]

The small one in the cage already had a load of new leaves, but a certain little green person rather likes to munch on them - hence the need for a replacement! The leaf munching is all new to me - Lily didn't ever munch her leaves on purpose, but Amy/Amos hangs by the tail from a vine and rips the leaves off! Little green monkey, lol!

 

[WelshOneEmma]

The small one in the cage already had a load of new leaves, but a certain little green person rather likes to munch on them - hence the need for a replacement! The leaf munching is all new to me - Lily didn't ever munch her leaves on purpose, but Amy/Amos hangs by the tail from a vine and rips the leaves off! Little green monkey, lol!

Hugo goes through phases, but he is quite partial to the hibiscus. And the passion flower too. He had some stuck to his top lip the other day. Very funny. I have found that since i have put the plants in the cage, they have all grown really well. Must be the temp and the UV.

 

[Miss Lily]

New flower!

The Hibiscus bloomed a new flower this morning! Stunning! I almost don't want to put it in Amy/Amos' cage - it's too beautiful to be eaten, lol!

 

[joeandsoph]

How do you keep the Hibiscus alive!! We got one and althought Colin/Tilly (lol) absolutely loved it, it died within a week!!!

 

[hallenhe]

The Hibiscus bloomed a new flower this morning! Stunning! I almost don't want to put it in Amy/Amos' cage - it's too beautiful to be eaten, lol!

Isn't this where the phrase "looks good enough to eat" came from?